2019 Events

Date: 7-8 January

Organizer: UNFF Secretariat

Type: UNFF Events

Location: Bangkok, Thailand

This UNFFS expert group meeting is being held to enhance contributions of the regional and sub-regional partners to the implementation of the UN Strategic Plan for Forests 2030 (UNSPF) and the Quadrennial Programme of Work, and to prepare for the upcoming UNFF14 session in May 2019. Issues being discussed will include: regional and sub-regional partners’ contributions to the UNFF14 thematic priorities; regional and sub-regional contributions to the UNFF14 agenda item 6 on enhancing global forest policy coherence and a common understanding of sustainable forest management; exchange of ideas on the SDGs to be addressed by HLPF 2019 as they relate to the Global Forest Goals; and the periodicity, format and content of regional and sub-regional inputs to UNFF on progress made towards the achievement of the Global Forests Goals and targets of the UNSPF 2030.

Date: 9-11 January

Organizer: UNFF Secretariat

Type: UNFF Events

Location: New York, United States

The UNFF Secretariat/DESA is organising a three-day Expert Group Meeting on the Clearing House of the UNFF Global Forest Financing Facilitation Network (GFFFN). The main objective of the meeting is to discuss and identify the requirements, components and categories of information for the development of a comprehensive database on forest financing opportunities, taking into account the need to build on, and add value to, existing databases from CPF members and other sources.

Date: 9-11 January

Organizer: UNFF Secretariat

Type: UNFF Events

Location: Bangkok, Thailand

This UNFFS expert meeting is being held to review progress in implementation of the major groups workplans including acceleration in achieving of the global forest goals; major groups initiatives to accelerate the contributions of forests to achieving the SDGs under review by the HLPF in 2019; and to discuss civil society’s contribution to technical discussions on the three UNFF14 thematic priorities. The expert meeting will also discuss major groups’ contributions to the UNFF14 agenda item 6 on enhancing global forest policy coherence and a common understanding of sustainable forest management.

Date: 12-14 Feb

Organizer: UNFF

Type: UNFF Events

Location: Paramaribo, Suriname

The conference was organized by the Government of the Republic of Suriname in collaboration with the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat and the Suriname country office of the United Nations Development Programme. The Krutu of Paramaribo Joint Declaration was adopted by developing countries with high forest cover and low deforestation in a joint effort to address observed gaps in climate finance mechanisms affecting these particular countries.

Date: 6-10 May

Organizer: UNFF Secretariat

Type: UNFF Events

Location: New York, United States

The fourteenth session of the UN Forum on Forests will be held from 6 to 10 May 2019 at United Nations Headquarters in New York. As outlined in the Quadrennial programme of work of the Forum for the period 2017-2020, odd-year sessions will focus on discussions on implementation, technical advice and exchange of experiences while even-year sessions will focus on policy dialogue, development and decision-making.

Date: 18-Jun

Organizer: UNFF Secretariat

Type: UNFF Events

Location: Incheon, South Korea

The session, as part of Stream 5 of the Asia Pacific Forestry Week “Innovating governance and Institutions” will share experiences and lessons learned in collecting and using forest monitoring frameworks for evidence-based policy making, reporting and analysis on Global Forest Goals 5 and the contribution of forest goods and services to the national development priorities including the sustainable development goals and targets. The panel will also share experiences in the development of VNCs in the region.

Date: 19-Jun

Organizer: UNFF Secretariat

Type: UNFF Events

Location: Incheon, South Korea

The session, as part of Stream 5 of the Asia Pacific Forestry Week “Innovating governance and Institutions”, showcased key milestones achieved by the UN Forum on Forests, including the adoption by the UN General Assembly of two system wide mandates, namely the UN Strategic Plan for Forests 2030 (UNSPF) and the UN Forest Instrument (UNFI). In addition, the session highlighted linkages between the Global Forest Goals and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the role of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) in the achievement of the SDGs.

Date: 21-Jun

Organizer: UNFF Secretariat

Type: UNFF Events

Location: Incheon, South Korea

The session, part of Stream 5 of the Asia Pacific Forestry Week “Innovating governance and Institutions,” provided an opportunity for Major Groups representatives in the region to share their experiences and lessons learned in implementing the UN Strategic Plan for Forests 2030, as well as their experiences in streamlining women’s participation in decision making in the forest sector and the youth as both influencers and decision makers in forest policy and governance.

Date: 12-Sep

Organizer: UNFF Secretariat

Type: UNFF Events

Location: Greater Noida, India

On Thursday 12 September, from 13:00–15:00 hrs, the UNFF Secretariat held a side event entitled “Promoting synergies: Sustainable Land Management, Forest Financing and the SDGs”. The event aimed to promote greater awareness of the potential synergies with the work of the GFFFN, the Global Forest Goals of the UNSPF 2030, land degradation neutrality and the SDGs, as well as the Secretariats of the UNFF and UNCCD. A new UNCCD brochure on “Forest and trees at the heart of land degradation neutrality” was also launched at the side event. Presentations addressed: measures taken to integrate the GFGs and targets into sustainable land management policies and programmes; enhancing the role of forests in combating desertification/land degradation and drought; aligning forest policies/actions with sustainable land management; promoting collaboration between the GFFFN and UNCCD’s resource mobilization and information/data sharing; and how the CPF and its members can help enhance cooperation and coordination on SFM and SLM.

Date: 28-30 October

Organizer: UNFF Secretariat

Type: UNFF Events

Location: Bangkok, Thailand

The main goal of this UNFFS workshop was to build capacity for voluntary national reporting to UNFF. The specific objectives were to review draft national reports to UNFF and address any potential issues/challenges that countries might have experienced in preparing their national reports for UNFF15. Participants were expected to have submitted their draft national reports to the Secretariat prior to the workshop. The Secretariat used the draft reports to identify gaps/challenges, which were discussed and addressed during the workshop.

Date: 12-13 November

Organizer: UNFF Secretariat

Type: UNFF Events

Location: Geneva, Switzerland

The expert group meeting provided an opportunity for experts to discuss the ongoing development and operationalization of the first phase of the GFFFN Clearing House including database design and information gathering activities and to provide feedback on the way forward.

Date: 14-15 November

Organizer: UNFF Secretariat

Type: UNFF Events

Location: Geneva, Switzerland

The expert group meeting discussed possible elements for the next Quadrennial Programme of Work (2021–24), in order to put forth a proposal on this topic for consideration by the upcoming 15th session of the UN Forum on Forests (UNFF15) in May 2020. To gather ideas on possible elements for the Quadrennial Programme of Work for 2021–2024, a brief questionnaire was circulated to Members of the Forum and relevant stakeholders.

Date: 11-Dec

Organizer: UNFF Secretariat

Type: UNFF Events

Location: Madrid, Spain