Finally, the Congress can contribute to identify action lines, define guidelines to stimulate the development of national policies, propose incentives to orient the public and private sector, promote international cooperation in forestry matters, whilst contributing to social progress and the conservation of natural resources at global, regional and national levels.
[1] The World Forestry Congresses are an international effort aimed at influencing and stimulating reflection and analysis of the different factors, conditions, techniques, methodologies as well as professional or personal positions, thinking and ideas concerning global silviculture science.
As such, each WFC has contributed to create awareness, to review and/or to formulate new approaches to technical, scientific or policy actions within the forestry sector.
[2] The value and utility of the WFC rests also in the opportunity it offers to the world foresters and sectoral decisions-makers to analyse and expose their technical convictions and experiences, to discuss and exchange ideas and thinking, and to broaden their perspectives by sharing their common as well as diverse problems.
The diffusion of the scientific and technical advances as well as the human contacts promoted by the Congress, contribute to a better global balance in this sector and allow dissemination of more accurate information about forestry.
[4] Future WFCs will continue to promote international exchange, both as a result of new research and collaborations and of better comprehension of forest ecosystems and techniques for the sustainable development of these resources in the 21st century.
The 1947 session of FAO's annual Conference, held at Geneva, passed a resolution calling for a World Forestry Congress in 1949.
FAO's Annual Conference gladly accepted Finland's proposal of Helsinki resuming its role as the site of the Third World Forestry Congress.
"When this third Congress reviews the progress made since 1936, it will be seen how greatly ideas and practice in various countries have benefited from international exchanges of view and experience.
"[10] Multiple use means the management of the forest in a manner that, while conserving the basic land resource, will yield a high level of production in the five major uses – wood, water, forage, recreation, and wildlife – for the long-run benefit of the largest possible number of people.
[citation needed] Reviewing the world forestry situation, the Conference set down certain considerations which must determine the scale and pattern of FAO's future activities.
On FAO therefore, lies the responsibility for promoting discussion and initiating action, by assisting forestry schools to transform their graduate and postgraduate training.
Named as co-presidents were the heads of forest administrations in Argentina's neighbouring countries where study tours were conducted: Brazil, Chile and Uruguay.
The Congress, with the theme "Forests for People", examined in depth how forestry might best serve human beings, individually and collectively.
Year 1985 also marked FAO's fortieth anniversary, as well as the occasion of the Ninth World Forestry Congress in Mexico City.
The purpose of the Congress was to develop clear lines of action that may serve as guidelines for (a) formulating national policies; (b) providing incentives and guidance to the private and government sectors; and (c) promoting international cooperation in forestry.
Congress members confronted the difficult task of reconciling conservation of the resource base with the need for its rational use in sustainable development.
The theme amply reflects the unique opportunity offered to the Congress and to the forestry sector at large to provide technical responses to the political issues raised in these fora.
[23] In fact, as the last of these gatherings last century, the Eleventh WFC carried with it the special responsibility of summing up what had been achieved and of looking ahead to the challenges of the third millennium.
The Antalya Declaration expressed concern about the discrepancy between the impressive progress in the development of concepts and tools, national programmes, global and regional treaties and varied partnerships among governments and international organizations, and the continued alarming rate of deforestation and degradation of forest resources, calling for a harmonization of the planet and its inhabitants' needs with the forests' potential to produce a vital support through political, institutional and government forestry strategies, also as a contribution to the UN Millennium Development Goals and other international agreements.
"[25] The thematic areas were developed around the followings aspects: A total of 1,038 voluntary papers and 456 posters were received from all over the world – of which nearly 200 were selected for presentation, based on peer review by specialists in FAO and in Canadian institutions.
Innovation with respect to preceding congresses included ten eco-regional sessions followed by round table discussions, and six open fora.
[27] The main output of the congress, the Final Statement, identifies areas of priority concern and is intended to encourage decisions and action by those involved with various aspects of forests and forestry, and in other related sectors.
Under the theme "Forests in development: a vital balance" over 7,000 experts from governments, academia, research, the private sector, and non-governmental organizations came from all continents to discuss and exchange experiences over a seven-day period on a broad range of forestry related topics.