On behalf of the World Bank, we are honored to invite the esteemed President of the Agency for Integrated Fire Management, Government of Portugal to participate in the Regional Dialogue on "Securing the Future of Forest Economy: Fostering Leadership in Integrated Fire Management," to be held on May 7-9, 2025, in Antalya, Türkiye. This high-level event is co-hosted by the Turkish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MOAF) and the World Bank. We would particularly like to learn from Portugal’s experience in enhancing cooperation between agencies and the incident command system which is considered best practice. Our colleague, Antonio Patrao, whose expertise has helped inform the largest wildfire management investment of the World Bank administered in Turkiye ($400m), had recommended we reach out to you.
Globally, an increase of intensity (extent) and frequency of wildfires is projected to be 15% by 2030 and 30% by 2050 (UNEP, 2022); by 14%-30% by end of the century in the Mediterranean Basin because of heat-induced-fire weather (Ruffault et al 2020); with up to tenfold increase in extreme fires in Southern Europe ( Garroussi et al 2024) and an increase in burned areas by 2%–8% in the 2030s for Central Asia (Xu et al 2021). The potential for loss of life, displacement of communities, jobs and extensive damage to critical infrastructure and the economy underscores the urgent need for a collaborative and integrated approach in the region as wildfires increasing become megafires. In Kazakhstan, alone, the 2023 wildfires in the Abai region resulted in the tragic loss of 14 lives, burning through 60,000 hectares with damages increasing eightfold in 2023 compared to the previous year, amounting to KZT163 billion (Kaztag).
About the Dialogue
This forum will bring together government leaders, technical experts, financial experts, technologists and global partners to discuss the increasing frequency and intensity of wildfires and explore solutions through integrated fire management, technology-driven innovations, next generation of financial instruments and cross-border cooperation. The event will feature strategic, policy, and technical sessions, with contributions from countries including Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, India, Korea, Spain, Australia, and Canada, alongside key partners such as AFoCO, FAO, WEF and the EU Wildfire Working Group to name a few.
Participants will also have the opportunity to visit Türkiye’s Incident Command System in Antalya, gaining hands-on insights into its advanced fire management strategies.
We would be grateful if you could confirm your participation by email by 7 March to Neeta Hooda (nhooda@worldbank.org) and Leela Raina (lraina1@worldbank.org). Kindly let us know format and who we should sent a formal letter of invitation to, if required.
We look forward to your participation in shaping the future of wildfire resilience in the region.