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

For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page

Lok Bahadur Chhetri, Nepal

Mehdi Remaoun, Algeria

Bojan Grlaš, EU

Maureen Whelan, Canada

Thomas Noyal, India

Keith Anderson, Switzerland

Catherine Karr-Colque, US

Myungkil Kim, Republic of Korea

Khalid Chekri, Morocco, UNFF14 Rapporteur

Afsa Kemitale-Rothschild, UNFF Secretariat

Highlights for Thursday, 9 May 2019

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.

+ Visit the web coverage for Thursday, 9 May 2019

Jennifer Conje, US

Argyro Zerva, EU

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

Khalid Cherki, Morocco, Rapporteur and Vice-Chair UNFF14

Paola Deda, UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)

Cécile Ndjebet, African Women’s Network for Community Management of Forests

Joe Cobbinah, University of Ghana, Moderator

Highlights for Wednesday, 8 May 2019

On Wednesday, delegates at UNFF14 resumed discussions on the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) Reform Pertaining to UNFF. Delegates asked for clarification on:

• the options proposed for restructuring the UNFF Secretariat;
• implications that these options would have on the operations of the Forum, budget and human resources;
• how the reforms would affect UNFF’s capacity to fulfill its mandates; and
• when the position of the UNFF Director would be filled.

Juwang Zhu, Officer-in-Charge, UNFF Secretariat, assured delegates that the operation and functions of UNFF would not be affected by UN DESA reforms, and that the UNFF’s Secretariat’s capacity to deliver on the Forum’s mandates would be strengthened. He also assured the Forum that the Director’s position is still under consideration.

The Forum then addressed Means of Implementation, noting progress on the activities of the Global Forest Financing Facilitation Network (G3FN). They also heard from the Co-Chairs of the Expert Group Meeting on the Clearing House of the G3FN held in January 2019, where the core elements of the Clearing House Mechanism were decided.

Governments discussed at length the procedure for setting up of a satellite G3FN office in Beijing, China, urging for information on operational and budgetary arrangements. They requested consultation with Member States on this issue.

Throughout the day, the Forum also engaged in interactive discussions in the following panels:

• Monitoring, Assessment and Reporting (MAR), which discussed the challenges associated with data collection on socioeconomic and financing indicators for the global core set of indicators, as well as related challenges in national and regional reporting on Global Forest Goals (GFGs); and
• Means of Implementation for Sustainable Forest Management (SFM), which addressed G3FN priority 4, “serve to contribute to the achievement of the GFGs and targets as well as priorities contained the Quadrennial Programme of Work (4POW) for 2017-2020”.

The third day of the Forum, begun with discussions on UN DESA reforms, and ended on Means of Implementation. Both issues ignited spirited discussions on the impacts these reforms would have on the UNFF Secretariat and on the G3FN office in China. Grievances were aired by the Forum Members with regards to the lack of information and transparency in both issues, with one major donor to G3FN announcing that they would freeze their contributions until this information deficit is resolved.

+ Visit the web coverage for Friday, 8 May 2019

Helge Elisabeth Zeitler, EU

Mathias Schwoerer, Germany

Yoshiko Motoyama, Japan

Emma Hatcher, Australia

Mamadou Fall, Senegal, speaking for the African Group

Ian Naumkin, Russian Federation

Marilyn Headley, Jamaica

Sibylle Vermont, Switzerland

Highlights for Tuesday, 7 May 2019

On Tuesday, delegates at UNFF14 resumed discussions on the Implementation of the UN Strategic Plan for Forests 2017-2030 (UNSPF). Throughout the day, delegates made general statements on progress made nationally, with some announcing voluntary national contributions.

Governments participated in a panel discussion on the Contributions of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF) Members to Implementation of the UNSPF 2030. This panel allowed CPF members to report on their activities supporting UNSPF implementation.

The Forum thereafter engaged in interactive discussions within the framework provided by three thematic technical panel discussions on links between the Global Forest Goals (GFGs), and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) under review by the 2019 High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF):

• Forests, Peaceful and Inclusive Societies, Reduced Inequality, Education and Inclusive Institutions at all Levels, which discussed links between forests with with SDGs 4 (quality education), 10 (reduced inequalities), 16 (peace, justice, and strong institutions) and 17 (partnerships).
• Mobilizing Private Sector Action in Support of Implementation of the UNSPF and the Agenda 2030, in which private sector initiatives in support of SFM were presented. Delegates provided suggestions on ways to change negative perceptions of the private sector and recognize their contributions to sustainable forest management (SFM).
• Communication, Outreach and International Day on Forests 2019, where participants shared best practices and success stories related to communication and outreach, including activities carried out in the context of the International Day on Forests, under the theme ‘Forests and Education.’

The technical thematic sessions drew diverse levels of attention from delegates with the panel on private sector actions attracting the largest number of participants. Some delegates noted that public-private partnerships (PPP) provide innovative solutions for forest financing, and thus the implementation of the GFG 4 (mobilize financial resources), which has been and may well continue to be for many years to come, the key to implementation of all goals.

+ Visit the web coverage for Friday, 7 May 2019

Javad Momeni, Iran, Vice-Chair UNFF14

Mónica Gabay, National University of General San Martin, Argentina

Mika Rekola, University of Helsinki, Finland

Wan Wazlan Wan Mahmood, Malaysia

Sheam Satkuru, International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO)

Adriana Vidal, IUCN

Aysha Ghadiali, US

Faryde Carlier, Colombia

Lisa Janishevski, Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)

Myungkil Kim, Republic of Korea

Highlights for Monday, 6 May 2019

The fourteenth session of the UN Forum on Forests (UNFF14) opened on Monday, 6 May 2019, at UN Headquarters in New York. In the morning, delegates approved the agenda, but requested discussions on the impacts of UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) reforms on the UNFF Secretariat be brought forward from Thursday to Wednesday. The Bureau agreed to consider the change.

The Forum then heard opening statements. Inga Rhonda King President, UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), urged the Forum to present a strong message to the 2019 High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) on the importance of forests for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Maria-Francesca Spatolisano, Assistant-Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Inter-Agency Affairs, noted the crucial role forests play in climate mitigation and thanked countries for their contribution to the UNFF Trust Fund.

This was followed by general discussions on the implementation of the UN Strategic Plan for Forests 2017-2030, with several countries announcing voluntary national contributions.

In the afternoon, delegates participated in two thematic technical panel discussions on forests and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) under review by the HLPF 2019:

• Forests and Climate Change, which focused on forests in the context of SDG 13 (climate action) and 17 (partnerships); and the objectives of the Paris Agreement on climate change, and
• Forests, Inclusive and Sustainable Economic Growth and Employment, which focused on links between forests and SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth) and 17 (partnerships).

For the second year running, the Forum proceedings are haunted by the question of whether all the recent progress UNFF has made on raising the profile of forests in sustainable development and the momentum created in collaborative global cooperation to achieve the full benefits of sustainable forest management might be impeded, lost or submerged as a result of UN DESA reform.

+ Visit the web coverage for Friday, 6 May 2019

Boris Greguška, Slovakia, UNFF14 Chair

Inga Rhonda King, President of ECOSOC

Hossein Moeini Meybodi, UNFF Secretariat

Maria-Francesca Spatolisano, Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Inter-Agency Affairs, UN DESA

Cheikh Niang, Senegal, on behalf of the African Group

Sahar Abu Shawesh, Palestine, on behalf of G-77/China