IFF called upon countries and relevant international organizations to increase financial resources and make or intensify efforts to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of available resources for sustainable forest management, and use national forest programmes or other integrated programmes as the basis for channelling, prioritizing and increasing financial assistance to the forest sector in developing countries;
IFF called upon countries and relevant international organizations to give special consideration to developing countries, including countries with low forest cover and particularly the least developed countries, in financial cooperation to meet their needs for forest products and services sustainably and sustainably manage their forests, and in some cases expand their forest cover;
IFF called upon countries and relevant international organizations to encourage private investments in sustainable forest management by providing a stable and transparent investment environment within an adequate regulatory framework that also encourages the reinvestment of forest revenues into sustainable forest management;
IFF called upon countries and relevant international organizations to undertake activities for systematic collection and analysis of financial flows data in the forest sector in order to enable informed and rational policy decisions based on reliable information;
Explore the feasibility of operationalizing an investment promotion entity taking into account the functions and circumstances under which such an entity would operate as well as its scope in relation to the existing financial mechanisms.
331. The Forum discussed but was not able to reach consensus on the following proposals for action:
Continue further exploration, identification, and development of new and improved and more effective financial mechanisms, and further explore the potential and results of innovative use of existing mechanisms to promote sustainable forest management, taking into account the full range of goods and services, including forest related biological resources, and sharing experience and information on such mechanisms;
Create an international forest fund to support, inter alia, the additional costs during the transition period towards sustainable forest management;
Make full use of the potential of existing mechanisms, such as GEF, consistent with their mandates, and explore options to expand their scope/and review their scope for financing a wider range of sustainable forest management activities;
Consider the need for preparing a study integrating such issues as the valuation of forest goods and services, including biological resources, and the international trade of forest goods, taking due account of the effects of international restrictions, such as tariff escalations, and other protective measures.
IFF stressed the importance of implementing the IPF proposals for action on trade and environment. In order to further their effective implementation IFF:
Urged countries, including trade partners, to contribute to achieving trade in wood and non-wood products and services from sustainably managed forests, and implement policies and actions, in particular avoiding policies that have adverse effects, either on trade or on sustainable forest management;
Urged countries, international organizations, including WTO,4 and other interested parties to undertake, as appropriate, further cooperative work on voluntary certification and/or labelling schemes, in line with the recommendations of IPF, while seeking to enhance their international comparability and considering their equivalence, taking into account the diversity of national and regional situations, and to ensure adequate transparency and nondiscrimination in the design and operation of such schemes, and are consistent with international obligations so as to promote sustainable forest management and not to lead to unjustifiable obstacles to market access;
Urged countries to undertake analyses of the implications of full-cost internalization on forest management and economic development and implement full-cost internalization strategies for forest products and services and their
The Forum was not able to reach consensus on this proposal for action
4
The Forum discussed, but could not reach consensus to the specific reference to WTO in this context.
substitutes;
Requested countries, international organizations and other interested parties to undertake further work on full life-cycle analysis of the environmental impacts of forest products and their substitutes;
Called upon all interested parties to take action to improve market transparency, taking into account the role of the private sector, to help promote responsible producer and consumer choices in the supply and demand for forest products, forest services and their substitutes;
Called upon countries to consider appropriate national-level actions and promote international cooperation to reduce the illegal trade in wood and non-wood forest products including forest related biological resources, with the aim of its elimination;
Urged countries to develop strategies for sustainable forest management with a long-term perspective so that the negative effects of short-term market changes, such as the recent regional financial crises, can be minimized;
Urged countries to recognize the special importance of imports of forest products for countries with low forest cover and fragile forest ecosystems, and small island developing States to satisfy their needs for forest products and services to assist them in expanding and rehabilitating their forest cover.
542. The Forum discussed but was not able to reach consensus on the following proposal for action:
"Supported continued efforts by countries and the World Trade Organization towards trade liberalization giving special attention to removing remaining and emerging trade restrictions which constrain market access, particularly for value added forest products;".
