 | Parts of this article (those related to United Nations forest instrument) need to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(November 2019) |
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| Abbreviation | UNFF |
|---|---|
| Formation | 18 October 2000; 25 years ago (2000-10-18) |
| Type | Intergovernmental organization,Regulatory body,Advisory board |
| Legal status | Active |
| Headquarters | New York, US |
Head | Chair of the UN Forum on Forests Kitty Sweeb,UNFF Secretariat Director  Juliette Biao Koudenoukpo |
Parent organization | United Nations Economic and Social Council |
| Website | UNFF at un.org |
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TheUnited Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF) is a high-level intergovernmental policy forum. The forum includes allUnited Nations member states and permanent observers, the UNFF Secretariat, the Collaborative Partnership on Forests, Regional Organizations and Processes and Major Groups.
In 1992, theUnited Nations Conference on Environment and Development, ("Earth Summit") held inRio de Janeiro, adopted theNon-legally Binding Authoritative Statement of Principles for a Global Consensus on the Management, Conservation and Sustainable Development of All Types of Forests (Forest Principles) together withAgenda 21, which included a chapter (Chapter 11) on "Combating Deforestation".
Following the Earth Summit, the UN established the Intergovernmental Panel on Forests (IPF) and its successor, the Intergovernmental Forum on Forests (IFF), to implement theForest Principles and Chapter 11 ofAgenda 21. From 1995 to 2000, the IPF/IFF processes dealt with such issues as underlying causes ofdeforestation; traditional forest-related knowledge; international cooperation in financial assistance andtechnology transfer; development ofcriteria and indicators for sustainable forest management; and trade and environment. The IPF/IFF processes resulted in a set of 270 proposals for action for the promotion of the management,conservation andsustainable development of all types of forests.
In 2000, theUnited NationsEconomic and Social Council (ECOSOC) established the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF) with the main objective to promote "… the management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests and to strengthen long-term political commitment to this end…" based on theRio Declaration, theForest Principles, Chapter 11 ofAgenda 21 and the outcome of the IPF/IFF Processes and other key milestones of international forest policy...
The UN Strategic Plan for Forest (2017–2030) has adopted a set of six Global Forest Goals and 26 associated targets to be reached by 2030, which are voluntary and universal.
Goal 1: Reverse the loss of forest cover worldwide through sustainable forest management, including protection, restoration, afforestation and reforestation, and increase efforts to prevent forest degradation and contribute to the global effort of addressing climate change
Goal 2: Enhance forest-based economic, social and environmental benefits, including by improving the livelihoods of forest-dependent people
Goal 3: Increase significantly the area of protected forests worldwide and other areas of sustainably managed forests, as well as the proportion of forest products from sustainably managed forests
Goal 4: Mobilize significantly increased, new and additional financial resources from all sources for the implementation of sustainable forest management and strengthen scientific and technical cooperation and partnerships
Goal 5: Promote governance frameworks to implement sustainable forest management, including through the United Nations forest instrument, and enhance the contribution of forests to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
Goal 6: Enhance cooperation, coordination, coherence and synergies on forest-related issues at all levels, including within the United Nations system and across member organizations of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests, as well as across sectors and relevant stakeholders
On December 17, 2007, the UN General Assembly adopted theNon-Legally Binding Instrument on All Types of Forests negotiated by the UNFF earlier that year. The purpose of this instrument is:
On December 22, 2015, the UN General Assembly renamed the instrument to theUnited Nations Forest Instrument though the content of the instrument did not change. The UN General Assembly also extended the objectives outlined in the global objectives to 2030, in line with the 2030 Agenda For Sustainable Development.[1]
The Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF), a grouping of 15 forest-related international organizations, institutions and convention secretariats, was established in April 2001, following the recommendation of theEconomic and Social Council of theUnited Nations. The CPF works to support the work of the UNFF and its member countries and to foster increased cooperation and coordination on forests.[2]
In 2012, the Collaborative Partnership on Forests launched the Wangari Maathai Forest Champion Award to honour the life and work of Nobel Peace Prize laureateWangari Maathai.
Winners include:
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