IFSA Youth Action: 

Raising Gender Awareness in Forestry at the FSC GA 2022

IFSA Delegation Report
from the FSC General Assembly

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an international, non-governmental organisation dedicated to promoting responsible management of the world’s forests. In order to maintain an accountable and responsible forest certification system, FSC conducts the General Assembly. This year, FSC held its General Assembly in Bali, Indonesia, from the 9th-the 14th of October 2022 with the theme of “Forests for All Forever.”

IFSA at the FSC General Assembly

The speaker’s introduction slide

In 2022, IFSA published the IFSA Open Letter on Gender and Forest Education,  calling for a higher acceptance and visibility of all genders in forestry science and practice through gender-aware forest education and accountability for lack of accessibility due to gender-related structural oppression. Through the publication of the Open Letter, the IFSA Gender Sub-Commission was invited to participate at the FSC General Assembly in Bali, Indonesia, from 9th – 14th October 2022,  with two in-person and two online delegates. The organisation was given the opportunity to participate in the side event “Mainstreaming Diversity & Gender within FSC” and the main poster session. 

IFSA participation at the side event was virtual, with Barbara Öllerer and Theresa Klara Loch representing the IFSA Gender Sub-Commission, and in-person, Faiha Azka Azzahira and Wening Ila Idzatilangi, two members of IFSA Local Committees in Indonesia (LC UGM and UNHAS). The online delegates Barbara Öllerer and Theresa Klara Loch joined the panel to present one of IFSA’s most significant achievements in the field of gender and forest education: “Calling for Gender Aware and Inclusive Practices in Forest Education – An Open Letter by IFSA”. The presentation emphasised current gaps in addressing gender equality in forest education, creating gender-aware learning environments, and considering how FSC and forestry stakeholders could contribute to tackling the issue. The online delegates joined the break-out rooms and were available to answer questions from participants. The in-person representatives, Faiha Azka Azzahira and Wening Ila Idzatilangi, also joined the break-out groups with stakeholders and contributed to discussions of practical issues and steps to reduce gender inequality implications on forestry. 

Poster presentation

In addition to the side event, the two in-person IFSA representatives, Faiha Azka Azzahira and Wening Ila Idzatilangi, presented the poster during the coffee break. This was complemented by an introductory video by Barbara Öllerer and Theresa Klara Loch on the online portal of the FSC General Assembly for all online participants.

The In-person (above: Faiha, below: Wening)  the poster to the participants.

Feedback on/reception of the poster

After presenting the poster, the IFSA students received positive as well as critical feedback. Most participants expressed that gender equality is accepted in academic discussions. Still, when it comes to the practical implementation of gender equality, people, especially FINTA* are faced with the status quo persisting and gendered structures only changing gradually. 

The in-person delegation received a contrasting opinion from two male participants who think that genders outside the binary system are hard to accept in their society because of culture and religion. This comment indicates that discriminative beliefs are still pervasive in the forestry sector. Moreover, other participants see if this issue is an important discussion in today’s society, and support the advocation of FINTA* for a more inclusive and gender-aware forest education.  

The in-person representatives utilised the privilege of participation at the GA by attending side events, learning about FSC’s work and engaging in discussions concerning Indigenous People, Gender, Policies, and Landscape Management . The IFSA delegates promoted the side event “Mainstreaming Diversity & Gender” while also discussing the bigger picture concerning the future development of the forestry sector from a youth perspective.

Observations at the FSC GA and gender inclusion

In relation to gender equality, the IFSA representatives understand that the idea has been received by many parties of the FSC with a positive attitude. However, IFSA’s work is not finished since gender equality in forest education is still not fully implemented and facing many challenges. IFSA’s participation in presenting the Open Letter on Gender and Forest Education has contributed to the discussion on gender inequalities in the overall forestry sector, and especially on the importance of forest education within this field.

“If we are not at the table, we will be on the menu” – a quote from Mr. Rodion Sulyandziga, an Indigenous representative at the FSC GA where he has many years of experience working on the promotion and protection of Indigenous People’s Rights at the local and global level. The IFSA delegates felt that this was a very powerful quote indicating the need for an intersectional and inclusive approach to system change and the development of the forestry sector. 

Regarding the online presentation of IFSA’s work in gender equality in forest education, IFSA would like to give constructive feedback following the comments with which were received from the panellists. While there was certainly no ill-intention, an acknowledgement on the importance and significance of the work being accomplished by the IFSA Gender Sub-Commission would have been a more appropriate response to the presentation than a remark on the gender and age of the two presenters. Tokenism is a phenomenon that comprises instances where, for example, minority representatives of their gender in the workplace are treated as symbols rather than individuals. The IFSA representatives feel that acknowledging the gender and age of the presenters falls into the field of tokenism, where representatives of a minority are treated as symbols for the group they are representing rather than individuals. As a high-level representative of FSC made this sort of comment, IFSA would like to encourage the leadership and organisation further to increase their awareness of gender and diversity issues.

Authors: Faiha Azka Azzahira & Wening Idzatilangi

Editors: Barbara Öllerer, Theresa Klara Loch, Volodymyr Kravets