IFF stressed the importance of implementing the IPF proposals for action on the transfer of environmentally sound technologies. In order to further their effective implementation, IFF:
Urged countries, consistent with decision 6/3 of the Commission on Sustainable Development as well as paragraph 77 of the IPF proposals for action (E/CN.17/1997/12), to initiate actions towards the broadening and development of mechanisms and/or further initiatives to enhance the transfer of technology from developed countries to developing countries to promote sustainable forest management;
Urged all countries to develop an enabling policy, legal and institutional framework that encourages appropriate public and private sector investments in environmentally sound technologies for sustainable forest management in line with the respective national forest programmes, where applicable;
Urged countries and relevant international organizations to support the strengthening of cooperation between institutions to facilitate the assessment of needs for adaptation and transfer of forest-related environmentally sound technologies through North-South and South-South cooperation. Those institutions recognized as centres of excellence should act as clearing houses, in line with Agenda 21, chapter 34, in order to expedite the flow of these technologies;
Urged all countries to recognize the importance of the transfer of technologies to developing countries and economies in transition, including human and institutional capacity-building, as an integral part of the process of investment and sustainable development; and the importance of combining technology transfer with training, education and institutional strengthening in order to promote effective use and broad dissemination of environmentally sound technologies;
Urged all countries, in particular developed countries, to take further concrete measures to promote and
The Forum was not able to reach consensus on this proposal for action facilitate the transfer of environmentally sound technologies to developing countries on favourable terms, including on concessional and preferential terms, as mutually agreed, taking into account the need to protect intellectual property rights in accordance with the relevant international and domestic laws, in order to put into further practice the recommendations of Agenda 21, the Commission on Sustainable Development and IPF, and in this context to mobilize further support for the development and application of appropriate technologies and corresponding know-how within these countries to enhance their capacities to implement sustainable forest management;
Urged countries and relevant international organizations to consider practical measures to promote the diffusion of environmentally sound technologies to end-users, particularly in local communities in developing countries, through the efficient use of extension services;
Urged countries and relevant international organizations to enhance partnerships, and to initiate, as appropriate, coordinate and cooperate in forest-related technical and financial assistance and capacity-building in respect of the transfer, development and application of environmentally sound technologies;
Encouraged countries, with the cooperation of international organizations, to promote appropriate transfer of environmentally sound rehabilitation technologies for the sustainable management of forest ecosystems in environmentally critical areas, and to develop appropriate means to promote sharing of environmentally sound technologies between and within countries, including effective links between research, extension and implementation;
Underscored the importance of assisting developing countries with low forest cover and those with fragile forest ecosystems in their efforts in respect of capacity-building that would facilitate the development and transfer of environmentally sound technologies to address those needs;
Urged countries to promote fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the utilization of forest genetic resources (as defined by the Convention on Biological Diversity) and the results and applications of research, upon mutually agreed terms, and to work, as necessary, on addressing issues of the identification of origins of forest genetic resources within their intellectual property rights, sui generis or other relevant systems for protection, as appropriate, taking into account the work being advanced by the Convention on Biological Diversity and other relevant international agreements, in accordance with national laws;
The Forum also discussed but could not conclude the debate or reach consensus on the proposal to encourage countries to develop appropriate mechanisms and/or measures to enable indigenous people, local communities and forest-dependent groups to realize the potential benefits of traditional forest-related knowledge in accordance with the Convention on Biological Diversity, through the establishment and enforcement of intellectual property rights linked to this knowledge, including the giving of due recognition to the use of traditional forest-related knowledge in patent applications for technologies;
Urged all countries, in particular developed countries, to pursue actions that would facilitate the transfer, development and application of environmentally sound technologies for and analyse the implications of the use of wood and non-wood by-products created by forest harvesting and wood processing for industrial and domestic purposes, giving special attention to wood-waste materials as an energy source;
Called upon countries to undertake steps to ensure equal opportunities for women, in particular indigenous women and women in rural areas, to become beneficiaries of environmentally sound forest-related technologies, knowhow and extension services;
Urged countries to strengthen outreach programmes targeted at women in the areas of education, training and microcredit, related to community development programmes and household use of wood, wood lots for fuelwood and energy-efficient cooking technology;
Urged countries and relevant international organizations to use data and information that are disaggregated by gender in sectoral surveys and studies used in the development of technologies for sustainable forest management policies and projects.
