18.10.2024
ATIBT was invited to the 3rd edition of the International Conference on Forest Preservation organized by the City of Paris City, where public representatives, civil society and the forestry sector came together to strengthen mobilization in favor of sustainable tropical forest management, in the run-up to COP 30 in Belém.
On October 7, 2024, Paris hosted the 3rd International Conference on Forest Preservation at the Pavillon de l'Arsenal, organized by the Association Internationale des Maires Francophones (AIMF) and Cities4Forest, and hosted by Paris City Hall. This event is part of the drive to prepare for COP 30, to be held in Belém in 2025, and focuses on the preservation of forests, particularly tropical ones, echoing the 2015 Paris Agreements.
France intends to reinforce its commitment to sustainable forest management by publishing a Declaration for Forests at COP 30. The aim of this conference was to contribute to the drafting of this declaration and to strengthen international mobilization.
Among the high-level participants were Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Paris, Laurence Tubiana, Director of the European Climate Foundation, and Laurent Tchagba, Minister of Water and Forests of Côte d'Ivoire. The debates highlighted major themes such as sustainable forest management (SFM) and the role of certification in guaranteeing this sustainability, while reconciling preservation and economic development.
ATIBT, present with several of its members and partners including the forestry ministries of Côte d'Ivoire and Congo, FSC, PEFC, Precious Woods, SEEF Cameroun, Rainforest Alliance, and Preferred by Nature, took an active part in the discussions. It was pointed out that deforestation, mainly due to agricultural activities, requires an integrated approach to forest management. SFM, described as the sister of conservation, is essential to preserve ecosystems while promoting sustainable socio-economic development. Forest certification, combined with ambitious regulations, is seen as the key tool for guaranteeing this sustainable management and promoting certified tropical woods.
Another crucial point was the weight of public procurement criteria. It was emphasized that public procurement must include criteria favorable to certified tropical woods, in order to promote these sustainable, ecological and aesthetic materials on international markets. This would make it possible to meet the challenge of ensuring that tropical woods have access to markets without competing unfairly with woods from other regions, by giving priority to “the right wood for the right use”.
Finally, it was recalled that this conference is part of a series of initiatives that began with the first edition in 2021, when the ATIBT denounced the boycott of tropical woods in the construction of the Paris Olympic Games. The last edition took place in June 2022 in Abidjan.
In conclusion, the ATIBT is fully involved in the drafting of the Paris Declaration for the preservation of tropical and boreal forests, which will be presented at COP 30. The association will play a key advisory role, demonstrating its central commitment to the protection of tropical forests and the promotion of certified tropical woods through demanding, environmentally-friendly public procurement.
