South Korea and France are joining forces to strengthen wildfire response capabilities in the Asia region.
The Korea Forest Service announced on October 29 that it attended the 13th General Assembly of the Asian Forest Cooperation Organization (AFoCO), held at the DMC Tower for Small and Medium Enterprises in Sangam, Seoul, from October 29 to 30, as the government representative, where it discussed forest cooperation strategies to address the climate crisis.
Kim Inho, Commissioner of the Korea Forest Service, is delivering a greeting speech at the launch ceremony of the "Asia Wildfire Capacity Building Project" on the 29th. Provided by Korea Forest Service
AFoCO is an international organization established in 2018 under the leadership of the South Korean government to address international forestry issues such as climate change and desertification in Asia.
Prior to the general assembly, Kim Inho, Commissioner of the Korea Forest Service, and Bertrand Jado, Deputy Head of Mission at the French Embassy in Korea, held a launch ceremony for the "Asia Wildfire Capacity Building Project," a joint initiative by South Korea, France, and AFoCO.
This project aims to train wildfire specialists in emerging Asian countries and strengthen international solidarity in the era of climate crisis. South Korea and France plan to jointly invest 3.5 million euros (5.8 billion won) over five years for the project.
The general assembly brought together around 70 participants, including representatives from the Korea Forest Service, 16 member countries, and the AFoCO Secretariat, to discuss forest cooperation strategies for addressing the climate crisis, including the implementation status of mid- to long-term plans and ways to expand project funding.
During the general assembly, the Korea Forest Service will also hold a bilateral meeting with Mongolia to discuss cooperation measures for sharing the achievements of the Korea-Mongolia Greenbelt Project, which has been underway since 2007, at the 17th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP 17). The 17th UNCCD COP is scheduled to be held in Mongolia next year.
Kim Inho, Commissioner of the Korea Forest Service, said, "AFoCO is an international forestry organization established under the leadership of South Korea and has become a key platform for responding to the era of global climate disasters. With France's participation, the Korea Forest Service will continue to strive to develop diverse and innovative forest cooperation policies in the future."
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