Opening Statement on Expert Level Meeting in Oslo

Dear forestry colleagues,

It is a pleasure for me to welcome you all to the first Expert Level Meeting after the Warsaw Conference.

I would like to bring warm regards from his excellence Terje Riis-Johansen, Minister of Agriculture  and food.

He would very much like to be here, but due to difficult and important negotiations in the government, he is unfortunately not able to attend this meeting.

Our minister emphasises the role of forests in tackling challenges related to environmental issues, with special focus on climate change.

In this work, the MCPFE should play a key role, both in Europe and by providing input to the global discussion.

The Warsaw conference was a celebration of European forestry, pointing out the directions in the years to come. Once again I would like to thank our polish colleagues for hosting the conference in an effective and memorable way.

The Warsaw declaration and resolutions has shown to be highly relevant addressing issues that have the attention of both the public and policy makers far outside of the forest sector. Now we have the opportunity, and the obligation, to show that the forest sector is capable of providing the goods and services from sustainable managed forests, that is in the benefit for ours societies.

Colleagues, our task is to ensure that “Forest for quality of life” will be more than just a nice slogan.

Climate change is the most important emerging issue influencing the forest sector. Sustainable forest management, reducing deforestation and forest degradation is now widely recognized as important elements in tackling the challenges of climate change.

The use of wood, both in substituting more energy demanding materials and as a source of renewable energy, increase forest area by afforestation are also recognized as activities contributing to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. However, these activities raise a lot of questions and concern about the scale, accounting and distribution of effects. I think it is important for the forest sector to take and keep the initiative when developing and implementing criteria connected to policy measures related to the use of forest resources.

The ongoing discussions about sustainability criteria for biofuels and public procurement policies tells me that the process of developing the conceptual framework for sustainable forest management in Europe, through the MCPFE, do not have the general recognition outside the forest sector as we may like to believe.

This brings me to the important decisions you are going to take here in Oslo. Before us we have a proposal for a work programme for following up the Warsaw conference, and two proposals close related to the future direction of the MCPFE.

Adopting the MCPFE work programme will be your first important task. Succeeding with this in the coming two days here in Oslo will provide a clear mandate for the Liaison Unit, and ensure that we will have the necessary progress in order to reach our goals.

For 15 years, the MCPFE process has provided a high level political arena for sustainable forest management in Europe. We are convinced that this has led to a better understanding of the concept of SFM, and that this has influenced the forest policy in the countries involved. However, we may have reached a point where Europe is not in need of more ministerial resolutions and declarations in the way we have seen from the previous ministerial conferences.

For that reason I hope that this meeting will approve the proposal for a strategic review of the MCPFE process, and the establishment of a working group for exploring the possible added value of a legally binding agreement for forest in Europe. These activities complement each other. I think that it is important that we start this work as soon as possible. The rapid change of policy decisions outside our sector requires that we take action without delay.

To this meeting, We have brought a small gift to each of you. It is a traditional mitten from Norway, to keep your fingers warm in cold days. You will only be given a mitten for one hand. The second mitten will be given to you at the last expert level meeting before the ministerial conference in Oslo. In this way I hope to express my appreciation of the work you are embarking on today, as well as motivate you to be enduring in your work that will lead to the next conference.

I wish you good luck and a successful meeting.