INTERGOVERNMENTAL WORKING GROUP ON FORESTS (IWGF) REPORT
Options
1. Coordination is best done at the national level, with countries themselves in the lead role. Donors should help with capacity building, including central information networks where appropriate.
2. There needs to be greater use of regional mechanisms. Examples are the Central American Forest Council, the South Pacific Forum, the International Boreal Forest Research Association, the European Forest Institute, and Pan-European and other regional efforts to develop criteria and indicators for the management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests, such as the Helsinki and Montreal processes. Greater efforts should be made to reinvigorate the FAO's regional forestry commissions.
3. At the international level, emphasis should be on well coordinated, non-duplicative, and cost effective use of existing organizations.
4. Greater coordination of the work of existing multilateral and bilateral organizations is needed. The CSD, possibly with assistance of UNDP, FAO, UNEP and with input from countries, could consider appropriate arrangements and means to foster greater dialogue and coordination.
5. The CSD could consider calling for an independent assessment of the roles of multilateral institutions most concerned with forests to clarify their roles, identify gaps, minimize duplication and identify areas requiring improvement.
6. One approach to improving the focus of forest activities internationally could be, inter alia, to give special attention to the seven issues addressed by this IWGF, and to foster coordinated action on them in preparation for the 1997 CSD review.
7. The biological diversity, climate change and combatting desertification conventions, while offering significant opportunities to discuss linkages to the forest sector, may not be comprehensive enough to address all the forest issues.
8. The FAO Ministerial meeting on forestry in March 1995 and the CSD intersessional in February 1995 will provide opportunities to further discuss forests and forest related issues, respectively, in preparation for the third session of the CSD in April 1995. Consideration could be given to encouraging the FAO to convene meetings of forest ministers on a regular basis.
9. In addition to coordination of forestry activities at the national, regional and international levels, there is need to study the linkages and coordination with other sectors, such as transportation, mining, agriculture, rural development.