International Conference on Timber Plantation Development
Many of the world's leading experts on forest plantation development were among the 75 participants from 16 countries and five international organizations that participated in an International Conference on Timber Plantation Development, held from 7 to 9 November 2000 in Manila, the Philippines. The conference was organized jointly by the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO), FAO and the Philippines Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
FAO/11153/J/4 |
The conference was organized in order to discuss, share and synthesize lessons learned from various countries from their experiences in developing timber plantations. The specific objectives of the conference were to:
Presentations covered a broad range of topics, including policy matters, financing, incentives, supply and demand scenarios, management issues, long-term productivity and sustainability (including certification and reduced-impact harvesting issues). Although the range of presentations was ambitious, the high quality of the papers and the presentations ensured that the conference was very useful, particularly for policy-makers dealing with plantation issues.
Among the basic conclusions of the conference was a recognition that successful plantation development is highly dependent on a favourable policy and investment climate coupled with sound technical plantation management. While such a conclusion appears fundamental, there was a remarkable level of debate on such policy matters as liberalization of trade and investment and secure land and resource tenure.
It is expected that proceedings of the conference will be published and disseminated in 2001.
United Nations Forum on Forests: a progress report
The organizational session of the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF) and informal consultations on UNFF's multi-year programme of work were held at UN headquarters in New York from 12 to 16 February 2001. The organizational session elected the UNFF Bureau, agreed to the duration of Bureau members' terms (one year), determined the location of the UNFF Secretariat (New York) and set the venues for the forum sessions. The first and fifth substantive sessions of the UNFF will be held in New York, and the three intervening sessions will be held in Geneva, Switzerland, and San José, Costa Rica. The meeting also addressed progress towards the establishment of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF).
Hosny El Lakany, Assistant Director-General of the FAO Forestry Department, speaking on behalf of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Forests (ITFF), informed delegates of progress towards the establishment of the CPF. It was suggested that the CPF operate as a high-level, informal and manageable body, with membership limited to approximately 12 international forest-related organizations. Other bodies, such as non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and regional organizations, would contribute as appropriate. Participants expressed the hope that it be an action-oriented body that focuses on implementation.
During the informal consultations on the multi-year programme of work, delegates exchanged views on the following programme elements:
The informal consultations also addressed the review of the international arrangement on forests to be undertaken in five years.
The first substantive session of UNFF is scheduled for 11 to 22 June 2001 at UN headquarters in New York.
Central African forestry ministers set Yaoundé declaration into action
The First Conference of Ministers in Charge of Forests in Central Africa was held in Yaoundé, Cameroon from 4 to 7 December 2000. The objective was to put into action the Yaoundé Summit Declaration on Forests of 19 March 1999, on the basis of a "Convergence plan" (Plan de convergence) prepared by a meeting of forestry experts convened from 26 to 30 September 2000.
Countries present included the following members of the Yaoundé Process: Cameroon, the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Chad and the Central African Republic. The Democratic Republic of the Congo was the only absent member of the Yaoundé Process. Angola and Sao Tome and Principe were present as observers. Burundi and Rwanda have expressed interest in joining the Process. Also present were representatives of five bilateral donors (Canada, Germany, France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom), eight international organizations (including FAO), several international NGOs, and forest industry representatives.
The Convergence Plan constitutes a platform of priority actions for the implementation of the Yaoundé declaration. It addresses:
Activities and projects integrated in the plan will be translated into a Subregional Priority Action Programme aimed at catalysing subregional cooperation in sustainable forestry development.
For the areas addressed, the Conference of Ministers identified key measures to be adopted at the national level and jointly at the subregional level. Indicators of performance and potential national and international partners were also suggested for each level.
The ministers decided that the Ministerial Conference on Dense and Humid Forest Ecosystems of Central Africa (CEFDHAC), restructured with a clear organizational framework and legal status, would be the most appropriate institution for implementation of the Yaoundé declaration. The involvement of this body would also bring other countries such as Angola, Burundi and Rwanda into the process. It was agreed to commission a study regarding the most appropriate funding mechanism.
South Africa chosen to host Earth Summit 2002
The second Committee of the UN General Assembly on Rio+10 has announced that the conference marking the tenth anniversary of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 1992) will be entitled "World Summit on Sustainable Development". The meeting, which is expected to set the agenda for sustainable development and the environment for the following ten years, will be held in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2002.
South African officials hope that holding this major conference in South Africa will raise the prominence of issues and debates related to forest protection, clean water and other crucial environmental and sustainability issues on African agendas.
The tenth session of the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD10) will function as the preparatory committee for the World Summit on Sustainable Development. Four preparatory committee sessions will be held: from 30 April to 2 May 2001, in late January 2002 and in mid-March 2002, all in New York; and in mid-May 2002, in Indonesia. This last preparatory session will be at the ministerial level.
