Korea Forest Service "Strengthening Cooperation with the International Community for Global Wildfire Response"

The Korea Forest Service is strengthening cooperation with the international community in the field of global wildfire response.

The Korea Forest Service announced on the 4th that it held a side event titled "Cooperation for Wildfire Management" with Canada's Ministry of Natural Resources, Australia's National Disaster Management Agency, and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) at the 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

The conference is being held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, from last month 30th to this month 12th, and the side event took place on the 3rd.

Participants of the side event at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of the Parties are taking a commemorative photo. The side event, themed "Cooperation for Wildfire Management," is hosted by the Korea Forest Service, Canada's Natural Resources Department, Australia's National Disaster Management Agency, and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

The keynote speech at the event was delivered by Johann Goldammer, Director of The Global Fire Monitoring Center.

At the event, Director Goldammer shared cases of community damage caused by wildfires and emphasized the need for cooperation among local communities, nations, and the international community.

Additionally, FAO introduced the progress of the "Global Fire Management Hub" project and the "Integrated Forest Risk Management Project," which aim to strengthen wildfire response capabilities in various countries.

Korea, Canada, and Australia presented their respective wildfire damage status and firefighting experiences, and discussed specific cooperation measures such as wildfire information sharing and joint firefighting efforts.

In particular, Korea and Canada highlighted the dispatch of the Korean wildfire firefighting team to Canada last July as an example, appealing for the establishment of an international joint wildfire firefighting system and the development of new cooperative frameworks.

Special Presidential Envoy Cho Hong-sik, who delivered the opening remarks, emphasized that "in the era of climate change, wildfires are an urgent issue that must be addressed for human survival."

Following this, Lim Sang-seop, Deputy Administrator of the Korea Forest Service, proposed in his closing remarks that "this event be an opportunity for Korea, Canada, Australia, and FAO to expand mutual exchanges and strengthen cooperation in the field of wildfire management."

Im Sang-seop, Deputy Director of the Korea Forest Service (left), is signing a cooperation agreement with the FAO on the 2nd for the implementation of the 'Integrated Forest Risk Management Project.' Photo by Korea Forest Service

Meanwhile, on the 2nd, the Korea Forest Service also signed a cooperation agreement with FAO to implement the "Integrated Forest Risk Management Project."

This project is one of the outcome projects of the 15th World Forestry Congress held in Korea last May, jointly developed and promoted by the Korea Forest Service and FAO.

The essence of the project is to disseminate the Korean-style wildfire management system to developing countries such as Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, and Thailand, and to cultivate their wildfire response capabilities.