The 28th Session of the Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) Committee on Forestry (COFO) opened on Monday with a call for stronger global action to address mounting threats to forests while fully recognizing their critical contribution to food security, livelihoods, climate resilience and sustainable agrifood systems.
Welcoming senior government officials, forestry experts and international partners, FAO Director-General QU Dongyu highlighted COFO’s role as FAO’s highest global intergovernmental body on forestry, fostering international collaboration, policy dialogue and technical guidance on forest-related issues since 1971.
“With forests facing many threats, such as deforestation, wildfire, pests and unsustainable management, the role of COFO is more important than ever,” Qu said.
More than 5 billion people rely to some extent on forests for their livelihoods, while forests and trees contribute significantly to the sustainability, productivity and resilience of agrifood systems worldwide. In some forest-dependent communities, forest foods provide up to 80 percent of daily protein intake and account for half of all food consumed by weight.
The Director-General stressed the need to better integrate forests into food security and development policies, noting that many of their contributions remain insufficiently reflected in national statistics and strategies.
He also underscored the need to address rising wildfire risks. Wildfires affect at least 127 million hectares of forest each year and are becoming more frequent and severe in many regions. Through the Global Fire Management Hub, FAO is working with Members and partners to strengthen integrated fire management and cross-border cooperation.
SOFO 2026 report focuses on forest and landscape restoration
During the opening session, FAO launched the 2026 edition of State of the World’s Forests (SOFO), which focuses on forest and landscape restoration as a key response to food insecurity, climate change, biodiversity loss and land degradation.
According to the report, 1.56 billion hectares of land worldwide are degraded, including 460 million hectares of forest land. At the same time, restoration efforts are gaining momentum, with 91 countries committing to restore 190 million hectares of degraded forests.
As co-lead of the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, FAO is supporting restoration initiatives around the world through technical assistance, policy support and partnerships.
The report notes that achieving global restoration targets by 2030 remains a significant challenge but also represents a strategic investment that can generate long-term benefits for sustainable agrifood systems, rural development and environmental resilience.
New evidence links forests directly to food security and nutrition
The opening of COFO was followed by a High-Level Dialogue on “Forests, Food and Nutrition: Sustaining People and the Planet,” where participants discussed new evidence demonstrating the vital contributions of forests and trees to food security and nutrition.
Qu presented a recent global report prepared by FAO and the Landscape Alliance, together with partners under the Collaborative Partnership on Forests, describing it as providing the strongest evidence to date on the relationship between forests, agrifood systems and nutrition.
The report Forests for food: Nourishing people, sustaining the planet shows that forests directly support diets and livelihoods through more than 50,000 wild species used for food, energy, medicine, materials and other purposes, including at least 10,000 species consumed as food. Forest foods help diversify diets, provide essential nutrients and act as safety nets during crop failures, climate shocks and economic disruptions.
Beyond direct food provision, forests and trees support agricultural production by protecting soils, sustaining pollinators, cycling nutrients, providing fodder and shade, and helping shield crops and livestock from extreme weather.
The report also highlights that forests contribute up to 20 percent of household income in many rural areas, yet many of these benefits remain largely invisible in markets, data systems and public policy.
To address these gaps, the report identifies four priorities for collective action: integrating forests and trees into national food security and agrifood systems strategies; strengthening data, research and innovation; scaling up sustainable forest management and diversified production systems; and promoting secure tenure, inclusive governance and responsible investment.
“Forests sustain people, agrifood systems and the planet,” Qu said. “Our responsibility is to manage and restore them effectively and sustainably, so they can continue to nourish present and future generations.”
Forests are central to FAO’s mission to transform global agrifood systems and contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals through the Four Betters: better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life, leaving no one behind.
COFO and the 10th World Forest Week run from 28 September to 2 October 2026. The week’s programme includes discussions and events on forest-based bioeconomy, wildlife management, agroforestry, innovative forest monitoring and the role of forests in sustainable urban development, including through FAO’s Green Cities Initiative.