IFF stressed the importance of implementing the IPF proposals for action on underlying causes of deforestation and forest degradation, with particular emphasis on the needs and requirements of low forest cover countries and countries with fragile forest ecosystems. In order to further their effective implementation, IFF encouraged countries, with the assistance of international organizations, donor countries and financial institutions, to implement the following additional proposals through partnerships involving, where appropriate, the participation of government institutions, non-governmental organizations, community-based organizations, indigenous and local communities, forest owners and the private sector:
Further study and take practical measures to address the chains of causality of the underlying causes of deforestation and forest degradation within each country, including the impact of poverty and the impact of processes outside the forest sector;
Create appropriate procedures in order to promote effective participation of all interested parties in decision-making about forest management;
Support appropriate land tenure law and/or arrangements as a means to define clearly land ownership, as well as the rights of indigenous and local communities and forest owners, for the sustainable use of forest resources, taking into account the sovereign right of each country and its legal framework;
Develop mechanisms, as appropriate, to improve land access and use of forest resources on a sustainable basis;
Support capacity-building in communities, in particular for those with responsibilities in forest management, including in low forest cover countries, and create awareness in the society at large on the importance of issues related to deforestation and forest degradation;
Support and promote community involvement in sustainable forest management through technical guidance, economic incentives and, where appropriate, legal frameworks;
Promote maintenance and enhancement of forest resources through sustainable forest management practices, and promote the creation of new forest resources through the establishment of planted forests and other means, such as rehabilitation of degraded forests, taking into consideration their social, cultural and environmental impacts, and economic costs and benefits;
Identify and measure internalization of externalities, and introduce positive incentives in both the forest and non-forest sectors that may help combat deforestation and forest degradation;
Support local community programmes for capacity-building and credit facilities, and facilitate access to domestic and external markets of forest products and services;
Request international financial institutions to analyse the impacts of foreign debt on deforestation and forest degradation, and request international financial institutions to explore, in cooperation with donor and recipient countries, innovative financial approaches and schemes for helping countries to promote sustainable forest management.
IFF invited international financial institutions to strengthen transparency in decision-making as it affects sustainable forest management, and to ensure that their policies support sustainable forest management.
IFF also invited countries to use national forest programmes, as appropriate, or other relevant programmes to involve indigenous and local communities and women to participate in the formulation and implementation of measures
that aim to protect their rights and privileges in relation to forest lands, traditional forest-related knowledge and forest biological resources (as defined by the Convention on Biological Diversity).
IFF encouraged ITFF member organizations to support the elaboration of a comprehensive study of land tenure issues related to deforestation and forest degradation.
