FINLAND, UN TO SIGN FORESTRY PACT ON 4 DECEMBER

Note to Correspondents

FINLAND, UN TO SIGN FORESTRY PACT ON 4 DECEMBER

On Thursday, 4 December, at 9:30 a.m., the Government of Finland will sign an agreement with the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF), Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) for a project in support of sustainable forest management.

Attending a signatory ceremony will be José Antonio Ocampo, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs; Marjatta Rasi, the Permanent Representative of Finland to the United Nations; and Pekka Patosaari, Coordinator and Head of the UNFF Secretariat.  According to the agreement, Finland has pledged a grant of €200,000 (approx $234,000) to the United Nations Forum on Forests to help boost sustainable forest management practices and interregional cooperation.  The ceremony will take place in the office of the Under-Secretary-General.

The United Nations Forum on Forests serves as a key intergovernmental mechanism to facilitate and coordinate the implementation of sustainable forest management at national, regional and global levels.  It helps build and strengthen regional and interregional partnerships, information exchanges and cooperation.  The Forum plays a pivotal role in identifying experiences, challenges and lessons learned and facilitating the spread of best practices in sustainable forestry management.  Through its research and analysis, it also highlights weaknesses and recommends corrective strategies and action.

For more information, contact:  Pekka Patosaari, Coordinator and Head, UNFF, tel:  (212) 963-3160, e-mail:  patosaari@un.org; or Njeri Kariuki tel: 

(917) 367-6048, e-mail:  kariuki@un.org; or Vivienne Heston-Demirel in the Department of Public Information, tel:  (212) 963-2932, e-mail: 

heston-demirel@un.org.

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