United Nation Forum on Forests (UNFF) Country-Led Initiative (CLI) hosted by Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, India
India hosted a CLI to contribute to discussions at UNFF19, scheduled at New York in 2024.
- CLI will focus on two thematic areas namely forest fires/wildfires and Forest Certification (FC) & Sustainable Forest Management (SFM).
- UNFF discussion is regarding implementation of SFM and UN Strategic Plan for Forests (UNSPF).
- UNSPF 2017-2030 (adopted by UNGA) has six Global Forest Goals and 26 associated targets which are voluntary and universal.
What is Sustainable Forest Management?
SFM ensures that forests supply goods and services meeting both present and future needs.
UN Forest Instrument encourages SFM through voluntary certification systems or other appropriate mechanisms in a transparent manner.
What is the forest certification?
Forest certification is a mechanism for forest monitoring, tracing and labeling forest products, where the quality of forest management is judged against a series of agreed standards.
Between 2010- 2021, area of forest land under certification schemes increased by 35%.
Need for Forest certification (FC)
- Ensure SFM and prevent forest degradation or deforestation.
- Increases value of forests by building consumer trust.
- Prerequisite for doing business.
Challenges with Forest certification (FC):
- Excessive costs of certification,
- audit and compliance issues,
- inaccessibility to forest owners in remote regions, etc.
About United Nation Forum on Forests (UNFF)
Genesis:Economic and Social Council of the United Nations (ECOSOC) in 2000 established UNFF as a subsidiary body.
About:It promotes the management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests and to strengthen longterm political commitment to this end.
Members: All Member States of United Nations (including India) and specialized agencies.