FOURTH SESSION OF UN FORUM ON FORESTS CONCLUDES

FOURTH SESSION OF UN FORUM ON FORESTS CONCLUDES

Session Saw Increased Participation from Developing

Countries, Major Groups Such as Indigenous People, Youth, Women

(Reissued as received.)

GENEVA, 14 May (UN Information Services) -- The fourth session of the United Nations Forum on Forests concluded today at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.  The session, which saw increased representation and participation from developing countries and major groups such as indigenous people, youth and women, marked the beginning of the review process of the international arrangement on forests to be considered at the fifth session.

Forests remain a critical issue in the global environmental and development agenda.  Not only are forests vital for the maintenance of ecological balance and biological diversity, they are equally important for the livelihoods of people, especially the world’s poor.  Forests are a source of food, energy, shelter, medicine, commerce, and spiritual well-being.  Demands on forests often transcend political boundaries creating a need for regional and global dialogue for cooperation and collective action.  For the past four years, the United Nations Forum on Forests has provided the international community with a forum where these issues have been deliberated.

The two-week session, which began on 3 May, considered social and cultural aspects of forests; traditional and scientific forest-related knowledge; and monitoring, assessment and reporting and criteria and indicators of sustainable forest management.  In addition, governments addressed enhanced cooperation, including among members of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests, a partnership of 14 international organizations, instruments and institutions which supports the Forum.

The two-day multi-stakeholder dialogue between government representatives and major groups witnessed an increase in enthusiasm and participation.  Close to 150 major groups attended the dialogue.  Participants focused on property rights, clear tenure systems, and fair and balanced sharing of benefits.

As part of the fourth session, three panel discussions highlighting the role of sustainable forest management in rural development and poverty eradication in Africa and small island developing States, and the role of forests in achieving the Millennium Development Goals were held.  Highlighting the many threats facing African forests, such as loss of forest cover and land degradation and their impact on the region’s ecology, economy and the social fabric on far too many countries in the continent, the discussions added a new dimension to the work of the Forum.

For more information contact:  Pekka Patosaari Coordinator and Head, United Nations Forum on Forests, tel.: (212) 963-3160, e-mail: patosaari@un.org; or Njeri Kariuki in the United Nations Forum on Forests, tel.: (917) 367-6048, e-mail: kariuki@un.org.

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