The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine, in partnership with the Professional Association of Environmentalists of Ukraine and with financial support from the European Union (EU), invites interested specialists to participate in the Interregional educational and practical forum “Forests of Ukraine: European Integration, War, Climate Change and Modern Reforms.” The event will take place on 21–22 February 2023 in hybrid format (offline in Kyiv, Ukraine, and online).

Tasks of the forum:

• Development of proposals for the preservation and restoration of forests, reform of the forest sector and necessary changes;
• Assessment of reform of forestry in the context of war, energy crisis and economic recovery;
• Popularization of the best solutions and international experience;
• Professional networking of specialists in the field – government, business, experts, and scientists.

The event will be interesting for:

• Representatives of legislative and executive authorities;
• Leading national and international experts;
• Scientists, innovators, and non-governmental organizations;
• Business representatives and technological experts.

Topics to be covered (the final agenda is being formed):

• Quantitative and qualitative assessment of the degree of forest damages by hostilities, recording environmental and economic losses;
• Forest sector reforms, and proposals for improving the legal framework for forestry in Ukraine;

• Developing and implementing forest protection measures against the spread of fires;
• Developing a plan for adapting existing and future forests to climate change, and implementing an ecosystem approach to increase its sustainability;
• Plantations of fast-growing trees or ecosystem climatic tier-structured forests: advantages and disadvantages;
• Developing and implementing measures to preserve the biodiversity of forest ecosystems;
• Implementing nature-based solutions to reduce vulnerability and increase the resilience of forests;
• Measures to restore wetlands, examples, climate contribution of marshes and wetlands;
• Renovation of reforestation centres for the restoration of war-damaged forests;
• Reconstruction and development of forest infrastructure, purchasing of modern equipment and mechanisms;
• Developing a comprehensive system for monitoring the state of forest ecosystems;
• Implementing modern methods of assessment and management of financial risks in the forest industry;
• Facilitation of the transition to mechanized wood harvesting;
• Developing recommendations for planning and construction of forest roads;
• Issues of zoological ethics and improvement of hunting management;
• Sources of financing and methods for attracting international material and technical support for the forests of Ukraine.

You can register for the event at this link. The number of places for offline participation is limited.

Regarding participation in the forum as a speaker, please contact Olga Syutikova: olga.syutikova@undp.org, +38 098 592 41 05.

Background

The forum is being organized by UNDP in Ukraine in partnership with the Professional Association of Environmentalists of Ukraine in the framework of the United Nations Recovery and Peacebuilding Programme (UN RPP) with financial support from the EU.

The UN RPP is being implemented by four United Nations agencies: the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

Eleven international partners support the Programme: the EU, the European Investment Bank (EIB), the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine, and the governments of Canada, Denmark, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden and Switzerland.