Highlights and images for 9 May 2019

Summary

Highlights for Thursday, 9 May 2019

Boris Greguška, Slovakia, UNFF14 Chair, with delegates from Slovakia

On Thursday morning, delegates participated for the first time in UNFF in discussions on “enhancing global forest policy coherence and a common international understanding of sustainable forest management (SFM).” Many appreciated that a common understanding of SFM can contribute to coherence in forest-related policies. However, some urged for sensitivity to diverse national definitions and forest management approaches.Throughout the day, governments also engaged in interactive debates spurred by three panel discussions on:

  • Actions by the Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF). This panel focused on interlinkages and ways of strengthening cohesion between the Global Forest Goals (GFGs), with other global goals including the Paris Agreement and the Aichi Biodiversity Targets;
  • Actions by Regional and Subregional Partners in Support of the UN Strategic Plan for Forests 2030 (UNSPF), which provided opportunity for these groups to share their activities to advance the GFGs in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) under review by the 2019 UN High-Level Political Forum (HLPF); and
  • Actions by Major Groups in Support of the UNSPF 2030, which focused on the Major Group Work Plan 2018-2020 and other activities carried out to advance the implementation of the GFGs.
  • Tensions regarding UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) reforms appeared to subside on Thursday, as delegates focused attention on progress made in collaborations to achieve a wide range of global environmental goals. Many acknowledged the continued difficulty in reporting on the forest-related goals and targets in the Paris Agreement, Aichi Biodiversity Targets and the UNSPF separately. One delegate observed, “the GFGs are an opportunity to kill several birds with one stone.” The hope that synergies, cohesion and cooperation can be achieved through UNFF provided many a sense of pride of the Forum’s capacity. Some however acknowledged that cohesion is an ambitious expectation, and that the different roads taken by the different agencies may still lead us to the desired destination: the achievement of SDGs.

    IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) meeting coverage, has provided daily web coverage and a summary and analysis report from UNFF14, which is available in HTML and PDF.

    Photos by IISD/ENB | Franz Dejon

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    Afsa Kemitale-Rothschild, UNFF Secretariat
    Hossein Moeini Meybodi, UNFF Secretariat
    Jennifer Conje, US
    Argyro Zerva, EU
    L-R: Hossein Moeini Meybodi, UNFF Secretariat; Rob Busink, the Netherlands, UNFF14 Vice-Chair; and Jori Jorgensen, UNFF Secretariat
    Panel on Enhancing Cooperation, Coordination, and Cross-sectoral Engagement on Forest-related Issues
    Dais during the panel session
    Rob Busink, the Netherlands, UNFF14 Vice-Chair
    Hiroto Mitsugi, CPF Chair and Assistant Director General, Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO)
    Alexander Shestakov, Convention on Biological Diversity Secretariat (CBD)
    Hosny El-Lakany, University of British Columbia
    L-R: Peter Iversen, UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Secretariat (UNFCCC); Alexander Shestakov, CBD Secretariat; and Hiroto Mitsugi, CPF Chair and Assistant Director General, FAO
    L-R: Sasha Alexander, UN Convention to Combat Desertification Secretariat; Hosny El-Lakany, University of British Columbia; and Ulrich Apel, the Global Environment Facility (GEF)
    Jessica Coronel, Ecuador
    Kyungmi Oh, Republic of Korea
    Zahrul Muttaqin, Indonesia
    Ridza Awang, Malaysia
    Actions by Regional and Subregional Partners in Support of the UNSPF
    Khalid Cherki, Morocco, Rapporteur and Vice-Chair UNFF14

    Paola Deda, UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)
    L-R: Paola Deda, UNECE and Moderator; Thang Long Trinh, International Bamboo and Rattan Organization (INBAR); and David Gritten, The Centre for People and Forests
    Thang Long Trinh, INBAR
    David Gritten, The Centre for People and Forests
    Almani Dampha, African Union Commission
    Godwin Kowero, African Forest Forum
    L-R: Peter Csoka, FAO; Almani Dampha, African Union Commission; and Godwin Kowero, African Forest Forum
    Actions by Major Groups in Support of the UNSPF 2030
    Cécile Ndjebet, African Women’s Network for Community Management of Forests
    Joe Cobbinah, University of Ghana, Moderator

    L-R: Fernanda Rodrigues, Forest Women Networkl; Martha Nuñez, Coordinadora Ecuatoriana de organizaciones para la Defensa de la Naturaleza y el Medio Ambiente; Lucy Mulenkei, Indigenous Information Network; and Steffen Dehn, International Forestry Students’ Association

    Lucy Mulenkei, Indigenous Information Network
    Martha Nuñez, Coordinadora Ecuatoriana de organizaciones para la Defensa de la Naturaleza y el Medio Ambiente

    Cécile Ndjebet, African Women’s Network for Community Management of Forests and Sim Hoek-Cho, Asia Pacific Association of Forestry Research Institutions
    Dais during the panel discussions

    Participants