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UN honours forest activists, filmmakers and photographers who inspire action

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 22:00:00 GMT

A political activist working to safeguard the Amazon rainforest and a businessman considered the 'grandfather' of the Turkish environmental movement are among the winners of United Nations awards honouring individuals who have done extraordinary work to spotlight the special relationship between forests and people.

In addition to five “Forest Heroes” from Brazil, Rwanda, Thailand, Turkey and the United States, the UN Forests for People Awards also recognized filmmakers and photographers for their creative efforts to raise awareness about forests and their contributions to people's lives.

Achievements of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests presented at UNFF10

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 22:00:00 GMT

Istanbul, Turkey: CPF Chair and FAO Forestry Assistant Director-General Eduardo Rojas-Briales presented the achievements and activities of the CPF this morning at the 10th session of the United Nations Forum on Forests.

United Nations: Celebrates the forests' vital, life-sustaining role

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 23:00:00 GMT

In a message for the new International Day, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said: “By proclaiming the International Day of Forests, the United Nations has created a new platform to raise awareness about the importance of all types of forest ecosystems to sustainable development.”

“On this first International Day of Forests,” he continued, “I urge Governments, businesses and all sectors of society to commit to reducing deforestation, preventing forest degradation, reducing poverty and promoting sustainable livelihoods for all forest-dependent peoples.”

International Day of Forests: a 360-degree perspective from the Collaborative Partnership on Forests

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 23:00:00 GMT

In 2011, during the International Year of Forests, the Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF) – a partnership of 14 international organizations and secretariats – issued a series of press releases on 14 forest themes, from biodiversity, to women and gender, to the fight against hunger, providing a 360-degree perspective of the world’s forests. The CPF is sharing this compilation of those themes on the occasion of the first International Day of Forests in 2013 as a demonstration of the CPF’s fruitful collaboration and its continuing efforts to raise the profile of forests.

United Nations Awards: Forests for People

Sun, 10 Feb 2013 23:00:00 GMT

The United Nations Forum on Forests are calling for nominations for Forest Heroes and entries for short films and photos to share inspirational forest stories. Winners will be invited to Istanbul to receive their award at the 10th Session of the United Nations Forum on Forests to be held in April.

Sustainable forestry: evaluating the health of the world's most renewable resource

Sun, 27 Jan 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Global – the international briefing interviews Jan McAlpine, Director of the UN Forum on Forests Secretariat and Eduardo Rojas-Briales, Assistant Director-General of FAO Forestry. They identify some of the critical governance issues that arise in the promotion of sustainable development in the world's forests and point to some successes in forest management.

UNFF announces the Forests for People Film Competition

Sun, 13 Jan 2013 23:00:00 GMT

January_2013: The Secretariat of the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF) has announced a film competition focused on forests. The competition, organized in collaboration with the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival, invites the submission of short films of up to five minutes on the theme “Forests for People.” The films should demonstrate how forests are important to or inspire the filmmaker.

Forest Day 6: Living landscapes, solutions for a sustainable world

Thu, 22 Nov 2012 23:00:00 GMT

Only a few seats remain for the sixth and final Forest Day, held annually during the Conference of the Parties to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change.

If you are not going to Doha, you will be able to watch a live video stream of Forest Day on December 2 at www.ForestDay.org/live at 0900 Doha time (1300 Jakarta time) (0700 CET) (0600 GMT) (0100 EST).

Scaling up sustainability: time for forestry to come out of the forest

Sun, 28 Oct 2012 23:00:00 GMT

Linking forestry to food security, human development and the economy can help create solutions to pressing global issues, argues Peter Holmgren, CIFOR Director-General.

Activist from Nepal wins Wangari Maathai Award 2012

Wed, 26 Sep 2012 22:00:00 GMT

Narayan Kaji Shrestha has won the first-ever Collaborative Partnership on Forests Wangari Maathai Award for his outstanding contribution to forests.

The award was established this year to honour the life and work of the late Kenyan environmentalist Maathai, a champion of forest issues worldwide and the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

Rio+20 High-Level Side Event: The Landscape: transformative action through cross-sectoral coordination

Thu, 14 Jun 2012 22:00:00 GMT

Rio de Janeiro, 19 June: Sponsored by the Collaborative Partnership on Forests, this high-level event on 19 June provides an opportunity to discuss the importance of integrated sustainable land management or a ‘landscape’ approach to improve cross-sectoral actions that contribute to economic development. The event will provide heads of CPF member organizations and principals as well as forestry ministers the opportunity to discuss examples and concrete benefits from using a landscape approach.

