 |
Seventh Session of the United Nations Forum on Forests
United Nations Headquarters, New York | 16-27 April 2007
| 
|
| |
|
|
|
Forest Forum Delegates Begin Deliberations
On Tuesday, 17 April, the Seventh Session of the United Nations Forum on
Forests convened at UN Headquarters in New York to discuss the non-legally
binding instrument (NLBI) on all types of forests, and the Multi-Year
Programme of Work (MYPOW) for the period 2008-2015. In the morning
plenary, delegates heard ministerial statements and a performance by
the Young People's Chorus of New York City in celebration of the launching
of preparations for the 2011 International Year of Forests (IYF), followed
by a presentation of background papers on means of implementation. In the
afternoon, delegates convened in two working groups to discuss the NLBI
and the MYPOW.
Above: The Young People's Chorus of New York City sang for
delegates.
|
|
|
Tuesday, 17 April
|
|
International Year of Forests
|
|
Ivica Grbac, Assistant Minister, Ministry for Agriculture, Forestry and
Water Management, Croatia, proposed an annual International Day of
Forests.
|
Emile Doumba, Minister for Forests, Fisheries and National Parks, Gabon,
said an NLBI must provide for appropriate means for implementation.
|
M.S. Kaban, Minister of Forestry, Indonesia, highlighted national
pledges in support of the IYF.
|
Jorge Rodriguez, Vice Minister of Environment, Costa Rica, noted his
country's achievement in doubling its forest cover.
|
Pembe Didace Bokiaga, Minister of Environment, Democratic Republic of
the Congo, outlined national actions undertaken to ensure SFM.
|
Agnieszka Bolesta, Undersecretary of State, Ministry of Environment,
Poland, highlighted Poland's contribution to developing regional policy.
|
José Cibrian Tovar, Director General, National Forest Commission,
Mexico, highlighted Mexico's long-term commitment to SFM.
|
Shamsul Momen Palash, Organization of Art for Children, Bangladesh,
announced the launch of the Child Forest Campaign to plant one million
trees.
|
Composer Jim Papoulis described creating songs with children worldwide,
and drew parallels between raising children and nurturing trees.
|
|
General Statements
|
Sudan, for the African Group, called for a concise and action-oriented
NLBI including a global forest fund and technology-transfer mechanism.
|
New Zealand called for the MYPOW to give prominence to regional
processes.
|
Papua New Guinea, for the Secretariat of the Pacific Community,
emphasized the role of regional collaboration.
|
|
Means of Implementation
|
|
Left: Gerhard Dieterle, World Bank Programme on Forests (PROFOR),
introduced a background paper on means of implementation.
Right: Hosny El-Lakany, independent consultant, reported the paper's major
findings on SFM financing and mainstreaming SFM into national strategies.
|
|
|
Left: Michael Jenkins, independent consultant, outlined the suggested
structure of the portfolio approach.
Right: Mahendra Joshi, UNFF Secretariat, presented a paper prepared by
the Bureau, proposing a global forest trust to fund implementation.
|
|
|
Working Group I (NLBI)
|
Working Group I, co-chaired by Hamidon Ali, Malaysia, and Hans
Hoogeveen, the Netherlands, discussed the NLBI.
|
Nigeria, for the African Group, called for resources to meet the
incremental costs of SFM.
|
Liu Xin, China, called for the NLBI to reinforce forests' role in
reversing global ecosystem deterioration.
|
The Dominican Republic called for the NLBI to take into multisectoral
approaches to SFM.
|
|
Working Group II (MYPOW)
|
Working Group II, co-chaired by André-Jules Madingou, Gabon, and
Arvids Ozols, Latvia, addressed the MYPOW.
|
Cinthia Soto, Costa Rica, stressed implementation and attainment of SFM
and the four Global Objectives.
|
Stefanie von Scheliha, Germany, for the EU, questioned the benefit of
intergovernmental preparatory meetings.
|
Jerilyn Levi, US, highlighted opportunities presented by the MYPOW to
transform the nature of future meetings.
|
|
Around the Forum
|
Delegates chatted during an evening reception hosted by the Mission
of the Netherlands.
|
|
Related Links
United Nations Forum on Forests
UNFF 7
UNFF-7
Provisional Agenda
Related IISD Coverage of Forest Meetings
18th Session of the FAO Committee on
Forestry, 13-16 March 2007, Rome
CLI in Support of the UNFF:
Multi-Year Programme of Work, 13-16 February 2007, Bali
UNFF Ad hoc
Expert Group Meeting, 11-15 December 2006, New York
Sixth Session of the
UN Forum on Forests (UNFF-6), 13-24 February 2006, New York
CLI in Support of the UNFF:
Scoping a Future Agreement on Forests, 16-18 November 2005, Berlin
Fifth Session of the
UN Forum on Forests (UNFF-5), 16-27 May 2005, New York
CLI in Support of the UNFF:
Future International Arrangement on Forests, 25-28 January 2005,
Guadalajara
UNFF
Ad Hoc Expert Group Meeting (AHEG-PARAM)
7-10 September 2004, New York
Fourth Session of the
UN Forum on Forests (UNFF-4), 3-14 May 2004, Geneva
IISD
Linkages - Forest, Desertification, Land
A
Brief Introduction to Global Forest Policy
Linkages Update
MEA-L - Multilateral
Environmental Agreements Listserve
Africa Regional Coverage
|
|
|
