FAO at the 16th session of the United Nations Forum on Forests
Hybrid Event, 26/04/2021 - 30/04/2021
The United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF), was established in October 2000, by the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. It is a subsidiary body with the main objective to promote the management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests and to strengthen long-term political commitment to this end. It is based on the Rio Declaration, the Forest Principles, Chapter 11 of Agenda 21 and the outcome of the IPF/IFF Processes and other key milestones of international forest policy.
The 16th session of the Forum will be held from 26-30 April 2021 at the UN Headquarters in New York.
Dedicated flyer on FAO at the UNFF.
HIGH-LEVEL OPENING SEGMENT
Emerging issues: Impact of COVID-19 on forests and forest sector
Monday, 26 April 2021
9:00 am – 11:00 am EDT (New York time)
19:30 – 20:45 CEST (Rome time)
*FAO Director-General, QU Dongyu, to participate
Forest provides multiple socio-economic and environmental services and have huge potential to address global crises. An estimated 23% of total anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions (2007-2016) derive from agriculture, forestry and other land use. Around 2.4 billion people – one-third of the world’s population – still rely on wood fuel to meet their basic energy needs. Forests are home to 80% of global biodiversity in terrestrial ecosystems. Forests and mountains provide 75% of freshwater resources. The main objective of the HLRT is to provide an opportunity for senior officials from governments, United Nations entities and other international organizations, as well as representatives from the private sector, industries, and civil society to discuss the most effective policies and actions for curbing current global crises.
Concept note
Launch of the UN Forum on Forests Flagship publication on the Global Forest Goals Report 2021
Monday, 26 April 2021
11:15 am – 12:05 pm EDT (New York time)
17:15 – 18:05 CEST (Rome time)
*FAO Deputy Director-General, Maria Helena Semedo, to participate
The “Global Forest Goals Report 2021” is the first flagship publication produced by the UN Forum on Forests Secretariat of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs. The publication presents an overview of progress towards achieving the Global Forest Goals and associated targets of the Strategic Plan. The launch event will be opened through senior UN officials, followed by a panel discussion.
Concept note
SIDE EVENTS with FAO engagement
Promoting forests as the force in a green and resilient recovery: Building momentum for the XV World Forestry Congress
Organizers: World Forestry Congress Secretariat of FAO and Korea Forest Service
Monday, 26 April 2021
1:30 pm – 2:45 pm EDT (New York time)
19:30 – 20:45 CEST (Rome time)
This side event serves as an opportunity for stakeholders to provide feedback and inputs to the main programme of the XV World Forestry Congress (WFC), which will be held from 2– 6 May 2022 in Seoul, Republic of Korea. The event aims to share key information about the XV World Forestry Congress preparatory process and engage stakeholders to discuss the main challenges faced by the forest sector in a post-COVID-19 era, and explore the ways in which the WFC can be an innovative forum to bring stakeholders together to address these challenges, leverage partnerships and promote forests as a central pillar in global and national recovery efforts. The event will take the format of a moderated panel discussion.
More information
Forest, trees and eradication of poverty: A GFEP global assessment report
Organizer: International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO)
Monday, 26 April 2021
1:30 pm – 2:45 pm EDT (New York time)
19:30 – 20:45 CEST (Rome time)
This webinar will share the outcomes and key messages of this global assessment report. The speakers will present available scientific evidence on the wide range of contributions that forests and trees make to curbing poverty and on the effectiveness of diverse forest management policies, programs, technologies, and strategies. The event will also give an exclusive early insight into an upcoming GFEP policy brief, Forests, Trees and Poverty Alleviation in Africa: An Expanded Policy Brief.
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Mountain Forests' Restoration: a path to recovered, resilient and sustainable mountain countries and communities
Organizers: Permanent Mission of Kyrgyzstan to the UN and the Group of Friends of Mountainous Countries
Monday, 26 April 2021
1:30 pm – 2:45 pm EDT (New York time)
19:30 – 20:45 CEST (Rome time)
This side event aims to foster fruitful discussions between mountainous Member States and other relevant stakeholders on how to contribute to the protection of mountain forests and the sustainable use of their resources, to assist mountainous Member States and local communities in building resilient economies and societies for sustainable development in order to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Concept note | Agenda
Turning the tide on deforestation
Organizer: Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF)
Tuesday, 27 April 2021
1:30 pm – 2:45 pm EDT (New York time)
19:30 – 20:45 CEST (Rome time)
The Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF) will launch its Joint Statement on Challenges and Opportunities in Turning the Tide on Deforestation, which presents sound scienti c facts and figures around the status of deforestation and the multidimensional services provided by forests. While the statement highlights the main challenges and opportunities of halting deforestation, it aims to facilitate informed global dialogue.
Leading up to the launch of the UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration and pushing the Decade of Action, this side event will raise momentum for Turning the Tide on Deforestation.
More information | Register
Forest information serving policy-making at all levels
Organizer: Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Finland
Wednesday, 28 April 2021
1:30 pm – 2:45 pm EDT (New York time)
19:30 – 20:45 CEST (Rome time)
The purpose of the side event is to highlight the importance reliable forest-related information in policy-making at all levels. Finland’s National Forest Inventory is celebrating its first century, which makes this side event particularly timely. Finland also shares its experience in supporting forest information through development policy. Lastly, the global picture is presented by FAO.
Improvement on the Global Forest Goals (GFGs) implementation: Streamlining forest-related reporting and developing methodology for measuring performance
Organizer: Asian Forest Cooperation Organization (AFoCO), National Institute of Forest Science of Korea (NIFoS)
Wednesday, 28 April 2021
1:30 pm – 2:45 pm EDT (New York time)
19:30 – 20:45 CEST (Rome time)
The Side Event will reiterate the contributions of forest and forestry for SDGs and the importance of enhancing such contribution particularly for the next 10 years. The Side Event will explore the ways AFoCO Parties to engage in testing the global core set of forest-related indicators.
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The Restoration Factory: A business accelerator to achieve the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration Goals
Organizers: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and UN Environment Programme (UNEP)
Thursday, 29 April 2021
1:30 pm – 2:45 pm EDT (New York time)
19:30 – 20:45 CEST (Rome time)
The Restoration Factory is an e-learning programme developed by UNEP, FAO and IUCN that supports entrepreneurs in the development of enticing business models for restoration. This side event will showcase the ways in which this programme can harness the expertise of a community of private sector mentors who are committed to guiding mentees through each step of their business discovery journey. The programme borrows concepts and notions from some of the world’s best business development curriculums, including the MIT’s disciplined entrepreneur method. Moreover, the participants will hear about the latest developments and plans for the official launch of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.
Concept note | More information
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