On 4 November 2025, RECOFTC and the International Forestry Students’ Association (IFSA) renewed our partnership with the signing of a five-year memorandum of understanding (MoU) at the Asia‑Pacific Forestry Week in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The MoU reaffirms RECOFTC and IFSA’s shared commitment to empowering youth in forestry and landscape management across the Asia-Pacific region.
At the signing, RECOFTC’s executive director, David Ganz, noted that RECOFTC will continue our long-standing collaboration with IFSA to support community forestry across the Asia-Pacific. “We hope that forestry students, professors and lecturers continue to work with RECOFTC and our country offices so that universities and student groups can keep benefiting from the training, capacity building and support that we offer,” he said.
He added that RECOFTC would support IFSA as the association continues to strengthen its connections to community forestry and take part in landscape-based approaches throughout the region.
“In renewing our partnership with RECOFTC, we have high aspirations to build upon the support RECOFTC provides to students pursuing forestry,” said Earl Justin Catibog, external councilor for IFSA. “We are committed to uplifting the voices of youth, ensuring their active involvement in global policy making and advancing IFSA’s vision of a world that values and appreciates forests.”
The partnership is built on sharing knowledge, building capacity and helping youth connect with mentors and professional networks. RECOFTC’s Youth Committee will take a leading role in the partnership, with the institutional youth engagement strategy guiding its involvement at every step. RECOFTC and IFSA will organize events and training, support research and encourage youth participation in projects and leadership roles.
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Korranat Buranakij is programme officer for gender equality and social inclusion at RECOFTC.