Ms Marijana Kapovic-Solomun, PhD, at the forum in Seoul

Ms Marijana Kapovic-Solomun, PhD, assistant professor, Vice-Dean for Scientific Research at the Faculty of Forestry of the University of Banja Luka, participated at the first ‘Global LDN forum’, an international forum held in Seoul (Republic of Korea) on 4-5 July 2018.

Ms Kapovic-Solomun’s participation at the event is the result of an invitation by the Government of the Republic of Korea and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) respectively.

The Forum gathered experts and high-positioned officials from a great number of countries, providing an opportunity for discussing the ways in which the global community can strengthen partnerships necessary for the implementation of Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN)

Among other things, possibilities of promoting peace and security and improving life conditions with regard to implementation of LDN were discussed, including Sustainable Land Management (SLM). It represents a significant step in global cooperation, with the results and conclusions of discussions and lectures to be delivered to other global fora connected to the UNCCD convention and the LDN concept.

On the first day of the Forum, the experts invited presented the existing obstacles and possibilities for successful implementation of the LDN from the perspective of the respective country.

As one of the eight experts invited to the event, Dr Kasipovic-Solomun presented the state of affairs in the area as regards Bosnia and Herzegovina, which aroused a lot of interest among participants.

The second day saw the High Level Panel Discussion, with a view to defining the possibilities of reconciliation and overcoming challenges in post-conflict societies. One of the participants in the discussion was Dr Zoran Maletic, Assistant Minister for Agriculture in the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management of the Republic of Srpska, along with officials from other countries.

The Forum was also an opportunity to present the Faculty of Forestry and the University of Banja Luka on the whole, and exchange experiences regarding activities in the area concerned. Also discussed were the challenges the region of former Yugoslavia were facing, as well as the opportunities provided through the LDN process aimed at achieving goals of viable development.

The two-day event was attended by officials such as Monique Barbut, Executive Secretary of the UNCCD, Ban Ki-moon, former Secretary-General of the United Nations and the current Chairman of the GGGI (Global Green Growth Institute). Also present were officials of the Republic of Korea, ambassadors of Ecuador, Peru, Guyana, Uinted Nations, and China respectively, representatives of universities from the Republic of Korea, members of the UNCCD SPI (Science and Policy Interface), and other international experts.