United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF)

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Context

• The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change is organizing a Country-Led Initiative (CLI) event as part of the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF).

About

• The United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF) is a high-level intergovernmental policy forum.

Partners and Members

• The forum includes all United Nations member states and permanent observers, the UNFF Secretariat, the Collaborative Partnership on Forests, Regional Organizations and Processes and Major Groups.

History

• In 1992, the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, ("Earth Summit") was held in Rio de Janeiro.
• The Earth Summit adopted the Non-legally Binding Authoritative Statement of Principles for a Global Consensus on the Management, Conservation, and Sustainable Development of All Types of Forests (Forest Principles) together with Agenda 21, which included a chapter (Chapter 11) on "Combating Deforestation".
• Following the Earth Summit, the UN established the Intergovernmental Panel on Forests (IPF) and its successor, the Intergovernmental Forum on Forests (IFF), to implement the Forest Principles and Chapter 11 of Agenda 21.
• The IPF/IFF processes resulted in a set of 270 proposals for action for the promotion of the management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests.
• In 2000, the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) established the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF) with the main objective of promoting "… the management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests based on the Rio Declaration, the Forest Principles, Chapter 11 of Agenda 21 and the outcome of the IPF/IFF Processes and other key milestones of international forest policy.

Principal Functions

• To facilitate the implementation of forest-related agreements and foster a common understanding on sustainable forest management;
• To provide for continued policy development and dialogue among Governments, and international organizations, including major groups, as identified in Agenda 21 as well as to address forest issues and emerging areas of concern in a holistic, comprehensive, and integrated manner,
• To enhance cooperation as well as policy and program coordination on forest-related issues.
• To foster international cooperation and to monitor, assess, and report on the progress of the above functions and objectives.
• To strengthen political commitment to the management, conservation, and sustainable development of all types of forests.