Adopting Four Drafts, General Assembly Declares 2027-2036 UN Decade for Afforestation and Reforestation, Encourages Greater Cooperation with Council of Europe
With the adoption of two draft resolutions today, the General Assembly moved to foster sustainable forest management around the world by proclaiming 2027–2036 as the United Nations Decade for Afforestation and Reforestation and bolstered cooperation between the United Nations and the Council of Europe.
Its approval of a draft decision allowed 38 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to participate in the Organization’s fourth International Conference on Financing for Development in June.
Introducing the resolution on the UN Decade for Afforestation and Reforestation in line with sustainable forest Management (document A/79/L.64) — adopted by a recorded vote of 155 in favour to 1 against (United States), with no abstentions — Congo’s delegate said forests need protection and replenishment as the planet loses 10 million hectares of forests each year while the world population increases.
The text aims to address the environmental and economic problems created by deforestation, an issue that transcends national situations and impacts people everywhere. The creation of a decade will help mobilize action at all government levels to stop the loss of forest cover around the world. It also invites the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and the secretariat of the United Nations Forum on Forests to contribute their expertise and celebrate this decade. It will be funded by voluntary contributions.
Speakers Unanimously Support Sustainable Forest Management, Yet Some Raise Concerns over Cost to Implement UN Decade
Before the vote, the United States’ representative said that while Washington, D.C., strongly supports sensible environmental protections, including efforts to sustainably manage forests, the text contains problematic elements that prompted his delegation to call for a vote. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals advance a programme of soft global governance that is inconsistent with his country’s sovereignty. “The United States will no longer reaffirm them as a matter of course,” he said. Nor will it ignore threats to its own natural environment. The text also makes references to the Paris Agreement on climate change, to which the United States has provided notification of its withdrawal. His delegation is also concerned with the proliferation of international days, years and decades, he said, stressing any costs arising from the resolution must be voluntary.
After the vote, Poland’s representative, speaking for the European Union, in its capacity as observer, regretted consensus could not be reached despite remarkable efforts made during negotiations. It is crucial to sustain collective efforts under the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration and adopt a holistic approach to ecosystem conservation. Stressing the important role forests play in the fight against biodiversity loss and climate change, she reaffirmed the fundamental importance of the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement to discussion related to forests. “We therefore wish to reaffirm our unwavering commitment to ensuring that the health, vitality and resilience of forests and other ecosystems remain a global priority, recognizing also their essential role in achieving a sustainable and climate-resilient future for all,” she said.
The representative of Peru said that as the ninth-largest country in terms of forest cover, his country recognizes how important forests are to combat climate change. The costs of this Decade should be covered by voluntary contributions, any compulsory financing should be avoided and the Decade’s practicality should be analysed. Despite its reservations, his delegation voted in favour of the resolution to support the environment, he said, stressing the text should not carry any financial burdens or duplicate existing efforts.
Cooperation between United Nations and Council of Europe
The Assembly also adopted the draft resolution “Cooperation between the United Nations and the Council of Europe” (document A/79/L.75) by a vote of 105 in favour to 9 against (Belarus, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Eritrea, Mali, Nicaragua, Niger, Russian Federation, Sudan, United States), with 33 abstentions.
Introducing the text, the speaker for Luxembourg, which holds the current chair of the Council’s Committee of Ministers, said this biennial resolution, first adopted at the Assembly’s fifty-fifth session in 2000, has traditionally been adopted by consensus. He regretted that language used for many years, including on gender, was questioned during consultations. The draft is a balanced compromise to ensure most delegations’ support. He acknowledged, however, that several paragraphs referencing the aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine were problematic for one delegation. Yet those references are a significant part of cooperation between the UN and the Council of Europe.
Several Speakers Take Issue with Language in Text
Explaining her vote before the vote, the Russian Federation’s representative said her delegation cannot support the text in its current form. Two years ago, the resolution’s authors took a different path and included inappropriate politicized formulations, particularly preambular paragraphs 9 and 11, as well as operative paragraphs 5 and 17. “The Council of Europe has become a platform for promoting pseudo-legal, legally null and void initiatives, such as the so-called Register of Damage Caused by Aggression,” she added.