CPF releases sustainable forest management fact sheets

Sun, 03 Jun 2012 22:00:00 GMT

As the world celebrates World Environment Day and prepares to gather in Rio for the Rio+20 Conference, the Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF), a voluntary arrangement consisting of 14 international organizations, institutions and secretariats, releases eight fact sheets underlining the important role of forests and sustainable forest management (SFM) for human well-being, sustainable development and a green economy.

Forests: the heart of a green economy

Thu, 31 May 2012 22:00:00 GMT

FAO and other international organizations will join forces with the private sector to make the forest sector more visible at Rio+20 by holding a forward-looking side event on 18 June. The role of forests and forest industries in building the green economy and fostering rural development at the resource base – the two key themes of Rio+20 – will be highlighted.

Forests: 8th Roundtable at Rio+20

Tue, 08 May 2012 22:00:00 GMT

Rio de Janeiro, 19 June 2012: Organized by CIFOR, Forests: The 8th Roundtable at Rio+20 will gather global experts and policy makers to discuss new research findings – and remaining knowledge gaps -- and their policy implications for integrating forests into the solutions to four key challenges toward a green economy: Energy, food and income, water, and climate.

Nominations open for Wangari Maathai Award 2012

Mon, 07 May 2012 22:00:00 GMT

The Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF) has launched the first ever Wangari Maathai Award to honour and commemorate an extraordinary woman who championed forest issues around the world. The USD20,000 award will be given in recognition of outstanding contributions made by an individual to preserve, restore and sustainably manage forests and to communicate the key role forests play in rural livelihoods and the environment across generations.

Forest Heroes Awards: IYF closing ceremony at UNFF

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 23:00:00 GMT

People who made special contributions towards protecting forests and forest communities received Forest Heroes Awards at a special ceremony hosted by the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF) Secretariat to mark the conclusion of the International Year of Forests, in New York. The ceremony also featured the winners of the 2011 Universal Postal Union letter-writing contest, which drew entries from more than 2 million youth worldwide, and the winners of the 2011 children’s art contest “Celebrate the Forests”. A commemorative book Forests for People with 75 articles from 35 countries was also launched.

Closing event for the International Year of Forests 2011

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 23:00:00 GMT

Rome, Italy – The FAO Forestry Department held a closing event for the International Year of Forests 2011 at FAO headquarters for Permanent Representatives, Rome-based Intergovernmental Organizations, external partners, and FAO staff. Showcased prominently at the event was the new publication, Fruit trees and useful plants in Amazonian Life, a joint production of FAO, the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) and People and Plants International.

Experts: New wave of deforestation threatens Africa’s climate resilience

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 23:00:00 GMT

DURBAN - A new wave of deforestation is sweeping across Africa decimating wildlife and threatening the resilience of its ecosystems to withstand the effects of climate change—especially in the area of food security, experts said.

International partnership calls for increased attention to forest ecosystem-based solutions ahead of Rio+20 Summit

Sun, 20 Nov 2011 23:00:00 GMT

In a submission to the Preparatory Process for Rio+20, the Members of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests called upon countries and major groups and stakeholders to explore the opportunities and lessons learned from forest ecosystems, their management and utilization. Furthermore, the Partnership called for actions at Rio+20 to take a holistic approach to capture the multiple benefits of forests and merge the traditional three pillars of sustainable development to better integrate forest ecosystems in a green and low carbon economy.

Healthy national and international markets are essential for sustaining forests

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 23:00:00 GMT

The Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF), an international consortium of 14 organizations, secretariats and institutions working on international forest issues, called today for more attention to the key role that markets play in sustaining the environment, and in particular the world’s forests.

Emmanuel ZeMeka, Executive Director of the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO, a CPF member) noted that "for many countries forests provide a major source of foreign exchange and domestic revenue for economic development" and highlighted the need to establish markets for "a wider range of the goods and services provided by forests." He made his remarks ahead of the ITTO’s Annual Market Discussions in La Antigua, Guatemala, which focus on the benefits of trade in wood products to the international community.