Forests are essential to humanity's future, Collaborative Partnership on Forests tells UNFF21
©UN DESA
13/05/2026
New York – The world loses 11 million hectares of forest every year to deforestation, while a further 168 million hectares are affected annually by wildfires, pests and diseases. Against this backdrop, the Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF) set out its contributions to reversing forest loss and strengthening sustainable forest management, addressing the 21st session of the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF21) in New York this week.
Delivering the CPF's joint statement on behalf of its 16 member organizations on Monday, CPF Chair Zhimin Wu – who is also Assistant Director-General and Forestry Director of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – underscored that forests remain under intensifying pressure but nonetheless pointed to clear momentum for change.
"Forests are not only part of the solution. They are essential to our shared future," said Wu, citing a range of initiatives gaining traction – from the UNFCCC COP30 Presidency Roadmap for halting and reversing deforestation and forest degradation by 2030, to the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration and the Tropical Forest Forever Facility.
Contributions to the Global Forest Goals
The CPF statement highlighted progress by the Partnership towards the Global Forest Goals. In regard to reversing forest loss (Goal 1), global net loss has fallen from 10.7 million hectares per decade in the 1990s to 4.12 million hectares in 2015–2025. CPF members are scaling up practical solutions to reducing forest loss through the Global Fire Management Hub and related platforms, while working to strengthen the protection of primary forests as irreplaceable stores of biodiversity and carbon.
In relation to increasing the area of sustainably managed forests (Goal 3), around 20 percent of the world's forests now fall within legally designated protected areas – an increase of 251 million hectares since 1990 – and more than half are covered by management plans. The CPF is also helping countries advance sustainable forest-based bioeconomy approaches, including through the Country and Organization Led Initiative on Sustainable Forest-based Bioeconomy Approaches and its recent Vienna Summit.
Concerning forest governance (Goal 5), the CPF is supporting countries with integrated, cross-sectoral policy approaches, including through country-level workshops in Mozambique, United Republic of Tanzania and Zambia, while advancing a global core set of forest-related indicators to strengthen coordination, reporting and data-sharing and support decision-making and sound policies.
“As a dynamic partnership that responds to the emerging priorities of Member States, the CPF is focused on delivering practical and impactful support where it is needed most,” Wu said.
International Arrangement on Forests and IDF 2027 theme
On Tuesday the CPF Chair Wu also addressed the Forum's initial discussions on the 2030 final review of the International Arrangement on Forests, the UN’s overarching framework for global forest policy and cooperation. Wu reaffirmed that the CPF stands ready to support an inclusive, evidence-based and Member State-driven process – including through technical inputs, intersessional consultations and a dedicated Organization-led Initiative.
The CPF brings together 16 international organizations committed to promoting the management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests.
It is also responsible for selecting the annual theme for the International Day of Forests (IDF). The 2027 theme, announced on Monday, is “Growing forests for a sustainable future: advancing afforestation and reforestation”, in step with the United Nations Decade for Afforestation and Reforestation (2027-2036) that will launch next year.
Delivering the CPF's joint statement on behalf of its 16 member organizations on Monday, CPF Chair Zhimin Wu – who is also Assistant Director-General and Forestry Director of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – underscored that forests remain under intensifying pressure but nonetheless pointed to clear momentum for change.
"Forests are not only part of the solution. They are essential to our shared future," said Wu, citing a range of initiatives gaining traction – from the UNFCCC COP30 Presidency Roadmap for halting and reversing deforestation and forest degradation by 2030, to the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration and the Tropical Forest Forever Facility.
Contributions to the Global Forest Goals
The CPF statement highlighted progress by the Partnership towards the Global Forest Goals. In regard to reversing forest loss (Goal 1), global net loss has fallen from 10.7 million hectares per decade in the 1990s to 4.12 million hectares in 2015–2025. CPF members are scaling up practical solutions to reducing forest loss through the Global Fire Management Hub and related platforms, while working to strengthen the protection of primary forests as irreplaceable stores of biodiversity and carbon.
In relation to increasing the area of sustainably managed forests (Goal 3), around 20 percent of the world's forests now fall within legally designated protected areas – an increase of 251 million hectares since 1990 – and more than half are covered by management plans. The CPF is also helping countries advance sustainable forest-based bioeconomy approaches, including through the Country and Organization Led Initiative on Sustainable Forest-based Bioeconomy Approaches and its recent Vienna Summit.
Concerning forest governance (Goal 5), the CPF is supporting countries with integrated, cross-sectoral policy approaches, including through country-level workshops in Mozambique, United Republic of Tanzania and Zambia, while advancing a global core set of forest-related indicators to strengthen coordination, reporting and data-sharing and support decision-making and sound policies.
“As a dynamic partnership that responds to the emerging priorities of Member States, the CPF is focused on delivering practical and impactful support where it is needed most,” Wu said.
International Arrangement on Forests and IDF 2027 theme
On Tuesday the CPF Chair Wu also addressed the Forum's initial discussions on the 2030 final review of the International Arrangement on Forests, the UN’s overarching framework for global forest policy and cooperation. Wu reaffirmed that the CPF stands ready to support an inclusive, evidence-based and Member State-driven process – including through technical inputs, intersessional consultations and a dedicated Organization-led Initiative.
The CPF brings together 16 international organizations committed to promoting the management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests.
It is also responsible for selecting the annual theme for the International Day of Forests (IDF). The 2027 theme, announced on Monday, is “Growing forests for a sustainable future: advancing afforestation and reforestation”, in step with the United Nations Decade for Afforestation and Reforestation (2027-2036) that will launch next year.