The 5th Steering Committee/Partner Meeting of the Landscape Fire Management in the Western Balkans (LFMWB) Programme was held in Banja Luka on September 17th, organized by Farmahem, the Regional Executive Agency (REA) for the Programme. LFMWB Programme is funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and coordinated by Farmahem from Skopje, with backstopping support of Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation.
The meeting brought together representatives from SDC, the Embassy of Switzerland in North Macedonia, Country Partner Institutions (CPIs) from Banja Luka, Belgrade, Podgorica, Tirana, Sarajevo, and Skopje, as well as the Regional Fire Monitoring Center (RFMC) and the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC), which participated online, the School of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences (HAFL), Farmahem, and Helvetas.
This meeting provided an opportunity for Steering Committee members to review the Programme’s accomplishments from the first half of the year and gain insights into its current status. Moreover, the Report from the Survey for stakeholders’ level of knowledge on the LFM role on mitigation and climate change and Overview of the call for community-based projects in frame of LFMWB Competitive fund were presented to the participants. Additionally, the Operational Plan for the period from September to December 2024 was presented, setting clear milestones for the upcoming months.
During the meeting, Programme partners engaged in fruitful discussions, offering valuable feedback on the Programme’s progress. They expressed satisfaction with the milestones achieved in the first half of the year and emphasized the importance of addressing the topic of landscape fire management, particularly in the current regional context.
With a shared commitment to fostering resilience and sustainable landscape fire management, the LFMWB Programme partners look forward to continued progress and a positive impact in the Western Balkans.