On behalf of the Workshop Organising Committee and the Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation of the Government of Nepal, we would like to invite you to join us for the first International Community Forestry Workshop, 2009, to be held in Pokhara, Nepal from 15-18th September 2009. The theme of the workshop is:
This will be the first International Community Forestry Workshop ever held in Nepal. The organising committees are already hard at work developing an exciting programme. With about 150 participants expected, the eyes of the world will be on Pokhara and on Nepal in September 2009. Be a part of the Community Forestry International Workshop, and help us ensure that it has a lasting impact throughout Asia, and globally.
The Community Forestry International Workshop is an ideal opportunity to meet new colleagues and to learn from the experiences of others engaged at local, national and international levels in community forestry. The workshop theme reminds us of the responsibility we have to take both individual and collective action on issues that affect the whole globe. The workshop will be of interest for scientists, researchers, people utilising natural resources, other civil society leaders and professionals working in the field of participatory forestry.
The workshop theme emphasises the need for urgency in the worldwide response to community rights, poverty alleviation, and climate change and for action on the part of all stakeholders at the global, national, regional and local levels. It serves as a rallying call, reminding us that it is only through individual and collective action that we can effectively tackle climate change, address poverty and establish the democratic rights of local communities to sustainably use their natural resources across the world. It is also an important reminder that action on climate change does not exist in a vacuum. Strengthening community forestry systems and addressing the underlying social injustice that contributes to forest degradation and the vulnerability of poor people – such as unsustainable economic growth, poverty, gender inequality, weak governance and social exclusion – are all essential strategies in the international response to addressing climate change and natural resource scarcity.
Join us in the beautiful city of Pokhara and help to bring us closer to these goals. We will welcome you warmly.
Kind Regards
The Organising Committee
