Georgia joins European countries in signing declaration to improve forest management

Nino Tandilashvili, the Georgian Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, on Thursday said Georgia had joined European states in signing a declaration aimed at improving forest management and implementing sustainable forest management principles during the 9th Forest Europe Ministerial Conference hosted between Tuesday and Wednesday in the German city of Bonn.

The Ministerial saw the signing of the Bonn Ministerial Declaration and the Bonn Decision, with the documents signifying the commitment of the European member states to establish a sustainable forest management system at both national and international levels, the Georgian Ministry said.

Tandilashvili said the Ministerial praised reforms carried out by Georgia in the forest sector in recent years.

These reforms, along with the adoption of the Forest Code, include a number of measures aimed at better protecting, maintaining, and sustainably using forests in the country”, she said.

During the Ministerial, we discussed progress we have made in the process of integrating with Europe. The reforms in the sector represent a significant step forward on the path of our European integration. We emphasised once again that Georgia, as a candidate country for the European Union, will actively work with international partners to implement the environmental standards of the [bloc]”, she added.

As part of the Ministerial the Deputy Minister also met with Dmitry Mariyasin, the Deputy Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe.

The meeting focused on joint projects for air protection, reducing pollution from the industrial sector, sustainable forest management, biodiversity protection, and other environmental initiatives.

The Ministry said Mariyasin praised Georgia’s progress in the forestry sector and highlighted the country’s alignment with European standards, including the implementation of a new Forest Code and national forest inventory. The body added the UNECE expressed its intention to enhance cooperation with Georgia while recognising the country's advancements in environmental governance and standards.