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UNFF-2: Second Session of the United Nations Forum on Forests
UN Headquarters || 4-15 March 2002
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Day 3: Wednesday 6 March

On the third day of UNFF-2, participants moved from the General Assembly Hall to the more familiar ground of Conference Room One (left) and spent the day in a multi-stakeholder dialogue. Five major groups were invited to exchange views with delegates on sustainable forest management (SFM).
Multi-stakeholder dialogue
on Sustainable Forest Management
< The International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) presented a discussion paper it contributed on behalf of the scientific and technological community which analyzes strategies for rehabilitation in countries with low forest cover and for rehabilitation and restoration of degraded lands (E/C.18/2002/10/Add.1).
Listen to IUFRO presentation
 
< The Confederation Of European Forest Owners (CEFO) presented a discussion paper about the role of private non-industrial forest owners in achieving SFM (E/C.18/2002/10/Add.2). She highlighted sections of the report on, inter alia, respect for property rights, public participation, and proposals for enhancing the conservation of unique types of forests and fragile ecosystems.
Listen to CEFO's presentation
 
< Miguel Lovera of the Global Forest Coalition called for a longer lead time for useful preparations, which must include partnerships between all parties to plan and execute all phases of the dialogue. He expressed concern that some national forest programmes (NFPs) have failed to embody a cross-sectoral and participatory approach.
Listen to the Global Forest Coalition's statement
 
Sweden noted participation of minor and major groups as a characteristic of the "Swedish model" for development, including in the forest sector. She underscored the importance of involving private forest owners and women in achieving SFM. .
 
< The United Nations University described its research linking the role of forests in enhancing human security and its efforts to promote networking and capacity building in developing countries and economies in transition. He also proposed the designation of a Year of the Forest.
Listen to the UNU's statement
 
< The Global Forest Policy Project advocated binding agreements between parties on specific issues and said that such partnerships could be created and announced at UNFF sessions. He called for a clear ministerial message to the WSSD.
Listen to the GFPP's statement
 

Knut Øistad (Norway, right) chaired the multi-stakeholder dialogue (MSD). Jag Maini, Head of the UNFF Secretariat (left), introduced the Secretary-General note on this topic (E/CN.18/2002/10). He explained that the dialogue would engage five key stakeholder groups, and that a Chair's summary of the discussion would be included in the final report of UNFF-2.
 
< The Indigenous Peoples' Network said that indigenous peoples did not feel well-represented in the Forum, and noted that participation has been marginalized through the rigid implementation of ECOSOC rules without taking into account advances made in participation in other fora, such as the recent establishment of the Permanent Forum of Indigenous Affairs as a subsidiary body of ECOSOC.
Listen to the Indigenous Peoples' Network's statement
 
< Costa Rica outlined several successful examples of multi-stakeholder participatory activities and processes aimed at implementing the IPF/IFF proposals for action throughout Central America.
 
The US requested increased industry and major group representation at the MSD at UNFF-3. She also suggested that IUFRO could benefit the international community by articulating the scientific connections between the IPF/IFF proposals for action and the multilateral environmental agreements relevant to forests, notably the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Convention to Combat Desertification.
 
< Canada welcomed the input from the Indigenous People's Network and IUFRO and outlined its own efforts to foster national level multi-stakeholder dialogue..
Listen to Canada's statement
 
< Maini, with Jan Macalpine of the US delegation, at the close of the afternoon session.
 
Side event: Implementation of the IPF/IFF Proposals for Action: Fostering National Assessments and Identification of Action

Alvaro Umaña, Leader of the Environmentally Sustainable Development Group (ESDG) at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), right, noted that the intent of the joint UNDP and PROFOR initiative is to provide support to countries in their national-level assessments of the IPF/IFF proposals for action against current actions on the ground. He said such assessments reinforce existing action and identify new action to support the transformation of the forest sector towards sustainable forest management, and provide an opportunity to establish close links between forest-related policy processes, such as national forest programmes, and overarching agendas such as national strategies on sustainable development.

Christian Mersmann, Director of the Programme on Forests, left, said the motivation to offer guidance for national-level assessment stemmed from wanting to support the UNFF's agenda of implementing the IPF/IFF proposals for action and from recognizing that, due to the complex and diverse nature of the IPF/IFF proposals for action, some guidance on how to approach the proposals and the assessment could be useful to countries. The guidance includes a three step approach to the assessment which begins with the identification of an entry point, for example a national forest programme or other forest-related processes. It also includes a synthesized version of the IPF/IFF proposals for action organized according to the programme elements of the UNFF's Plan of Action. The draft document is available at the PROFOR website at http://www.profor.info/pages/news/.

Representatives of Costa Rica and Australia also delivered presentations on their experiences with national-level assessments of the IPF/IFF proposals for action.

 

Side event: Country-led Initiative on Monitoring Assessment and Reporting (MAR)

Mr. Thang Hooi Cheiw of the Ministry of Primary Industry, Malaysia, chaired the side event on monitoring, assessment and reporting (MAR). Mr. Osamu Hashiramoto delivered a presentation on the outcome of the country-led initiative on MAR held in Yokohama, Japan last November. Following the presentation, participants discussed the relationship between criteria and indicators (C&I) for sustainable forest management and the IPF/IFF proposals for action, and the need for capacity building and stakeholder involvement in MAR.

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