This event, timed to coincide with the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, will launch a scientific assessment report and an associated policy brief addressing the relationship between forests, trees, and poverty, as well as the roles of forests and trees in poverty reduction.

The assessment report synthesizes the current state of knowledge on the role of forests and trees in poverty alleviation, including in urban areas. It also examines underlying conditions constraining the achievement of goals related to poverty alleviation and sustainable forest management, such as power asymmetries, corruption, lack of political will, and marginalization. The publications aim to contribute to implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by highlighting the nexus between Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 1 (no poverty) and SDG 15 (life on land), as well as relevant links to other SDGs.

The assessment report was prepared by the Global Forest Experts Panel (GFEP) on Forests and Poverty, which was established by the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) on behalf of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF). Previous GFEP publications have addressed such topics as: the role of forests for food security, the forest-water nexus, and illegal logging. The GFEP initiative is supported by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland (MFA), and the United States Forest Service (USFS).

Alexander Buck, IUFRO Executive Director, will moderate the event, which will feature a keynote presentation by Daniel C. Miller, Chair, GFEP on Forests and Poverty, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, as well as discussions with other panel members. Participants will be able to interact with presenters through a chat function. The launch is taking place virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic.