Summary
The thirteenth session of the UN Forum on Forests (UNFF13) resumed on Wednesday, 9 May 2018, at UN Headquarters in New York. In the morning, delegates discussed the possible impact of UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) reform on the UNFF Secretariat and how the Forum is serviced. Delegates then turned to monitoring, assessment and reporting, including the proposed format and cycle for voluntary national reporting to UNFF and work by the Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF) on a global core set of forest indicators.
During lunch three side events were held: one hosted by Rwanda and the Central African Forests Commission (COMIFAC), on “Forest Ecosystems of Central Africa: The Unknown Lung of the Planet, Emerging issues, Challenges, and Prospects for the World”; a second hosted by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Government of Switzerland on “Mobilizing Finance for Forests and REDD+: The Key Role of National Forests and REDD+ Finance Strategies”; and a third hosted by the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Government of the Republic of Korea on “Forest Ecosystem Restoration and Biodiversity.”
In the afternoon, delegates discussed means of implementation, with a focus on guidelines for the operation of the Global Forest Financing Facilitation Network (GFFFN) and proposed measures to increase its effectiveness and efficiency.
For details on the day’s discussions and to hear what delegates said in the corridors, see our daily Earth Negotiations Bulletin.
IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) meeting coverage, provided daily digital coverage, daily reports, and a summary and analysis report from UNFF13.
Photos by IISD/ENB | Ángeles Estrada Vigil
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Information on UN DESA Reforms Pertaining to UNFF
Haitian Lu, UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA); Manoel Sobral Filho, UNFF Director; Muhammad Shahrul Ikram Yaakob, UNFF13 Chair; and Moncef Khane, UNFF Secretary
Michael Osakuade, Nigeria, for Africa Group
Haitian Lu, UN DESA
Davia Carty, Jamaica
Avhashoni Renny Madula, South Africa
Rob Busink, The Netherlands
Monitoring, Assessment and Reporting
The dais during the session
UNFF13 Vice-Chair Maureen Whelan
Patrick Kariuki, Kenya
Afsa Kemitale, UNFF Secretariat
Peter Csoka, FAO
UNFF13 Vice-Chair Luciana Melchert Saguas Presas, and Rafael da Soler, Brazil
Jessica Carvajal, Colombia
Marta Nuñez, NGO Major Group
Mehdi Remaoun, Algeria
Renato Morales, Argentina
Means of Implementation
Peter Gondo, UNFF Secretariat
Hu Yuanhui, China
Manoel Sobral Filho, UNFF Director
Lisa Prior, Executive Secretary, International Forestry Students' Association
Jean Baptiste Havugimana, East African Community; Raymond Ndomba Ngoye, Executive Secretary, and Tite Tchuante, Central African Forests Commission
Yoshiko Motoyama, Japan
Thioye Djibril, Senegal
Around the Venue
