Participants at the 11th sessions of United Nations Forum on Forests are being urged to “strengthen the global political commitment to sustainably manage one of the planet's most cherished resources,” says a media release issued by the UN.
Running from 5 to 15 May, the Forum has the theme of Forests: progress, challenges and the way forward for the International Arrangement on Forests.
"The sustainable management of forests - in partnership with those who live in the forest regions - will be critical for meeting our ambition to eradicate poverty," said Jan Eliasson, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, as he opened the session.
Eliasson stressed the need for the forest sector to be integrated in the sustainable development agenda at local, national, regional and international levels, with the broad participation of indigenous and local communities, and civil society groups, which possessed forest-related knowledge. In particular, he highlighted how women’s role in forests must be recognized and their participation in decision-making ensured.
Peter Holmgren, Director General of the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), who also spoke on behalf of the World Agroforestry Centre made a joint presentation with Alexander Buck of the International Union of Forest Research Organizations. The emphasized the need for “a strengthened scince policy interface for the International Arrangement on Forests.
Read the media release on Noodls: Time to Be ‘Bold, Collaborative and Decisive’ in Elevating Forests in New Development Agenda, Forum Told as Two-Week Session Opens
Find out more about the UN Forum on Forests
