Children and Youth

The thirteenth session of the UN Forum on Forests (UNFF13) opened on Monday, 7 May 2018, at UN Headquarters in New York. In the morning, delegates addressed a number of organizational matters, including an amendment to the agenda to add a sub-item to discuss how the reform of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) may affect the UNFF Secretariat. The Forum heard opening statements from Marie Chatardová, President, UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), Liu Zhenmin, UN Under-Secretary-General, Economic and Social Affairs, and UNFF Director Manoel Sobral Filho. This was followed by discussion on the implementation of the UN Strategic Plan for Forests 2017-2030 (UNSPF), starting with announcements of voluntary national contributions (VNCs) to the UNSPF from among others, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Jamaica, Madagascar, Nepal, New Zealand, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Paraguay, Peru, the Philippines, Slovakia, Turkey and Ukraine. Delegates then engaged in more general policy discussion on UNSPF implementation. During lunch, the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), and the governments of Germany and Switzerland co-hosted a side event on "Sustainable Forest Management and Forest Restoration in the Caucasus and Central Asia." In the afternoon, a Ministerial Roundtable was held on forest-based solutions for accelerating achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with a keynote provided by Naoko Ishii, CEO and Chairperson of the Global Environment Facility (GEF). Two panels consisting of ministers or vice ministers and high-level representatives of member organizations of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF), Major Groups and other stakeholders made short presentations, followed by interactive discussions. For details on the day’s negotiations 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, will provide daily digital coverage, daily reports, and a summary and analysis report from UNFF-13. Photos by IISD/ENB | Ángeles Estrada For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page L-R: Liu Zhenmin, UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs (DESA); Marie Chatardová, President, UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC); Muhammad Shahrul Ikram Yaakob, UNFF13 chair; Moncef Khane, UNFF Secretary; and Manoel Sobral Filho, UNFF Director Hossein Moeini-Meybodi, UNFF Secretariat Manoel Sobral Filho, UNFF Director Liu Zhenmin, UN Under-Secretary-General for DESA Sibylle Vermont, Switzerland Marie Chatardová, President, ECOSOC Sheyam Elgarf, Egypt for G-77/China Moncef Khane, UNFF Secretary Jessica Coronel, Ecuador Cynthia Silva, Bolivia John Leigh, Peru L-R: Geraldine Byrne Nason, Chair, UN Commission on the Status of Women; Muhammad Shahrul Ikram Yaakob, UNFF13 Chair; and Moncef Khane, UNFF Secretary Nasser Jaghoub, Palestine Geraldine Byrne Nason, Chair, UN Commission on the Status of Women Jessica Carvajal, Colombia Jorge Mario Rodríguez-Zúñiga, Costa Rica Ministerial Roundtable on Forest-based Solutions for Accelerating Achievement of the SDGs L-R: Peng Youdong, Deputy Administrator, State Forestry and Grassland Administration, China; Nicolau dos Santos, Minister for Agriculture, Forestry and Livestock, Guinea-Bissau; Naoko Ishii, CEO and Chairperson, Global Environment Facility (GEF), Muhammad Shahrul Ikram Yaakob, UNFF13 Chair; and Moncef Khane, UNFF Secretary; and Maria Patek, Federal Ministry for Sustainability and Tourism, Austria Naoko Ishii, CEO and Chairperson, GEF Maria Patek, Federal Ministry for Sustainability and Tourism, Austria Peng Youdong, Deputy Administrator, State Forestry and Grassland Administration, China Nicolau dos Santos, Minister for Agriculture, Forestry and Livestock, Guinea-Bissau Charles Sunkuli, Ministry of Environment Principal Secretary, Kenya Mushahid Ullah Khan, Minister for Climate Change, Pakistan Ioan Deneș, Minister Waters and Forests, Romania Mamotsie Motsie, Minister of Tourism, Environment and Culture, Lesotho Gabriela Matečná, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Slovakia   Rumen Porodzanov, Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry, Bulgaria Rosalie Matondo, Minister of Forest Economy, Congo Ezechiel Joseph, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries, Physical Planning, Natural Resources and Co-operatives, Saint Lucia Beth MacNeil, Canada, Moderator John Peter Amewu, Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Ghana Patrik Mlynář, Czech Republic Renzo Silva, Venezuela Naomi van den Berg, Major Group for Children and Youth Around the Venue    

Three Assemblies of the World Urban Forum’s ninth session (WUF9) convened on Wednesday. A flag-raising ceremony took place in the morning, in which the UN and Malaysian flags were hoisted outside the meeting venue at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC). After a joint opening plenary, the Women’s Assembly, Business Assembly and the Children and Youth Assembly met in parallel throughout the day to discuss actions to advance the implementation of the New Urban Agenda (NUA) and Sustainable Development Goal 11 (SDG 11) on cities. Noh Omar, Minister of Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government, Malaysia, noted that more than 50% of the world’s population now lives in urban areas, and urged all to play their roles in making cities safe, inclusive, sustainable and prosperous. Maimunah Mohd Sharif, Executive Director of UN-Habitat, welcomed delegates to WUF9, which is taking place in her home country. Opening the Assemblies, she stressed the NUA’s emphasis on inclusivity, and underscored UN-Habitat’s role as the focal point for its global implementation. IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB+ Meeting Coverage, is providing daily web highlights, daily reports, and will produce a summary report from WUF9. Photos by IISD/ENB For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page Maimunah Mohd Sharif, Executive Director, UN-Habitat, arrives at flag raising Music of bagpipes and drums at the flag-raising ceremony