IFF called upon countries to implement effective measures to recognize, respect, protect and maintain traditional forest-related knowledge in sustainable forest management, including forest biological resources (as defined by the Convention on Biological Diversity) within their intellectual property rights, sui generis or other relevant systems for protection, as appropriate, taking into account the relevant work being advanced by the Convention on Biological Diversity and other relevant international agreements;
IFF called upon countries to promote fair and equitable sharing of benefits, including consideration of payments, where appropriate, arising from the use of such knowledge, innovations and practices, in accordance with, inter alia, article 8 (j) and related provisions of articles 15, 16 and 19 of the Convention on Biological Diversity and other relevant international agreements and taking into account national law, with the holders of such knowledge, innovations and practices;
IFF called upon countries to work with relevant international organizations to help to develop a common appreciation and understanding of the relationship between the intellectual property rights, sui generis or other relevant systems for protection, and the Convention on Biological Diversity, including work, as necessary, on addressing issues related to the identification of origins of traditional forest-related knowledge, and of the knowledge that results from the use of forest genetic resources (as defined by the Convention on Biological Diversity), with a view to protecting such knowledge from inappropriate use;
IFF called upon countries to develop or strengthen, as appropriate, and implement, at the national level, legislation and policies to achieve objectives under article 8 (j) and related provisions of the Convention on Biological Diversity, and support efforts by relevant international organizations and institutions regarding the protection and application of traditional forest-related knowledge, which can include the development of guidelines, in accordance with their mandates.
IFF invited the Conference of Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity, with the participation of indigenous people and local communities, through the Ad Hoc Open-ended Inter-sessional Working Group, in its programme of work, under the related provisions of the Convention on Biological Diversity, to include options for collecting, recording, applying and locating traditional forest-related knowledge, recognizing the need to foster the wider application of such knowledge, innovations and practices, with the approval and effective involvement of the holders throughout the process.
The Forum invited countries to implement, with the assistance of international organizations, donor countries and financial institutions, the proposals for action of this new programme element through partnership mechanisms involving, where appropriate, the participation of governmental institutions, non-governmental organizations, community-based organizations, and indigenous and local communities.
The Forum encouraged countries to commit themselves to the protection, conservation and representativeness of all types of forests, consistent with national forest policies and programmes that recognize the linkage between forest conservation and sustainable development. This commitment may be achieved through a range of conservation mechanisms, reflecting varying national circumstances, applied within and outside of protected forest areas, and the complementary roles of protected forest areas and other sustainable forest management activities - for example, the production of wood and non-wood products and services, where forest conservation is promoted by other means.
The Forum encouraged countries to develop and implement appropriate strategies for the protection of the full range of forest values, including cultural, social, spiritual, environmental and economic aspects; recognition of the multiple functions and sustainable use of all types of forests, with particular regard to biological diversity; participation of communities and other interested parties; integration of the livelihood needs of indigenous and local communities; and planning and management on an ecosystem basis, in which special emphasis should be put on the continued integrity of genetic diversity.
The Forum encouraged countries to develop and implement forest management mechanisms, as appropriate, that provide for partnerships and the participation of forest owners and of indigenous and local communities in support of forest conservation initiatives for sustainable forest management within the legal framework of each country.
The Forum encouraged countries to develop financial support mechanisms to engage all interested parties, in particular forest owners and the private sector, in the planning and management of protected forest areas; and recognize protected forest areas under the stewardship of private forest owners or indigenous and local communities.
The Forum encouraged countries to develop and apply consistently, as needed, criteria based on the adequacy, consistency and effectiveness of protected areas, following an ecosystem approach and incorporating reserve design principles that identify the need for new protected areas critical to the protection and maintenance of environmental services. In this regard, consideration should be given to linking protected areas, where possible, with corridors and buffer zones in order to form networks.
The Forum encouraged countries to develop and implement a range of innovative mechanisms for financing and encouraging forest conservation, including economic incentives, voluntary guidelines, forest regulations, private contracts, taxes and charges, reinvestment of returns from protected areas, forest-related industries, and environmental services in forest conservation; tax deductions for private forest conservation; direct charges for protected area use; and possible returns from carbon sequestration, in accordance with, and within the context of the implementation of relevant articles of the Kyoto Protocol and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
The Forum encouraged countries to contribute to a global and regional assessment of the current status of protected forest areas, including total number, extent of each area, objectives of establishment, effectiveness of management, IUCN-system equivalent category, and basic biological and social information available. This can assist in the establishment of bio-geographically balanced networks of protected forest areas.
