The seventeenth meeting of the UN Forum on Forests (UNFF17) convened to discuss the implementation of the UN strategic plan for forests 2017–2030 (UNSPF) and considered preparations for the midterm review in 2024 of the effectiveness of the international arrangement on forests.

The weeklong meeting featured a high-level roundtable on the UNFF response to, role in, and expectations from, forest-related multilateral developments, including:

• the UN Decade for Ecosystem Restoration;
• the Glasgow Climate Pact and the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land Use;
• the draft post-2020 global biodiversity framework;
• the Fifteenth World Forestry Congress; and
• the review by the 2022 session of the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) of forest-related targets under Sustainable Development Goal 15 (life on land).

In addition, the Forum will discussed:

• the UNSPF communication and outreach strategy;
• thematic priorities for 2021-2022 in support of the UNSPF;
• proposed refinements to the format for voluntary national reporting on progress in implementing the UNSPF, the United Nations forest instrument and voluntary national contributions;
• progress on the global core set of forest-related indicators;
• enhanced cooperation, coordination, and engagement on forest-related issues;
• emerging issues;
• means of implementation, including the operations and resources of the Global Forest Financing Facilitation Network; and
• the UNFF Trust Fund.

The UNFF was established in 2000 to promote the management, conservation, and sustainable development of all types of forests. The UNFF’s principal functions are to:

• facilitate the implementation of forest-related agreements and foster a common understanding on sustainable forest management;
• provide for continued policy development and dialogue among governments, international organizations and Major Groups, as well as address forest issues and emerging areas of concern in a holistic, comprehensive, and integrated manner;
• enhance policy and programme coordination on forest-related issues;
• foster international cooperation and monitor, assess, and report on progress; and
• strengthen political commitment to the management, conservation, and sustainable development of all types of forests.

UNFF17 was the first in-person meeting of the Forum since 2019. Delegates who were unable to attend in person due to COVID-19 restrictions participated virtually. UNFF17 met at UN Headquarters in New York from 9-13 May 2022.

The Earth Negotiations Bulletin provided daily web updates, beginning on 9 May, and a summary report and analysis, which became available on Sunday, 15 May.