Media Home
UN Web TV
UN Audiovisual Library
UN PhotoFAO / FORESTS AND WATER DAY EVENT
STORY: FAO / FORESTS AND WATER DAY EVENT
TRT: 04:34
SOURCE: FAO
RESTRICTIONS: PLEASE CREDIT FAO ON SCREEN
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / ITALIAN / NATS
DATELINE: 19 MARCH 2026, ROME, ITALY
1. Wide shot, FAO headquarters
2. Med shot, FAO Flag
3. Italian singer and songwriter Elisa meeting participants of International Day of Forests and World Water Day celebrations
4. Wide shot, screen showing a music video with Elisa
5. Med shot, Elisa intervening at International Day of Forests and World Water Day celebrations
6. Wide shot, audience listening
7. Wide shot, Elisa and FAO Deputy Director-General Maurizio Martina visiting the FAO MuNe - Food and Agriculture Museum and Network
8. Wide shot, Elisa being interviewed inside the FAO MuNe - Food and Agriculture Museum and Network
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Elisa Toffoli, singer and songwriter:
“The importance of forests and water is essential, crucial for our future because it supports all life on Earth, all ecosystems. And this interdependence and this interconnection is also a message that I try to deliver through the work I do.”
10. Wide shot, Elisa being interviewed
11. Pan right, Elisa speaking
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Elisa Toffoli, singer and songwriter:
“For me, forests and water, they really do have healing properties. I can feel the benefits in my mind, my spirit, my body when I'm walking in the woods, when I'm bathing in the sea or the ocean.”
13. Wide shot, Elisa being interviewed
14. Med shot, Elisa speaking
15. SOUNDBITE (English) Elisa Toffoli, singer and songwriter:
“It's funny, us human beings, we're so obsessed with perfection. We look for perfection in many places, but sometimes we forget to look at the very thing that incarnates perfection in the most amazing and eternal way, which is nature, Mother Nature itself.”
16. Wide shot, Elisa being interviewed
17. Med shot, Elisa speaking
18. SOUNDBITE (Italian) Elisa Toffoli, singer and songwriter:
“To me, this also feels like a step toward awareness: celebrating the importance of forests and water and recognizing the immense value these elements hold in preserving and guaranteeing life itself on this planet. I believe the future must involve a necessary paradigm shift, moving from a system, particularly the Western one, which is heavily based on anthropocentrism, toward a system that changes completely and becomes ecocentric.”
19. Wide shot, Elisa being interviewed
20. Close up, screen showing Elisa speaking
21. SOUNDBITE (Italian) Elisa Toffoli, singer and songwriter:
“Certainly, as human beings, we should put our intelligence, our work, our inventions, and our technology at the service [of ecosystems]. In short, we should be the protectors, acting as guardians of these elements that are so vital for life on Earth. It would be a great evolutionary leap to dedicate our virtues to learning from these ecosystems and elements; studying them to understand how to coexist with them in the most harmonious and sustainable way possible.”
22. Various shots, Elisa visiting the FAO MuNe - Food and Agriculture Museum and Network
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) marked International Day of Forests 2026 and World Water Day 2026 on Thursday (19 Mar) with a series of high level and technical events at its headquarters in Rome.
Renowned Italian singer and songwriter Elisa also attended the ceremony and shared reflections on the interdependence between forests and water and their importance for future generations.
The two UN global observances, celebrated annually on 21 and 22 March respectively, underscore the critical role of forests and water in sustaining local economies, resilient agrifood systems and the Sustainable Development Goals.
Speaking on the fundamental link between these resources, Elisa emphasized their role in her own creative mission.
SOUNDBITE (English) Elisa Toffoli, singer and songwriter:
“The importance of forests and water is essential, crucial for our future because it supports all life on Earth, all ecosystems. And this interdependence and this interconnection is also a message that I try to deliver through the work I do.”
Elisa highlighted the profound personal impact the natural world has on human well-being.
SOUNDBITE (English) Elisa Toffoli, singer and songwriter:
“For me, forests and water, they really do have healing properties. I can feel the benefits in my mind, my spirit, my body when I'm walking in the woods, when I'm bathing in the sea or the ocean.”
This personal connection, she noted, often reveals a balance that human effort struggles to replicate.