The Forum encouraged countries that share ecologically important or unique transboundary forests to establish joint protected forest areas, including ecological corridors of regional and/or global significance, and establish agreed guidelines concerning their collaborative management.
The Forum called upon countries, international financial institutions and other donors to provide financial support and other resources to activities in developing countries related to forest conservation and to the implementation and management of protected areas in the surrounding landscape, in accordance with national action plans, where such plans exist, through, inter alia, institutional strengthening and capacity-building; research and education and public awareness; promotion of access, development and transfer of environmentally sound technologies; and technical and scientific cooperation.
The Forum encouraged countries, relevant international organizations and institutions to cooperate in developing methodologies for assessing the conditions and management effectiveness in existing protected forest areas and the surrounding landscape and in protected forest area networks, taking into account the various efforts under way in several countries to build further capacity to collect, organize, utilize and share information and experience, including indigenous and local knowledge, in order to create and manage protected forest areas.
The Forum invited countries, relevant international organizations and institutions to work collectively to develop further guidelines for consistency in the interpretation and use of existing IUCN categories of protected areas for application in a national context, and to develop a global approach for assessing the effectiveness of protected forest area management in relation to environmental, social, cultural and other relevant objectives.
The Forum urged countries, international financial institutions and other donors to improve coordination, at both the national and international levels, of policies and programmes that affect forest conservation and to address cross-sectoral policies, structural adjustment packages and perverse incentives.
IFF called upon countries to improve national efforts to strengthen forest research by formulating policies, programmes and strategies, as appropriate, within the context of national forest programmes in order to identify research needs and priorities as well as to coordinate the implementation of research programmes relevant to sustainable forest management.
IFF called upon countries to consider examination of new ways of mobilizing funding for forest research, including changes to the charters of research institutions that would allow them to address diverse sources of funding, as well as changes to research agendas.
IFF called upon countries to improve linkage between forest science and forest policy processes at the national and subnational levels by creating opportunities for policy makers, scientists, donors, and other interested parties to provide guidance to research and forest policy discussions.
IFF called upon countries to ensure that forest research in countries be undertaken with prior consent of the country/countries concerned.
IFF urged international organizations, donor countries and financial institutions to contribute to fund forest research in developing countries.
IFF urged international organizations, donor countries and financial institutions to examine new ways for mobilizing funding for forest research and intensify efforts, including development assistance, to strengthen research networks and build capacity at the national, regional and global levels, to facilitate all countries to meet the broad economic, social, cultural and environmental demands upon forests.
IFF urged international organizations, donor countries and financial institutions to enhance access to forest-related information by all interested parties, making best use of existing institutions, mechanisms and networks, including national, regional and international research information systems.
IFF urged international organizations, donor countries and financial institutions to foster joint ventures in forest research involving both the public (research institutions) and private sector.
IFF requested ITFF member organizations to explore ways and means of improving priority setting and support for national, regional and international forest-related research efforts.
IFF requested ITFF member organizations to explore options for providing guidance to forest science initiatives, strengthening linkages between science and policy, mobilizing resources, including financial resources, and increasing international efforts in support of forest research and research capacity-building.
IFF requested ITFF member organizations to work with IUFRO in exploring possibilities for a global forest information service.
5. Valuation of forest goods and services
The Forum urged Governments to improve collection of quantitative data to enumerate and develop physical accounts of the full range of forest goods and services, including inventories of timber and other goods and services, and impacts of changes in forest use on the environment. This should also be done for substitute non-wood materials.
The Forum encouraged further development, by countries and international organizations, of rapid and low-cost valuation methods, including a focus on the development of approaches which incorporate a wide range of values, reflect the overall value of forest ecosystems, as appropriate, and identify the costs and benefits of sustainable forest management, as well as ways to internalize externalities.
The Forum requested relevant international organizations to develop and test rapid valuation methods that are policy relevant and efficient, that reflect regional and national characteristics and requirements, and to develop approaches for the identification of the costs and benefits, including incremental costs and benefits, of sustainable forest management which can be employed for a cost-efficient use of investment funds for forests.
