Morocco’s Director General of the National Agency for Water and Forests (ANEF), Abderrahim Houmy, has called for strengthening international cooperation to promote sustainable forest management.
Speaking at the First International Conference on Afforestation and Reforestation (CIAR 1) in Brazzaville, Congo, Houmy highlighted the Kingdom’s significant contributions to global initiatives for sustainable forest management and efforts to mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change, ANEF said in a press release issued on Monday.
In this regard, Houmy, who also serves as Vice-President of the United Nations Forum on Forests, stressed that Morocco is playing a leading role in these global initiatives, notably the Blue Fund for the Congo Basin and the Triple-A Initiative (Adaptation of African Agriculture), demonstrating Morocco’s proactive involvement in the area.
He also recalled that Morocco hosts the Regional Coordination Unit of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification for Africa, adding that Morocco launched, in May 2024, an initiative on community forest management, technological innovation, and sustainable financing in partnership with the Secretariat of the United Nations Forum on Forests.
The conference served as a platform to showcase the “Forests of Morocco 2020-2030” strategy as a key tool for mitigating and adapting to climate change, while simultaneously advancing sustainable development goals such as poverty reduction, ecosystem restoration, and the promotion of sustainable energy access.
Heads of State and Government at the conference adopted a declaration, calling for the inclusion of the African and Global Decade of Afforestation on the United Nations Agenda and supporting a coordinated and effective global strategy for afforestation and reforestation.
The African Union in partnership with the United Nations Forum on Forests held the CIAR 1, which brought together global leaders to develop a comprehensive strategy for afforestation and reforestation integrating technical, scientific, and financial elements in response to the challenges posed by global warming.