Ambassador Guang Defu, Permanent Representative of the People’s Republic of China to the UN Agencies for Food and Agriculture, attended the International Day of Forests 2023 high-level event held by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) on Mar. 21 local time. 

FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu emphasized in his opening speech the importance of forests to the ecology and agri-food systems. He called on countries to further raise awareness of conservation, strengthen international cooperation, and join hands in addressing forest degradation. 

In 2012, the U.N. General Assembly proclaimed Mar. 21 the International Day of Forests. Events are held every year to celebrate the day and raise awareness of the importance of all types of forests. Countries are encouraged to organize tree planting activities and other related events. The theme for this year’s celebration was “Healthy Forests for Healthy People.” It underscored the three key roles that forests play in ensuring a healthy environment and the various contributions forests have made to building a healthy society.