KFS and UNEP held progress meeting of SAFE initiative
Evaluation of 2025 Activities and Discussion on the 2026 Work Plan


The Korea Forest Service (KFS), led by Minister Kim In-ho, said on February 20 that it held the progress meeting for the Sustaining an Abundance of Forest Ecosystems (SAFE) Initiative, a collaborative project with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), on 19 February.

The KFS and UNEP reviewed the implementation of the SAFE initiative last year and discussed the 2026 work plan. SAFE was developed as a signature project of the 15th World Forestry Congress held in the Republic of Korea and officially launched in 2022. It aims to conserve and restore vulnerable forest ecosystems with high biodiversity value.

Launched with contributions from the Republic of Korea, SAFE will benefit from co-funding of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation starting this year. SAFE plans to expand its scope by adding Indonesia as a new partner country, alongside Bhutan, Laos, Viet Nam, and Cambodia. It will also seek to engage countries in the Latin America and the Caribbean. Building on its existing achievements, SAFE will further enhance its visibility, including the publication of joint op-ed columns.

This online meeting covered ▲ Restoration of 66.42 hectares of degraded forest in Bhutan, Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia, equivalent to 93 football pitches ▲ Capacity-building webinars and provision of relevant guidelines to enable local communities to monitor forests after restoration, and ▲ Training of 85 forestry entrepreneurs to contribute to sustainable forest management.

Dr. Nam Song-hee, the Director General of the International Affairs Bureau of KFS, stated, “SAFE is an initiative that contributes not only to forest restoration in developing countries in Asia but also to strengthening local communities' restoration monitoring capabilities and improving their livelihoods.” He added, “Through the restoration of forest ecosystems with a high biodiversity value, we will strengthen Korea's forestry leadership and enhance our national standing.”