Co-hosted by the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) and the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO), the Global Legal & Sustainable Timber Forum 2023 (GLSTF 2023) kicked off today (21 November) at the Galaxy International Convention Center in Macao. As the first timber-themed forum held in Macao, it attracted a total of 700 guests from 36 countries and regions to the opening ceremony.
Demonstrating Macao’s advantages and strengths in hosting international forums
The opening ceremony of GLSTF 2023 was officiated by Ho Iat Seng, Chief Executive of the Macao SAR; Zheng Xincong, Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macao SAR; Liu Xianfa, Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China in the Macao SAR; Rosalie Matondo, Minister of Forest Economy of the Republic of the Congo; Lei Wai Nong, Secretary for Economy and Finance of the Macao SAR Government; Sheam Satkuru, Executive Director of the ITTO; Ivonne Higuero, Secretary-General of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES); Zuo Xianghua, Level-II Inspector of the Department of Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao Affairs of the Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China; Noraihan Abdul Rahman, Chief Operations Officer of the Malaysian Timber Council; Ku Mei Leng, Chief of the Office of the Secretary for Economy and Finance of the Macao SAR Government; Ednei Blasius, President of the Center for Wood Producing and Exporting Industries of Mato Grosso (CIPEM); Christophe Guilhou, Director of the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France and Co-Facilitator of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP); Françoise Van de Ven, President of the International Tropical Timber Technical Association (ATIBT); Thomas Goebel, Secretary General of the European Timber Trade Federation (ETTF); Lu De, Executive Director of the Asia-Pacific Network for Sustainable Forest Management and Rehabilitation (APFNet); Vincent U, President of the IPIM; Luo Xinjian, Secretary-General of the Global Green Supply Chains Initiative (GGSC); Li Jiafeng, President of the China Timber & Wood Products Distribution Association; Se Hok Pan, Board Chairman of Nature Home (China) Co., Ltd. & Nature Wood Group Limited; Zhang Enjiu, Chairman of the Board of Treessun Holding Co., Ltd.; and Preecha Ongprasert, Director of the Forestry Foreign Affairs Office, Royal Forest Department, Thailand.
At the opening ceremony, Lei Wai Nong, Secretary for Economy and Finance of the Macao SAR Government, delivered a welcome speech, stating that the success of GLSTF 2023 speaks volumes about Macao’s active exploration and the leading role it plays in sustainable development, all the while demonstrating its strengths as the Best Convention City (Asia). Going forward, Macao will pro-actively implement the overall deployment of the Development Plan for Appropriate Economic Diversification of the Macao SAR (2024-2028) to deepen its co-operation and exchange with international organisations and redouble its efforts to direct more specialised world-leading conferences and exhibitions to Macao. This will help to accelerate the cultivation of the new “MICE + industry” and “industry + MICE” patterns, which will drive the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and Guangdong-Macao In-depth Co-operation Zone in Hengqin to foster synergy among different industries and create greater business opportunities in these markets.
Sheam Satkuru, Executive Director of the ITTO, said in her opening speech that many ITTO members came to Macao to participate in this event. She expressed her gratitude for the successful organisation of the forum and pointed out the important role of the ITTO in promoting the legal and sustainable development of the global timber industry, emphasising the sustainable effects of timber industry development on forests. She also recognises the significant contributions made by China, the largest member of the ITTO, to forest conservation.
In the keynote speech session held after the opening ceremony, Rosalie Matondo, Minister of Forest Economy of the Republic of the Congo; Noraihan Abdul Rahman, Chief Operations Officer of the Malaysian Timber Council; Se Hok Pan, Board Chairman of Nature Home (China) Co., Ltd. & Nature Wood Group Limited; and other speakers were invited to share their insights on the “Development status of the global timber industry”, “Timber industry and sustainable development”, and “Opportunities and challenges in the global timber industry transformation”, among other topics, aiming to build a communication and co-operation platform for government departments of timber producing and consuming countries, timber enterprises and organisations, and other stakeholders.
Harnessing Macao’s power in international collaborative research projects
GLSTF 2023 takes as its theme “Connect, Co=operate and Share to Promote the Recovery of the Global Tropical Timber Market”. As a main forum of GLSTF 2023, the high-level meeting held on the morning of the first day was chaired by Sheam Satkuru and focused on “Global Timber Market Recovery under the Unprecedented Great Changing Time”, where government representatives, prominent entrepreneurs, heads of international organisations, and renowned experts explored the major challenges and opportunities facing the global timber industry in times of unprecedented change and the pathway to the revival and prosperity of the global timber market.
The meeting was followed by an outcome presentation, where the outputs of a number of international collaborative research projects, including “About the Construction of the Global Timber Industry Index Platform” and “Research on the Collaborative Operations of the Blockchain-Based Timber Traceability System” with participation by Macao universities, were released in Macao for the first time, unlocking the potential for sustainable development in the global timber industry. There was also a sustainable timber exhibition, showcasing a wide range of timber products, including raw timber material, timber flooring, timber doors, timber furniture, and woodworking machinery.
Se Hok Pan, Board Chairman of Nature Home (China) Co., Ltd. & Nature Wood Group Limited, noted that carbon neutrality is a bright spot of the next round of global economic growth. He believes that Macao’s positioning as an MICE platform will create more opportunities for local enterprises, and that the organisation of flooring and furniture exhibitions in Macao will boost local consumption. Macao, as an international city where the Chinese and Western cultures meet, has a firm foundation for the tourism industry and will generate more business opportunities.
Three themed sessions were held later in the afternoon, revolving around issues such as the timber industry’s contributions to climate change mitigation and economic and social development, global legal and sustainable timber supply chains, and co-operation and sharing platforms for the global timber industry, in a bid to strengthen supply–demand co-ordination in the industry and promote its recovery and sustainable development.
GLSTF 2023 continues tomorrow (22 November) with four specialised sub-forums and parallel activities. The event agenda is available on the official website: http://www.glstf.net/.
