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Fourth Session of the United Nations Forum on Forests 
Geneva, Switzerland, 3- 14 May 2004
 Earth Negotiations Bulletin - ENB
 Language English   French
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SUMMARY 

 


UNFF-4 HIGHLIGHTS
Tuesday, 11 May

Delegates convened in Plenary to hear country experiences from small island developing states (SIDS). In the afternoon, delegates met in parallel working groups to negotiate Vice-Chair's draft text on the process for reviewing the effectiveness of the international arrangement on forests (REIAF), and on the ad hoc expert group on finance and transfer of environmentally sound technologies (AHEG FINTEST).

 



View of Geneva from the Palais des Nations, UNFF-4's location.
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Above photo (left to right): SIDS plenary panelists Eugene Hendrik; Rolph Payet; Rafael F. de Moya Pons; Moderator Joanne DiSano; UNFF Coordinator Pekka Patosaari; Chair Yuriy Isakov; Secretary Moncef Khane; Mette L. Wilkie; Simione Rokolaqa; Graham Watkins.


UNFF-4 participants heard 6 presentations during this morning's plenary.


Panel moderator Joanne DiSano


Mette Loyche Wilkie gave a general overview of forests and forestry in SIDS.


Rolph Payet described ecotourism in the Seychelles.

 

PLENARY
SIDS Day: National experiences in Small Island Developing States

Listen to:


Graham Watkins described the promotion of sustainable human development through forestry in low-lying coastal states.


Rafael Francisco de Moya Pons explained how to promote sustainable forest management in a shared island.


Eugene Hendrik explainied how sustainable forest management can positively affect climate change in islands.

 


Moderator Joanne DiSano and UNFF Coordinator Pekka Patosaari open the floor to general discussion.


Simione Rokolaqa presented an economic, cultural and spiritual perspective on forests and trees outside forests in the South Pacific.


The US enumerated its forest-related initiatives in Caribbean and Pacific SIDS.

 
Jan Coombs, New Zealand, highlighted the importance of regional initiatives and the role of forests in development goals.

Ralph Roberts, Canada, stressed the value of national and regional partnerships developed with SIDS "in the driver's seat.
"


   

Above 4 photos (left to right): delegates from Jamaica, Indonesia, Nicaragua and Grenada participating in the plenary discussion on SIDS. JAMAICA listed their efforts at SFM and encouraged further international support. INDONESIA emphasized the need to integrate SFM with social development and biodiversity protection. NICARAGUA stressed the importance of reforestation and water management, and asked for help in calculating carbon dioxide emissions. GRENADA lamented that most SIDS are not present at UNFF-4, called for enhancing their participation.






WORKING GROUPS

Working Group 1: Finance and Technology Transfer


On support for micro-credit, Ireland on behalf of the European Union, proposed inviting member states and CPF members to facilitate an assessment of micro-credit.


Working Group 1 Chair George Talbot.


On partnerships, the G-77/China added references to North-South and triangular cooperation, and suggested deleting references to partnerships as well as text on support to regional meetings.

 


Vice-Chair George Talbot (Guyana) tabled a Vice-Chair's draft text on the Ad Hoc Expert Group (AHEG) on Finance and Transfer of Environmentally Sound Technologies. (FINTEST).

 



    Working Group 2: Review Process:


Working Group 2 participants briefly suspended this afternoon's meeting for further consultations on the text, resuming thirty minutes later to consider a G-77/CHINA proposed text.


Jan McAlpine (US) discussing the text with Vice-Chair Gede Ngurah Swadjaya (Indonesia).


Working Group 2 European Union participants proposed references, in both preambular and operational paragraphs, that quantifiable benchmarks are "still to be developed or proposed."

 


Working Group II considered a Vice-Chair's text on a process to facilitate the review of the effectiveness of the international arrangement on forests (REIAF).

A number of delegations lamented the lack of detail in the text and sought clarification from the Secretariat on the scope of the questionnaire, the type of baseline information, and how quantifiable benchmarks would be developed.



G77/China participants in Working Group 2 proposed: blending four preambular paragraphs into one; deleting a preambular paragraph referring to a General Assembly Resolution; and changing operational paragraphs to make them consistent with previous UNFF decisions.


  AROUND THE PALAIS:


Above photo, left to right: ENB writers Tamilla Gaynutdinova; Nicole Schabus; Maria Gutierrez; and Rado Dimitrov hard at work capturing the day's events..

 


Leslie Paas, ENB's UNFF-4 digital editor.


Andrew Baldwin, ENB's UNFF-4 team leader.


ENB's UNFF-4 Logistics Coordinator Angeles Estrada de Riveiro.

 


The Amazonian Countries held an informal meeting this afternoon in order to discuss the region's participation in the UNFF.


UN Security Guards at the Palais des Nations.



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