Vientiane (VNA) - Laos has signedan agreement on the Establishment of the Asian Forest Cooperation Organisation,becoming the 10th country to sign this document, the English-language newspaperVientiane Times reported.

Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Lien Thikeo signed the agreement on behalfof the government, according to a statement from the Ministry of ForeignAffairs.

The Asian Forest Cooperation Organisation is a regional forest cooperationfocusing on action-oriented field activities while ensuring synergies andcomplementation of existing cooperation, regional and internationalorganisations, and aims to broaden the regional scope to wider Asia.

Under the agreement, Laos will contribute to achieving forest strategy until 2020,as part of sustainable development goals.

The forestry strategy provides guidance on the sustainable management anddevelopment of the forestry sector in line with national policies, strategiesand priority programmes for national socio-economic development andenvironmental conservation.

The Asian Forest Cooperation Organisation aims to strengthen regional forestcooperation, undertake projects, and translate sound forest policies and proventechnologies into action with a mission to rehabilitate degraded forest land.

One major goal is to prevent deforestationand forest degradation in the context of sustainable forest management as wellas under the broader scope of addressing the impact of climate change. - VNA