SOUNDBITE (English) Elisa Toffoli, singer and songwriter:
“It's funny, us human beings, we're so obsessed with perfection. We look for perfection in many places, but sometimes we forget to look at the very thing that incarnates perfection in the most amazing and eternal way, which is nature, Mother Nature itself.”
Translating these observations into a broader view, she called for a fundamental change in our global perspective.
SOUNDBITE (Italian) Elisa Toffoli, singer and songwriter:
“To me, this also feels like a step toward awareness: celebrating the importance of forests and water and recognizing the immense value these elements hold in preserving and guaranteeing life itself on this planet. I believe the future must involve a necessary paradigm shift, moving from a system, particularly the Western one, which is heavily based on anthropocentrism, toward a system that changes completely and becomes ecocentric.”
Elisa concluded by advocating for the use of technology and talent to protect rather than exploit these vital resources.
SOUNDBITE (Italian) Elisa Toffoli, singer and songwriter:
“Certainly, as human beings, we should put our intelligence, our work, our inventions, and our technology at the service [of ecosystems]. In short, we should be the protectors, acting as guardians of these elements that are so vital for life on Earth. It would be a great evolutionary leap to dedicate our virtues to learning from these ecosystems and elements; studying them to understand how to coexist with them in the most harmonious and sustainable way possible.”
The theme of the 2026 International Day of Forests – Forests and Economies – draws attention to the essential contributions forests make to economic prosperity and livelihoods worldwide. Forests and trees contribute trillions of dollars to the global economy annually and support billions of people who rely on forest products for income, food, energy and well being.
Forests sustain family and community agriculture, enhance agricultural productivity, and safeguard watersheds. As natural infrastructure, they filter and infiltrate water, reduce erosion, improve water quality, and mitigate floods — services that are indispensable to rural livelihoods and national economies.
More than half of global GDP – an estimated $44 trillion – depends on nature, including forests. With annual wood production reaching 4 billion cubic metres, demand is expected to rise as the population grows and countries seek renewable alternatives to carbon intensive materials. By 2050, an additional 1 billion cubic metres of industrial roundwood could be required.
Non wood forest products (NWFPs) such as foods, medicines, resins and ornamental plants are used by up to 5.8 billion people and are valued at over $9.4 billion annually, with significant potential for expansion. Woodfuel also remains critical, providing essential energy for more than 2 billion people.
Investing in forest conservation, restoration and sustainable use delivers substantial returns. Forest loss, by contrast, leads to soil erosion, flooding, climate impacts and long term productivity decline.
FAO continues to support countries in scaling up forest based solutions. The Forest and Farm Facility assists producer organizations in 15 countries to build value added enterprises while restoring landscapes and reducing poverty. The Great Green Wall Initiative has generated more than 335 000 jobs for communities across the Sahel, diversifying incomes and strengthening resilience. Dimitra Clubs, active in 13 countries, have supported more than 8 million people, including women in Niger securing land rights and accessing small scale irrigation systems.
World Water Day shines a spotlight on the 2.1 billion people still living without access to safe water. This year’s theme, Water and Gender, highlights the structural barriers that rural women and girls face in accessing and managing water for domestic use, irrigation, livestock, aquaculture and economic activities.
Women are often excluded from water governance bodies and experience limited access to land rights, irrigation and financial services. Climate induced water shortages exacerbate workloads, reduce productivity and deepen vulnerabilities.
Promoting gender equality in water access is essential to building efficient, inclusive and resilient agrifood systems. The theme aligns with the International Year of the Woman Farmer and the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists, both led globally by FAO.
The celebrations at FAO brought together Member countries, technical experts, partners and civil society to explore scientific evidence and practical experiences on the forests–water nexus, with particular emphasis on economic development and gender equality.
The programme included a high level opening ceremony, a technical event on Forests and Economies, a live screening of the UN observance of World Water Day in New York, and an exhibition showcasing forest foods, industrial forest products, and arts and crafts demonstrating the economic and cultural diversity of forests across regions.
As in previous years, FAO also planned to take part in Sunday's Rome Marathon through its collaboration with ACEA, Rome's water utility company. The collaboration has traditionally been based on an exchange of visibility within awareness campaigns, including FAO branding along the marathon’s route through the city.
This year, FAO has also planned a physical presence in the Marathon Village to promote its new MuNe Museum and to highlight its collaboration with ACEA in support of World Water Day 2026.
Download
There is no media available to download.
