ENB:13:04
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INTERSESSIONAL HIGHLIGHTS
SEVENTH MEETING OF THE MONTREAL PROCESS GROUP: The Working Group on Criteria and Indicators for the Conservation and Sustainable Management of Temperate and Boreal Forests (Montreal Process) held its seventh meeting in Auckland, New Zealand, from 30 October - 4 November 1995. This was the first meeting since the endorsement of the Santiago Declaration and the comprehensive list of criteria and indicators in February 1995.
Montreal Process countries underscored the importance of future cooperation among countries on national level implementation of criteria and indicators, particularly among neighboring countries or those with similar forest conditions. In this regard, it was agreed that each country would report on its approach to data requirements, including collection, and its approach to reporting on each indicator at the next meeting of the Montreal Process. Participants also exchanged views on the relationship between national level criteria and indicators and certification. Montreal Process countries reaffirmed that the criteria and indicators have been developed for the assessment of sustainable forest management at the national level. Australia will host the eighth meeting of the Working Group in June 1996.
INFORMAL PAN-EUROPEAN ROUND-TABLE MEETING: This meeting, which was convened in Brussels from 13-14 November 1995, was held as part of the follow-up activities to the second Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forest in Europe. Participants focused on the linkages with the IPF process and the process initiated by the Ministerial Conference. The different European country initiatives that were proposed at the first sessions of these two processes were presented to the round-table participants. Potential input of the round table to the IPF was also discussed.
SWISS -PERUVIAN INITIATIVE ON FORESTS (SPIF): Peru and Switzerland are co-sponsoring a study on the work of international organizations, multilateral institutions and instruments in the forest sector. An independent international group of experts (IEG) is given the task to elaborate a study on the work carried out by international organizations and multilateral institutions and under existing legal instruments related to forest issues. The first meeting of the expert group took place in Geneva from 5-8 March 1996, co-chaired by Augusto Freyre (Peru) and Dr. Franz Schmithussen (Switzerland). The first session of the IEG was attended by experts from Australia, Belarus, Brazil, China, Ecuador, Finland, Mexico, Republic of Korea, Slovakia, Russia, and US as well as by three experts nominated by the NGO community from India, Peru and UK. During the first session of the IEG/SPIF experts focused their attention on the developments regarding forest issues since the UNCED and on the agenda and decisions taken by CSD and IPF. Experts discussed at length the different approaches and methodologies to be used for the preparation of the study to be submitted on Item V.1 of the IPF agenda. Part of the session was dedicated to exchange of information with some of the most relevant international organizations, multilateral institutions and conventions. A progress report will be presented to the IPF at its second session.The second session of the IEG/SPIF is scheduled for the last week of June 1996.
WORLD COMMISSION ON FORESTS AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT PUBLIC HEARING: <M>The first of five public hearings of the WCFSD was held in Jakarta, 3-8 March 1996. Approximately 300 groups attended from business, government sector and NGOs. The NGOs called for enhanced community control and business representatives embraced expanded dialogue on criteria and indicators.