CPF Task Force on Streamlining Forest-related Reporting

The mandate of the CPF Task Force is provided in the resolutions of UNFF as follows:

  • UNFF "further requests the CPF and its member organizations to: reduce duplication in the reports required from countries by its member organizations".
  • UNFF "invites CPF members to streamline reporting requests and, to extent possible, to synchronize their reporting cycles so as to reduce reporting burden on countries".

The objective of the CPF Task Force is:

    to propose ways to reduce the forest-related reporting burden, for example, through reducing and streamlining reporting requests, synchronizing reporting cycles, harmonizing data collection methods and increasing data comparability and compatibility, and facilitating the accessibility and flows of existing information.

The purpose of this work is also to guide ongoing international processes by sharing experiences and lessons learned on different reporting frameworks and by seeking possibilities for common approaches for data and information collection, storage and reporting by international organizations.

In the longer term, the work aims to contribute to better information management system(s), whereby data and information will be more easily accessible and widely available, and in which the information could eventually be inserted and updated by countries themselves.

Activities and tasks

  1. To identify gaps and overlaps in current national reporting of forest data and information for regional and global purposes and provide a review and comparison of forest-related reporting requirements of various international organizations, agreements and bodies.
  2. To propose practical approaches and means for harmonizing and streamlining reporting by countries, including the contents, frequency and timing:
    • proposing better coordinated or reduced reporting and/or a common core national reporting framework for forest related information (e.g, for UNFF and CBD, for criteria and indicator processes etc.);
    • exploring feasibility of a core set of forest information;
    • seeking possibilities to use common indicators for reporting.
  3. To seek practical, widespread and modern solutions to manage forest-related information and to make forest-related information and reports easily accessible:
    • seeking ways to improve information storage and retrieval systems, which make data and information more easily accessible;
    • seeking possibilities for integrated or interlinked information management system(s) among CPF members (e.g. a website) with a view to facilitating reporting on forests to international agreements and fora, improving knowledge of work undertaken on forests, and to improving coordination.
  4. To propose means and ways to enhance country capacity to provide information.
The work of the Task Force will be closely linked with and will draw upon related ongoing efforts.
The Task Force was established in July 2002.

See the Terms of Reference  of the Task Force for more details.


Last updated: april 2006