Tengiz Nasaridze attends conference on sustainable forest management in South Caucasus

Georgia: The second working meeting of the project, “Forest Peace Initiative in the South Caucasus,” was held. Deputy Minister of Environment and Agriculture Tengiz Nasaridze attended a conference on sustainable forest management and solving land degradation problems in the South Caucasus.

The Deputy Minister emphasized the need for regional coordination and noted that solving global problems requires a unified force.

 “Coordinated work within the framework of the project “Forest Peace Initiative in the South Caucasus” is important. Cooperation like this is the only way we can quickly overcome the challenges posed by climate change. Reforestation and sustainable management helps reduce soil erosion and disaster risks while providing economic benefits. Supporting this initiative will help reduce land degradation and promote sustainable regional, national, and global forest management,” Tengiz Nasaridze said.

“Forest Peace Initiative in the South Caucasus” is a unique global initiative promoting peace and trust-building by restoring degraded lands and forests in post-conflict regions. The South Caucasus countries – Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan have joined the initiative in 2024. The United Nations Convention will implement it to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the Caucasus Regional Center for Environment (REC Caucasus), the World Bank, the Korean Forest Service (KFS), and the Global Partnership for Sustainable Landscape (PROGREEN).

“This initiative will contribute to the building of cross-border trust, coordination among allies, increased stakeholder capacity, and development of a joint plan for common natural resources management, which will ensure the resilience of local communities to climate change.” “We all need to work together to solve problems that impede the sustainable development of society and economy,“ noted Uchang Kang, UNCCD’s Global Mechanism Program Management Officer.

The meeting will last three days, and the parties will develop a working version of the regional concept document on sustainable land management and restoration.

Representatives of the Georgian Ministry of Environment and Agriculture, Armenian Ministry of Environment, Azerbaijan Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, UNDCCP, Korean Forest Service, World Bank, and REC Caucasus were present.