IISD Reporting Services at UNFF-3, 26 May - June 6 2003, Geneva, Switzerland

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SUMMARY

United Nations Forum on Forests, Third Session
26 May - 6 June 2003 Geneva, Switzerland

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French	\|Rideau\|	\|Lun 26\|	\|Mar 27\|	\|Mer 28\|	\|Jeu 29\|	\|Ven 30\|
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Highlights for Monday,

26 May 2003

The Third Session of the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF-3) opened in Geneva, Switzerland. Delegates gathered all day in Plenary to hear opening statements from the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF) Secretariat, the UNFF Chair and country delegations. Delegates also heard a presentation on national forest trends. Left photo: Bird's eye view of the UNFF-3 plenary.


Opening Plenary:

Welcoming participants to UNFF-3, Chair Meybodi (left) underlined the UNFF's objective to provide a framework for international cooperation and coordination aimed at achieving sustainable forest management (SFM).

Pekka Patosaari, Coordinator and Head of the UNFF Secretariat (right), addressed the meeting on behalf of Nitin Desai, UN Under-Secretary for Economic and Social Affairs. Stressing the need to put global forest commitments into action, he said that the ultimate success of the UNFF will depend on its ability to mobilize political, financial, scientific and technical support for SFM.

Hosny El-Lakany (left), CPF, says that CPF is effective and seen to be effective because it operates on an informal arrangement and all members share common objective.

Beat Nobs, Swiss Agency of the Environment, Forest and Landscapes, warns against "endless" discussions on the issue of ad-hoc expert groups and calls for more stimulating discussions on the substantive agenda items.

Morocco, on behalf of G77 and China, underscores that the effective implementaton of IPP/IFF Proposals for Actions is of crucial importance for reversing the deforestation and land degradation trends.

Greece, on behalf of the EU and accession countries, welcomes the multi-stakeholder dialogue and encourages all participants freely engage in its discussions.

Fiji, on behalf of the Pacific Islands Group Forum made an overview of a 2002 regional workshop on addressing IPF/IFF proposals for actions. He called for an international partnership to support sustainable forest management (SFM) in the region.

SOUTH AFRICA noted its commitment to maintaining an active dialogue between its Government and communities, uniting stakeholder interests and sustainable development goals.

CROATIA said that incorporation of international forest policy into national legislation is a main priority for his country, and identified voluntary certification as a market-based tool to promote SFM.

The US calls for moving beyond "normal UN rhetoric" and engaging in the concrete discussions that result in practical, realistic and concrete actions.

Melhciade Bukur, The Secretariat of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, highlights the linkages between the UNFF's three substantive agenda items and the CCD.

Hamdallah Zedan, Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), expresses CBD Secretariat's commitment to collaboration with the CPF in order to achieve the goal of substantial reduction in the current rate of the current biodiversity loss by 2010.

Side Event: International Union of Forest Research Organization (IUFRO) - World Forests, Society and Environment (WFSE)

Gerardo Mery, WFSE Coordinator (IUFRO), highlighted the objective and mission of the IUFRO-WFSE project regarding critical issues and changing paradigms concerning global forests and sustainable development. He identified the development of critical reviews of the scientific material relating to forests, societies and environment as an important outcome of this project along with the fostering of technical and scientific cooperation in the field of forest research.