The Forum requested countries and international organizations to assist developing countries in building and promoting capacity for the development and application of forest valuation methods.
6. Economic instruments, tax policies and land tenure
The Forum encouraged countries, with the assistance of relevant international organizations, to assess the potential scope and effective combination of economic instruments and tax policies as tools for promoting sustainable forest management, as appropriate, as part of their national forest programmes. This assessment should include but not be limited to collection of forest revenue from timber extraction.
The Forum encouraged countries to recognize and use, where applicable, an appropriate combination of regulations and economic instruments for achieving the objectives of forest policies, including the use of charges and forest revenue collection that also offer incentives for sustainable forest management practices.
The Forum encouraged countries to recognize the actual and potential impacts of economic instruments and tax policies as a means of providing incentives to engage in activities that avoid deforestation and forest degradation and that support sustainable forest management practices; and to examine, in collaboration with international organizations, when requested, the role of forest policy failures and policies in other sectors as a contributing factor in deforestation, forest degradation or unsustainable forest management; and to collaborate with international organizations in developing mitigating policies.
The Forum encouraged countries, within their respective legal framework, to support land tenure policies that recognize and respect legitimate access and use, and property rights in order to support sustainable forest management and investment, recognizing that institutionalizing tenure is a long-term and complex process which requires interim measures to address urgent needs, in particular of local and/or indigenous communities.
The Forum requested relevant international organizations to undertake an up-to-date review of contemporary forest revenue collection systems for the use of forest products and services. The Forum encouraged countries to share their experiences in this area and to support this effort.
The Forum invited relevant international organizations to provide, on request, general and specific advice to countries on the design and administration of economic instruments and tax policies to promote sustainable forest management, and encouraged countries to offer examples of successes in using economic instruments to advance the practice of sustainable forest management.
The Forum encouraged countries to develop macroeconomic policies and policies in other sectors that support and contribute to sustainable forest management; and requested international financial and lending institutions to consider mitigating the impacts of macroeconomic structural adjustment programmes on forests consistent with sustainable forest management.
7. Future supply of and demand for wood and non-wood forest products and services
The Forum encourages countries and international organizations to improve data collection and information dissemination through increasing the extent, quality and comparability of inventory data on forest resources, including both wood and non-wood forest products and services.
The Forum encourages countries and international organizations to improve data collection and information dissemination through giving adequate attention to collection and reporting on the use of a broad range of non-wood products, including quantities gathered and consumed, ownership rights and their importance to rural and indigenous communities.
The Forum encourages countries and international organizations to improve data collection and information dissemination through the systematic collection and reporting of information on the source and use of wood fuels; and
The Forum encourages countries and international organizations to improve data collection and information dissemination through the provision of timely, useful and comparable data on prices of wood and non-wood products as well as their substitutes.
The Forum further encourages countries, including through international cooperation, to promote policies, as needed, to meet increasing demand for wood and non-wood forest products and services, through sustainable forest management, including, where appropriate, planted forests and trees outside forests, and work towards an internationally agreed definition of planted forests.
The Forum further encourages countries, including through international cooperation, to recognize the role of the private sector, where appropriate, in producing forest products and services. This role may need to be supported within a framework of policies, incentives and regulations, such as secure land tenure and appropriate tax policies to help ensure the improved management of forests and sustained production of a wide range of goods and services.
The Forum further encourages countries, including through international cooperation, to incorporate the supply of fuelwood and wood energy as well as efficient wood energy technologies as a crucial part of policy and planning exercises within the forestry, agriculture and energy sectors, and develop pilot studies to assess more accurately the impacts of fuelwood collection on trees and forests.
