H.E TUMUSIIME RHODA PEACE
COMMISSIONER, RURAL ECONOMY AND AGRICULTURE
AFRICAN UNION COMMISSION

STATEMENT ON THE OCCASION OF COMMEMORATING THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF FORESTS
20 MARCH 2015 ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA

Your Excellency Mrs. Dialo Amina Djibo, Ambassador of Niger and Chair of this Session

Ms. Susan Minae, Ag. Coordinator of the FAO Liaison Office for eastern and Southern Africa and other officials of FAO

Your Excellences, Ambassadors and other membersof the diplomatic corps
Distinguish partners

The Staff of the African Union Commission

Ladies and Gentlemen

It is my pleasure welcoming you all to the commemoration of the International Day of Forests. This Day, March 21 was declared by the General Assembly of the United Nations to draw attention to the important social, economic, spiritual, cultural and environmental roles forests and trees play throughout the world. The Resolution calls upon countries, regional and international organizations to commemorate the Day to raise awareness and enhance commitment at all levels of society to protect and conserve forests.

Your Excellences, the commemoration is not only about recalling the benefits of forests but it is equally about raising awareness on the dangers facing the global forest cover especially in the developing countries. These perils include among others, deforestation and forest degradation. These tendencies have increased in many parts of the world including our own continent. As we struggle in the face of continuing population growth and the growing demands to ensure food security, forest lands are converted to make way for agriculture, trees are cut for energy and forest lands cleared for settlement and infrastructure. It is imperative that we establish a balance between forest clearance, reforestations and conservation of forest lands. We need this balance for the stability of our ecosystem on whose wellbeing depend our own ultimate survival.

As you may be aware, forests and woodlands occupy an estimated 650 million ha or 21.8 per cent of the land area of Africa which amounts to 16.8 percent of the global forest cover (FAO 2005). The Congo Basin in Central Africa is home to the world’s second largest continuous block of tropical forest. The forest sector in Africa plays an important role in the livelihoods of communities and economies in Africa. This is particularly so in Western, Central and Eastern Africa where there is considerableforest cover. Africa has the highest per capita forest cover at 0.8 ha per person compared to 0.6 ha globally(FAO 2002). On average, forests account for 6 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Africa,which is the highest in the world. Forests and woodlands also contribute to the long-term social and economic development goals of Africa. They provide energy, food, timber and non-timber products and are important contributor to wealth and health at the household, community and national levels.

The role of forests is increasingly being recognized in efforts to adapt to, and mitigate the negative impacts of climate change. Deforestation and forest degradation accounts for about 18 per cent of global emission of carbon oxide. Thus, controlling this source of emission is a crucial step in averting further global warming. Forests too act as huge carbon sinks, sequestrating carbon in the biomass of trees and in the soil. This has been nature’s way of maintaining the balance over the millennia.

In facing the challenges of climate change; forest protection and conservation must be an integral part of our adaptation and mitigation measures. The concept of sustainable forest management must be emphasised. We must integrate agriculture and forestry more closely. We cannot continue to expand agriculture at the expense of the forest cover. It will not lead us to sustainable livelihoods. Our requirements for energy and other products from the forest must be balanced with the capacity of the forest to provide these good and services on long-term basis. This is very important also considering that 60% of disasters especially in our part of the world are nature-related.

Your Excellences, you would recall that in June 2014, the AU Assembly called for the development of a Regional Framework on Sustainable Forest Management in Africa. In the implementation of this land-mark decision, the AU Commission, in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations’ Regional Office for Africa, is elaborating a Sustainable Forest Management Framework for the continent. This document will contribute to laying down a strong foundation for the rational utilization and management of our forest heritage.

I would, therefore, like to extend to the FAO the appreciation of the Commission for this valuable support. I am happy to say and acknowledge that this is just an example of the numerous areas of mutual collaboration my Department, Rural Economy and Agriculture, has with the FAO. We really value your support and look forward to our continued collaboration. Please convey my regards to HE Dr. da Silva, the DG of FAO; he has always been with us and remains supportive of all our initiatives.

Let me use this opportunity to also mention and other relevant programmes. The AUC has developed a number of flagship Programmes aiming at sustainable land and water management. These include the Great Green Wall of the Sahara and Sahel Initiative and Fouta Djallon Highlands programme..
Women are a central stakeholder in the use and management of the forest; considering the theme of year; forest resources are very important for the promotion and empowerment of the women on the continent.It is in this context that we are promoting the production and marketing of Gum Arabic which is a vital economic crop in many of the Sahelian countries.

The Commission is also working closely with the African Forest Forum within the framework of our memorandum of understanding to provide support to AU Member States and to enhance their participation in the consultative sessions of the United Nations Forum on Forests which will hold its 11th session in May, 2015. This session will provide a critical space for Africa to articulate its priorities and concerns with regards to sustainable forest management.

The commemoration today also provides us with an opportunity to assess our preparedness for the forthcoming XIV World Forestry Congress taking place in Durban, South Africa in September this year. This is an important conference for our continent. It is the first that Africa has the chance to host a forestry conference of this importance and size. We must use the Congress to showcase and share with the rest of world Africa’s best practices and success stories of forest management. We must also use it to highlight our challenges and opportunities to do better. I appeal to Your Excellences to assist in raising awareness in the capitals on the importance of the Congress. This will allow Africa to play a centre stage in the Congress. It is a chance for the whole of Africa to celebrate forestry with the global community.

Before concluding, I would once again like to thank all of you for honouring our invitation to grace this important event. Let me also thank FAO again and the panellists for agreeing to partner with us to commemorate this Day.

I wish you all a happy commemoration.

I thank you for your kind attention.