Collaborative Partnership on Forests

Laos©FAO/Souksavath Bounthan

Organization-Led Inititative on the Development of Global Forest Indicators

The purpose of the Organization-Led Initiative (OLI) was to enable an open, informal, transparent and informed discussion on a common and concise set of global forest indicators supporting the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the UNFF Strategic Plan of the International Arrangement on Forests (IAF). The outcome of the OLI also contributed to further streamlining global reporting on forests, including the ongoing work under UNFF on streamlined monitoring, assessment and reporting on the implementation of the UN Forest Instrument and its GOFs, as well as the forest related SDGs and targets.

The meeting was held from 28-30 November 2016 at FAO Headquarters, Rome, Italy. The main objectives were:

  • to propose a common and concise set of global indicators for monitoring progress in achieving the forest-related targets of the SDGs and relevant goals and targets of other forest-related global processes;
  • to provide inputs to the development of a proposal on cycle and format for reporting;
  • to provide inputs and guidance to the process of developing FRA 2020 in order to ensure its continued relevance as a global source of forest information.

The OLI was a joint effort of all members of the Partnership. FAO, ITTO, UNCCDS and UNFFS are serving as the Steering Committee for the event.

Participation

The OLI was open to all Member States, CPF members, representatives of international and regional organizations/processes, UN system organizations/agencies/programmes/commissions, other relevant entities and processes, including criteria and indicators processes, major groups and other interested stakeholders. 

Outcome of the OLI

The outcomes of the OLI are directly relevant for the implementation of ECOSOC Resolution 2015/33, in particular supporting the implementation of the IAF Strategic Plan 2017-2030 and monitoring of progress made on the implementation of the UN Forest Instrument, its GOFs and the SDGs.

Online consultation on the development of a Global Core Set of forest-related indicators

An online consultation was held in May 2017 in partnership with the Global Forum on Food Security and Nutrition (FSN).  The consultation provided a platform to enrich the discussion on the development of a Global Core Set (GCS) of forest-related indicators. Following a number of informal meetings, an international expert workshop in Ottawa, and the organisation-led initiative (OLI) in Rome, a task force under the CPF prepared a proposal for a GSC that simplifies and harmonizes concepts and terminology.  Inputs from the consultation were analysed at an Expert Consultation in June 2017, and used to further develop the GCS.

All the information is available on the FSN forum in English, French and Spanish, together with the contributions already submitted.