After the vote, the United States’ delegate said that as an observer State to the Council, it valued the body’s work to promote and protect human rights, advance democracy and promote the rule of law. The UN aims for the peaceful settlement of disputes yet the resolution repeats statements that are unhelpful to advance the pursuit of peace. His delegation hopes the Council and UN Member States will support efforts to achieve a comprehensive and lasting peace between Ukraine and the Russian Federation.
He also took this opportunity to denounce the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration and Global Compact on Refugees. Both conflict with United States policy and the common-sense duty to curtail, rather than facilitate, the inherently destabilizing phenomena of mass migration, “arguably the defining challenge of this century”. The increase in migration worldwide undermines the rule of law and social cohesion. “For too long American communities have paid the price,” he said. The United States stands ready to lead the international community and forge new norms on migration.
The representative of Hungary said that as a Council member, his delegation voted for the resolution; it is dedicated to human rights commitments and opposed to illegal migration. His counterpart from Senegal supported greater cooperation between the Council and the UN. He said the concept of gender and terms associated with it refer only to social relations between men and women, and dissociated his delegation from all language in the text that runs counter to this understanding, including “multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination”; “all women and girls”; “all human rights and fundamental freedoms”; “gender-responsive societies”; “significant contribution” in operative paragraph 19; and “recognizes the Council of Europe youth sector strategy 2030”.
The representative of Viet Nam said her delegation supports cooperation between the UN and regional bodies. Yet it felt preambular paragraphs 9 and 11 and operating paragraphs 5 and 17 fall outside the scope of cooperation between the UN and the Council. Iran’s speaker, noting the UN Charter recognizes the importance of cooperation with regional organizations, said his delegation does not support language that violates the sovereignty of States and creates legal uncertainty.
Assembly Approves Participation of External Stakeholders in Upcoming Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development
The Assembly also adopted the draft decision “Participation of non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations, academic institutions and the private sector in the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development” (document A/79/L.72), as amended, without a vote.
Prior to its adoption, the Assembly adopted by a vote of 72 in favour to 13 against, with 49 abstentions, an eponymously named amendment (document A/79/L.77) to re-include 38 civil society organizations in the annex to the draft decision. Introducing the amendment, Poland’s representative, speaking for the European Union, said the potential exclusion of relevant stakeholders — already approved by the General Assembly President and meeting criteria laid down by the NGO Committee — should be the Assembly’s decision. “It is not acceptable for individual Member States to ‘veto’ certain organizations,” she said. The amendment re-included the excluded organizations, which submitted relevant and legitimate requests to participate, but were rejected by individual Member States — without any rationale, or worse, for purely political reasons, she explained.
She stressed the need to ensure inclusive, transparent intergovernmental processes that are open to all stakeholders, including civil society, academic institutions and the private sector. This applies to the Conference. “This is especially welcome given the complex and multifaceted nature of the topic of financing for development and the need to mobilize all of society to deliver on this important agenda,” she said.
Likewise, the United Kingdom’s delegate said the participation of civil society members enhances discussion and transparency is crucial. He regretted that some Member States used a non-objective basis to veto the participation of some NGOs and they did not provide any reason for their objections. Moreover, the the Financing for Development Conference has a strong history of civil society participation. “They are our eyes and ears on the ground,” he said, adding their input is critical. Echoing this sentiment, Switzerland’s representative said civil society participation guarantees open and informed discussions.
Several Delegates Object to Inclusion of Certain Organizations
Yet the Russian Federation’s delegate pointed to contradictions in language regarding NGOs’ participation in the Organization’s international conferences. He said patrons who finance the destructive activities of certain NGOs, having supported the amendment, are trying to upset the balance in the financing for development debate. Speaking before the vote, he asked that Member States support the UN Charter and vote against the proposed amendment.
Explaining his position after the adoption, Iran’s speaker said the Conference is very important for developing countries and the role played by NGOs enhances public participation. Yet he regretted the organizations included in the amendment do not have a substantial link to financing for development and he could not support a vote for the amendment.
Türkiye’s representative said her delegation wants to promote the inclusion of NGOs, academics and the private sector in the Organization’s meetings. Yet it cannot agree with attempts to violate the non-objection principle and cannot support NGOs that run counter to UN principles and engage in political acts against some Member States. She questioned how the amendment’s supporters justified the decision to include 38 organizations, out of a total of 50, on the list. “The amendment is a political one, not a technical one,” she said.