7-11 May 2018 | UN Headquarters, New York
The thirteenth session of the UN Forum on Forests (UNFF13) met from 7-11 May 2018 at UN Headquarters in New York. About 450 participants from Member States, international organizations, the Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF), and Major Groups attended the session, which featured a ministerial roundtable on forest-based solutions for accelerating achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Delegates also addressed implementation of the UN Strategic Plan on Forests 2017-2030 (UNSPF), announced voluntary national contributions, and a discussed and adopted a communication and outreach strategy.
UNFF13 adopted an omnibus resolution on Friday, 11 May, which addresses:
- implementation of the UNSPF;
- monitoring, assessment and reporting;
- means of implementation;
- UN system-wide contribution to the implementation of the UNSPF;
- the contribution of the Forum to the High-level Political Forum (HLPF) review of the SDGs in 2018;
- preparation for the HLPF review in 2019; and
- information on reform of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs pertaining to UNFF.
UNFF13 was the second meeting under the new annual format that alternates implementation and technical advice in odd years with policy dialogue, development and decision-making in even years.
A Brief Analysis of UNFF13
The thirteenth session of the UN Forum on Forests (UNFF13) convened after what had been a three-year high-speed gallop to prepare and adopt the UN Strategic Plan for Forests 2017-2030 and the quadrennial programme of work for the period 2017-2020 in line with the mandates given it by ECOSOC in 2015. UNFF13 was the second meeting under the new annual meeting format that alternates implementation and technical advice in odd years with policy dialogue, development, and decision-making in even years.
The universal membership of UNFF means that the Forum’s vital role in addressing challenges relating to forests is affirmed by all states, and UNFF13 was particularly key in supporting this role as delegates rallied towards strengthening the Forum’s functions and transitioning from policy to practice.
This analysis assesses the UNFF’s progress in promoting the UN Strategic Plan on Forests 2017-2030 (UNSPF) and the Global Forest Goals (GFGs) and examines the steps the Forum is taking to ensure successful implementation to save all types of forests across the globe to achieve sustainable forest management (SFM).
Canopy for All
Forests and trees outside forests play a critical role in sustainable development, unifying almost all of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through their multiple ecosystem benefits providing food, water, climate regulation, and soil protection, among others. These roles have been enshrined in the three Rio Conventions, on biodiversity, climate change and desertification, and acknowledged in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on climate change. The crosscutting importance of forests was constantly repeated during UNFF13, in the hope that it would enhance UN-wide recognition of the Forum as the leading intergovernmental agency on forests.
As the 2018 session of the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) approaches, which includes a review of implementation of SDG 15 (life on land), UNFF13 focused on forest-related solutions for sustainable development. UNFF13 performed this task by providing a highly inclusive process for state and non-state actors, which enabled all stakeholders to report on their actions to achieve the forest-related SDGs. Numerous statements by Major Groups punctuated the week’s deliberations, with many delegates emphasizing the overarching role of the Forum and affirming that forests bring us all together.
The onus is now on the UNFF Member States and non-state actors to ensure that this all-inclusive and participatory process reaches all potential agents of SFM at all levels of governance and practice. Major Groups and stakeholders at UNFF13 came out strong, positioning themselves alongside the Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF) and regional and sub-regional bodies, as vehicles of SFM, leaning on their unique networks with communities living in forests. In previous sessions Major Groups have expressed concern that they did not receive adequate time and recognition by the Forum. However, UNFF13 was lauded for including a specific panel for non-state actors to present their UNSPF implementation activities and work plans. Several delegations acknowledged the proposals and work plans of these non-state actors, noting areas of potential synergies and joint actions to pursue SFM and support the implementation of the GFGs, the UNSPF, and forest-related SDGs.
While non-state actors made their mark at UNFF, many Member States also reiterated their commitment by announcing their voluntary national contributions (VNCs). States also showed their commitment by adopting the guidelines for the Global Forest Financing Facilitation Network (GFFFN) and taking note of China’s offer to host its office.
Branching Out for Success
UNFF members are pushing the Forum to move from policy to practice and prove its worth by, as one participant put it, “finally walking, not just talking, forests, and putting our money where our mouth is.” UNFF13 delegates acknowledged the wealth of knowledge and experience within the Forum and the need to put words into action to bring to life the UNSPF and the Global Goals for Forests.
The recognition that the UNSPF has remained almost invisible around the world was a point of disappointment as the Forum had hoped that the UNSPF would have become as popular as the SDGs, and even more in light of the overarching role of forests. One delegate said, “It seems as if we have been speaking to a wall these past months.”
Determined to change this, UNFF13 took up the challenge to step out of its policy and technical discussions comfort zone to explore the need for robust communication. The panel on communication and outreach did just that. Some Major Group representatives made powerful observations, pointing out, for instance, that communities do not comprehend Global Forest Goals such as “Forest area is increased by 3% worldwide.” The language needs to be translated into the question, “How many trees should a person should plant and take care of in order to restore tree cover?” As communications experts demonstrated effective ways to get the message across to the public, delegates admitted that the carefully-crafted wording of the UNSPF was not really understandable to people outside of the room, even to most forest practitioners.
