FAO holds workshop in Amman to strengthen Global Forest Resources Assessment

AMMAN — Representatives of countries in the Near East and North Africa region are gathering in Amman this week, for a four-day workshop organised by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) for the compilation of crucial forest data estimates for the Global Forest Resources Assessment (FRA 2025).

The workshop aims to improve the quality and consistency of the data reported to FRA 2025. By presenting transparent, reliable and comprehensive overviews, FRA will equip stakeholders to make informed decisions that impact sustainable forest management, according to a statement from FAO.

The event will provide an opportunity for the national correspondents to review and update previous reports to ensure that data is as complete, consistent and transparent as possible, and to improve the quality and reliability of the FRA 2025 estimates. 

The participants will test innovations, such as geospatial tools, and will also have the opportunity to address specific regional problems and benefit from the experiences of other countries. 

HRH Princess Basma bint Ali, in her role as FAO Goodwill Ambassador for Near East and North Africa, and Minister of Agriculture Khalid Hneifat opened the workshop on Monday in the presence of FAO Representative in Jordan, Nabil Assaf.

“Together, we have the power to make a significant impact on the preservation and sustainable management of our forests. Let us seize this opportunity to exchange knowledge, build partnerships and pave the way for a greener, more sustainable future,” Princess Basma said in her opening remarks.

Hneifat said: “We are committed to actively participating in regional and international initiatives that promote knowledge exchange, capacity building and collaborative action. By working together, we can tackle issues such as illegal logging, forest degradation and the loss of biodiversity, ensuring a sustainable future for our forests.”

“FRA, in collaboration with other partners, work to reduce overlaps in the data collection and the reporting burden on countries, minimising the duplication, and increasing the quality and consistency of the reported data,” said FAO Representative in Jordan, Nabil Assaf.

FAO’s FRA is the official data source for the two global indicators included in Sustainable Development Goal 15, and provides important data for monitoring forest cover change and other parameters that will help assess progress towards the climate targets and goals outlined in the UN Strategic Plan on Forests.

Around 15 forest experts, officially nominated by their home countries, joined from Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Tunisia. 

The workshop was funded by the European Union, which supports the development of FRA 2025.