NOTE: This text is reblogged without changes from a blog post published by the Congress Organizing Committee of the XXVI IUFRO World Congress 2024, Stockholm, Sweden, on their website https://iufro2024.com/iufro-young-professional-attends-stockholm50/, 7 July 2022.

IUFRO in Stockholm

In the centre of Stockholm city we had the chance to meet Dikshya Devkota, Project Manager with the Global Forest Expert Panels Programme (GFEP) and came to attend the Stockholm+50 conference.

Stockholm+50 – a global collaboration
“IUFRO’s role at the Stockholm+50 meeting is to represent the science community, underscore IUFRO’s commitment to support the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and its member states and highlight the important role forests can play in the sustainable development agenda”, said Dikshya. Her visit includes participation in pre-conference meetings, side events, plenary and leadership meetings.

Meetings such as the Stockholm+50 conference are of great importance as they bring together diverse actors and stakeholders to exchange ideas, knowledge and solutions and discuss what we as a society can do to build and invest in a sustainable future.

The Stockholm+50 meeting also has a focus on how to build back better after the COVID-19 pandemic. In the light of this, Dikshya said, -“A GFEP global assessment on Forests and Human Health is planned for publication in early 2023. The outcome of the assessment is timely in the context of the ongoing global policy discourses, as it will provide reliable scientific information on the interlinkages between human health, including zoonotic diseases like COVID-19, and sustainable management of forest ecosystems”.

Stockholm welcomes the IUFRO World Congress 2024
Stockholm stays in the centre – two years from now the IUFRO World Congress 2024 will take place in the city. The theme of the Congress is Forests and Society towards 2050. Dikshya explains why this event is important and why to attend, “By 2050, drastic changes are expected in population growth, climate change, biodiversity loss, globalization, and a growing world economy. This will put tremendous pressure on forests and the societies who depend on them. Therefore, it is important to discuss the role of forests on a global level.” Forests have a lot to offer, including health, clean air, water, carbon storage, and food. The Congress will help to streamline research agendas, further dialogues and cross-sector cooperation, and promote the multiple functions of forests and their services to a sustainable society.

Forests are essential for all of us
The IUFRO World Congress 2024 invites stakeholders across sectors and regions to meet. This will offer opportunities for scientists, governmental agencies, business and industry representatives and non-governmental organizations, among others, to share knowledge and discuss global challenges and innovative solutions towards a sustainable future for forests, the forest sector and society. The impacts of climate change and environmental degradation on sustainable development and ecosystem services are universal; thus, it should be in everyone’s interest to be part of the solution. We are all in this together!

Involving youth is a priority
The Congress will offer early-career professionals opportunities to learn more about a wide range of forest-related topics of great importance and will give them access to leading scientific research and findings. At the Congress, early-career professionals will find plenty of opportunities to network and get involved in IUFRO. They will meet and learn from eminent scientists and representatives from business and civil society organizations from all over the world, and from their peers. The Congress will focus specifically on younger audiences, as they are an important part of future solutions and the green job market.

And, of course, Northern Europe and Stockholm offer a lot of interesting and beautiful places to visit.

The great oak
Before concluding our pleasant meeting, we took the opportunity to ask Dikshya about her favourite tree. “I love all trees”, she said, “but if I had to choose one, it would be the great oak, because it has the strength to grow in many different climatic zones around the world.”

Global Forest Expert Panels (GFEP) Programme
Dikshya is a project manager for the Global Forest Expert Panels (GFEP) Programme at IUFRO. The programme provides a mechanism for effectively communicating scientific information and expertise to governments and intergovernmental processes related to forests and trees. The core activity of the Programme is the preparation of objective and independent scientific assessments of key issues of high concern, supporting more informed decision-making at the regional and global level. Currently a global assessment on Forests and Human Health is underway and shall be published in early 2023.

Stockholm+50
The UN, Stockholm+50 Conference welcomed the world, five decades after the 1972 UN Conference, which placed environmental issues at the forefront of international concerns and led to the creation of the UN Environment Programme. This time the focus was on a healthy planet for the prosperity of all – our responsibility, our opportunity.

More on this topic:
Stockholm welcomes the world | IUFRO Stockholm 2024 (iufro2024.com)
IUFRO: Global Forest Expert Panels (GFEP) Programme / Science in IUFRO