Meetings Coverage

As it concluded its ninth session this afternoon, the United Nations Forum on Forests strongly urged the international community to use the International Year of Forests, 2011, to raise awareness of the diverse benefits of woodlands to human life and to accelerate their sustainable management.

The Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations today recommended 13 civil society groups for consultative status in the work of the Economic and Social Council, while it postponed its consideration of 16 other applications.

As part of the ninth session of the United Nations Forum on Forests, more than 30 ministerial-level participants today committed themselves to better highlighting the vital role of forests in addressing complex challenges of economic and social development — in particular at the highest levels of the global agenda.

Overcoming nagging problems with its innovative but often-frustrating “Paperless Computer System”, the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations today, after reverting to traditional printed documentation, was able to recommend to the Economic and Social Council seven civil society groups for consultative status, while it postponed consideration of nine groups pending receipt of answers to questions posed.

Environmental experts and world leaders called today for the sustainable management of forests in the interest of human development as the United Nations Forum on Forests began its High-level Ministerial Segment by launching the International Year of Forests, 2011, which was followed by discussions on people-centred forestry and financing for forest communities.

The Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations today recommended eight organizations for special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council and postponed consideration of 19 applications. In other action, the Committee recommended that one non-governmental organization be reclassified as having special consultative status and that three organizations be reclassified as having general consultative status.

Meeting in plenary this afternoon, the United Nations Forum on Forests again facilitated the “cross-fertilization” of information between its two working groups, and assessed their respective progress.

During the second day of deliberations at its 2011 session, the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) recommended special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council for 17 organizations and roster status for one, while it postponed consideration of 39 other applications pending receipt of additional information from the civil society groups.

The Chairperson of the United Nations Forum on Forests introduced today the draft declaration expected from its upcoming ministerial segment and the draft omnibus resolution anticipated to form the main outcome of the current two-week session.

Recalling that civil society involvement in the 2010 Millennium Development Goals summit this past September had influenced the outcome of that gathering of world leaders, Nikhil Seth, Director, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, stressed time management in the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations as the key to coping with the increasing enthusiasm of such groups wishing to work more closely with the United Nations.