The Vietnam Administration of Forestry (VAF) under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) jointly organised a forum aimed at marking the International Day of Forests running with the theme of “Healthy Forests for Healthy People” on March 21 in Hanoi.
Pham Hong Luong, chief of the VAF Office, said that “Healthy Forests for Healthy People” is a very meaningful message, particularly as the COVID-19 pandemic impacted people's health and all aspects of social life.
According to the UN’s Global Forests Goals Report 2021, the importance of forests for the well-being of people globally and the planet as a whole is clear.
Roughly 1.6 billion people worldwide depend directly on forests for food, shelter, energy, medicine, and income. Forests also provide clean air and fresh water and help to avoid desertification. In addition, they are home to 80% of all known terrestrial species and they regulate the climate, absorbing one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Acknowledging the importance of forests, over recent years Vietnam has actively and responsibly made many commitments to and strongly supported global initiatives relating to climate change response, including the protection and sustainable development of forests, said Luong.
Nguyen Song Ha, assistant of the FAO Representative in Vietnam, said that the theme of the 2023 International Day of Forests emphasises that forest and environmental degradation, caused by unsustainable forestry activities, will result in climate change, loss of biodiversity, and the emergence of new diseases.
Ha said that there are currently three measures related to forests and vegetation that are able to support forest health and environmental restoration, including ending deforestation and maintaining existing forest areas; restoring degraded soil and developing agro-forestry; and boosting sustainable forest use and building green value chains.
Recent years has seen the FAO work alongside the Vietnamese Government to support activities promoting a healthy and sustainable forestry sector.
Together with other UN organisations, the FAO has pledged to be a long-term partner of the Vietnamese Government, as well as maintaining its assistance for healthy forests in Vietnam, Ha said.