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

IISD Reporting Services
at UNFF-3

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SUMMARY

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

Daily Web Coverage	\|Curtain\|	\|Mon 26\|	\|Tue 27\|	\|Wed 28\|	\|Thu 29\|	\|Fri 30\|
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French	\|Rideau\|	\|Lun 26\|	\|Mar 27\|	\|Mer 28\|	\|Jeu 29\|	\|Ven 30\|
		\|Lun 2\|	\|Mar 3\|	\|Mer 4\|	\|Jeu 5\|	\|Ven 6\|

Highlights for Tuesday, 27 May 2003

The UNFF-3 engaged in a full-day multi-stakeholder dialogue (MSD). In the morning, participants heard presentations on forest health, economic aspects of forests, and maintaining forest cover from representatives of the major groups, and in the afternoon, deliberated on questions posed by the major groups. Delegates also participated in an informal consultation on the ad hoc expert groups.

Above photo L-R: Alexander Buck (Scientific and Technological Community), Sandra Kesse (Women's Major Group), Marcial Arías ( Indigenous Peoples), Esa Härmälä (Forest Owners), Chair Hossein Moeini Meybodi, Pekka Patosaari (Coordinator and Head of the UNFF Secretariat), Gareth Hinchley (Children and Youth), Andrei Laletin (Environmental NGOs), William Street Jr. (Workers and Trade Unions).


Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue:

Chair Meybodi (Islamic Republic of Iran) (near right) opened the dialogue by encouraging participants to engage in interactive discussion as opposed to delivering only statements. Pekka Patosaari (far right), Coordinator and Head of the UNFF Secretariat, introduced a note on the MSD from the UN Secretary-General and informed the meeting of a newly launched internet-based forest information communication tool called Forests-L, operated by the International Institute for Sustainable Development.

Forest Health and Productivity:

Alexander Buck, International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO), representing the scientific and technological community major group, presented lessons learned about forest health and productivity.

Sandra Kesse, Green Earth Organization, representing women's organizations, listed recommendations to governments on ways to improve forest health and productivity.

COLOMBIA stressed the need for maintaining biodiversity, utilizing the ecosystem approach and incorporating socio-economic aspects into the definitions of forest health and productivity. Left photo L-R: Delegates from Morocco, Colombia and India

The REPUBLIC OF KOREA described Korea’s experiences on forest health and productivity, including the databases to track the changes in ecosystems, and forest restoration projects and recommended enhancing international monitoring programmes.

The LOW FOREST COVER COUNTRIES SECRETARIAT requested concrete recommendations on capacity building, technology transfer, and MAR.

Marcial Arías, Alianza Mundial de los Pueblos Indígenas y Tribales de los Bosques Tropicales, representing the indigenous peoples’ major group, stressed the need for definitions and concepts reflecting indigenous peoples’ perspectives.

Economic Aspects of Forests:

James Griffith, World Business Council on Sustainable Development, representing the business and industry major group, highlighted the importance of recognizing the economic viability of forests as key in achieving SFM.

Representing the farmers and small forest owners major group, Esa Härmälä, Confederation of European Forest Owners, stressed the importance of scientific research and cost-benefit analyses, and said that forest-dependent people lack knowledge of policy processes and market mechanisms.


Maintaining Forest Cover for Present and Future Needs:

Gareth Hinchley, International Forestry Studentsï¿½ Association, spoke on behalf of the children and youth major group and identified lessons learned during the implementation of various IPF/IFF projects.

On behalf of environmental NGOs, Andrei Laletin, Friends of the Siberian Forests, identified key issues for maintaining forest cover. He noted a lack of cross-sectoral collaboration and recommended, inter alia, assisting countries in strengthening their capacity for long-term strategic planning, and promoting transparency.

Lesotho stressed that women constitute a substantial proportion of the forestry and agricultural sectors.

Finland stressed the negative impacts of the forest plantations and recommended to ï¿½discuss forest ecosystems, not treesï¿½, and focus on the restoration of forest ecosystems.

The International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO), described implemented ITTO projects in Ghana aiming at promoting women's involvement in forest-related decision making.

CANADA called for more respect for property rights and good cooperation between governments and family forest owners, and stressed the importance of a global family forest owners network.

Informal Consultation on Ad Hoc Experts Maintaining Forest Cover for Present and Future Needs:

In the evening, delegates held informal consultations on the composition of the ad hoc expert groups and the timing of their meetings. They reached agreement on limited membership of the MAR and EST groups but could not agree on the composition of the parameter group.