PH pledges conservation of forests

The Philippine government has signed a framework regional agreement that seeks to strengthen the cooperation for the conservation and sustainable management of forests in Asia.

Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Roy Cimatu, who signed the Asian Forest Cooperation Organization (AFoCO) agreement on behalf of the Philippine government along with other Asian countries, expressed hope that the framework will provide mutual benefits to all parties in terms of forest conservation and sustainable management.

“With the Philippines signing the agreement, this seals our participation and commitment for the stronger regional cooperation towards the sustainable management of forests across Asia,” Cimatu said in his speech during the signing of the AFoCO Agreement by the Philippines.

“I fervently hope that our ties will be greater, as these from the start are founded from mutual trust and respect, mutual understanding and mutual benefits,” he added.

AFoCO is an intergovernmental organization in Asia aiming to strengthen regional forest cooperation by transforming proven technology and policies into concrete actions in the context of sustainable forest management to address the impact of climate change.

As the initial phase of AFoCO, a cooperation mechanism of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations-Republic of Korea Forest Cooperation was formalized by the Agreement signed during the 14th ASEAN-ROK Summit in Bali, Indonesia, in 2011. The Seoul-based ASEAN-ROK Forest Cooperation has been operational since 2012.