In adopting the Communications and Outreach Strategy, Member States affirmed the need to unpack the UNSPF’s dense text and ensure they communicate messages that can trigger lifestyle changes to support and protect forests. Ensuing discussions in plenary on what these messages would be and what media should be used showed Member States’ willingness to branch out into new territory and use every means possible to increase the relevance of the UNSPF.
While communication is key to reaching the world beyond the UN, many statements also highlighted the need to work in a broader context to tackle drivers of deforestation. Crosscutting sectors such as food, water, energy, and infrastructure received much attention as the Forum considered how to handle impacts from consumption and production of forest products and land use change for food and fuel production. UNFF13 participants also called for innovative thinking to develop nexus-based solutions with these sectors.
Rooting Together for Forests
UNFF delegates also joined forces in view of emerging challenges faced within the repositioning of the UN development system. This issue was the subject of speculation right from the start of UNFF13. Given concerns expressed regarding consultation and transparency on the matter, it was no surprise that delegates pushed for an agenda item to address this. The reform shadow did not however dampen UNFF13’s resolve to accomplish its tasks as the meeting made good strides through the week. Delegates rallied behind the UNFF Secretariat, rooting for continued progress towards achieving SFM.
By the end of the meeting, the general sense prevailing at UNFF13 was that if the forest agenda is solid, and supported by a robust work plan and adequate financing, then the UNFF will remain strong. For this UNFF13 participants resolved to ensure that the UNFF is equipped to accomplish its mandates by adopting guidelines for the GFFFN, the Communication and Outreach Strategy, and the final omnibus resolution, and agreeing on their contributions to the 2018 HLPF review.
Peering from the Crow’s Nest in the Forest
Delegates left UNFF13 with a renewed sense of responsibility, in light of the vantage point they occupy in the forest agenda and a mandate to work to distinguish the UNFF as the premier intergovernmental forum on sustainable forest management. The flagship report was expected by most to be the vehicle for this distinction and as a means of further strengthening the ability of the UN to speak with a single voice on major forest issues. Some delegates expressed hope that the flagship report will become the hallmark for the Forum.
The report, to be compiled from national reporting by the UNFF Secretariat, would focus on progress towards the achievement of the Global Forest Goals. Unlike earlier arduous discussions on monitoring, assessment and reporting, discussions on this “brand” have been welcome, albeit with words of caution that it must be distinctive and not merely a “copycat” of the FAO’s Global Forest Resources Assessment (FRA). Instead, some argued, it can become the policy-oriented complement, or bookend, to the more technical FRA.
The immediate effort to find a simple and powerful brand for the Forum through its new Communication and Outreach Strategy is also expected to help get the UNFF’s message out to forest stakeholders and accelerate the achievement of SFM.
The message of UNFF13 for the future is for an effective and innovative Forum that provides guidance but also informs on progress in forest management, restoration, and protection. The Forum’s reaction to emerging challenges, by strengthening its functions, may well secure its future in the forest agenda.
As UNFF13 bid farewell to Director Sobral, who has expertly guided UNFF through the momentous three-year high-speed gallop to the Strategic Plan and strengthening of the IAF, Member States hoped for continued success as the UNFF shifted from policy into practice to support the achievement of the Global Forest Goals, the UNSPF, and the SDGs.
This issue of the Earth Negotiations Bulletin © <enb@iisd.org> is written and edited by Keith Ripley, Deborah Davenport, Ph.D., Ana-Maria Lebădă, and Dorothy Wanja Nyingi, Ph.D. The Digital Editor is Ángeles Estrada. The Editor is Pamela Chasek, Ph.D. <pam@iisd.org>. The Director of IISD Reporting Services is Langston James “Kimo” Goree VI <kimo@iisd.org>. The Earth Negotiations Bulletin is published by the International Institute for Sustainable Development. The Sustaining Donors of the Bulletin are the European Union and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. General Support for the Bulletin during 2018 is provided by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU), the Italian Ministry for the Environment, Land and Sea, the Japanese Ministry of Environment (through the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies - IGES), the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Government of Switzerland (Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN)), and SWAN International. Specific funding for coverage of UNFF13 has been provided by the UNFF Secretariat and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC). Funding for translation of the Bulletin into French has been provided by the Government of France, Québec, and the Institute of La Francophonie for Sustainable Development (IFDD), a subsidiary body of the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF). The opinions expressed in the Bulletin are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of IISD or other donors. Excerpts from the Bulletin may be used in non-commercial publications with appropriate academic citation. For information on the Bulletin, including requests to provide reporting services, contact the Director of IISD Reporting Services at <kimo@iisd.org>, +1-646-536-7556 or 300 East 56th St., 11D, New York, NY 10022 USA.
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