The Forum further encourages countries, including through international cooperation, to develop and implement policies designed to promote sustainable production of wood and non-wood forest goods and services that reflect a wide range of values, and to ensure that the benefits of commercialization of wood and non-wood forest goods and services contribute to improved management of forests and are equitably distributed to the people who protect and provide them.
The Forum further encourages countries, including through international cooperation, to review policies that have a direct effect on the price of forest products and of their substitutes, initiate studies on market behaviour, when appropriate, and recognize that appropriate prices can encourage and support sustainable forest management while discouraging overuse, waste, excess and inefficient manufacturing.
The Forum further encourages countries, including through international cooperation, to undertake studies on the cost and benefits of using renewable wood and non-wood forest products, as opposed to non-renewable substitutes.
8. Assessment, monitoring and rehabilitation of forest cover in environmentally critical areas
The Forum encouraged countries and relevant international organizations and major groups to cooperate and coordinate activities concerning forests and trees in environmentally critical areas, and to contribute to more systematic collection, analysis and dissemination of information, including social and economic data.
The Forum urged countries to place rehabilitation and sustainable management of forests and trees in environmentally critical areas as a higher priority on national development agendas within the context of national forest programmes, as appropriate.
The Forum encouraged countries, in particular countries with low forest cover, to use planted forests and other means, including trees outside forests, in agroforestry, silvipastoral and analog forestry systems (forest management systems that seek to mimic natural forests in rehabilitation of degraded land), giving special consideration to using native species, where appropriate, as options for rehabilitating degraded lands and, where possible, as a basis for reestablishing natural forests.
The Forum urged countries to engage in raising awareness of the ecological, social, cultural and economic roles that planted and natural forests might fulfil in the rehabilitation and sustainable management of forests in environmentally critical areas.
The Forum further urged international organizations and donor countries to strengthen their support to and collaboration with international programmes, including through the provision of financial resources and the transfer of environmentally sound technologies as set out in chapters 33 and 34 of Agenda 21 and through conventions directed to fragile ecosystems, in particular concerning the role of forests, other wooded lands and trees in the Convention to Combat Desertification and Agenda 21, chapters 12 and 13, which address the concerns of the poorer communities.
E. Forest-related work of international and regional organizations and under existing instruments
The Forum called upon all interested parties, including the governing bodies of relevant international and regional organizations and instruments, to identify practical means for mobilizing their diverse strengths and capabilities to support country-level efforts in implementing the proposals for action adopted by IPF, taking into account the need to enhance the active participation of all parties concerned.
The Forum called upon all interested parties, including the governing bodies of relevant international and regional organizations and instruments, to foster synergies among different international and regional organizations and instruments, and encourage their active participation in and contribution to international forest policy dialogue, with due consideration to the Forest Principles, chapter 11 of Agenda 21 and the IPF/Forum proposals for action.
The Forum called upon all interested parties, including the governing bodies of relevant international and regional organizations and instruments, to clarify the respective roles and work to be carried out by international and regional organizations and instruments with respect to the forest-related programmes of action of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development and its follow-up.
The Forum called upon Governments to utilize, as appropriate, the expertise provided by international and regional organizations and instruments in the formulation of their national forest programmes, in particular to better integrate cross-sectoral linkages and the social, economic and environmental aspects of sustainable forest management into national policies.
The Forum called upon Governments to establish and strengthen, as appropriate, effective national arrangements to provide coordinated and effective guidance to multilateral organizations.
The Forum called upon the secretariats of the Task Force member organizations to inform their governing bodies about the progress and outcome of the IPF/IFF process so as to strengthen their forest-related activities and their inter-agency cooperation in this regard.
The Forum called upon the secretariats of the Task Force member organizations to explore and develop the potential for institutional synergies with other partners, especially with regional development banks, regional commissions and other regional intergovernmental bodies, non-governmental organizations, other international organizations and private sector institutions.
The Forum called upon the secretariats of the Task Force member organizations to cooperate towards developing a comprehensive directory of forest-related international and regional organizations and instruments engaged in forest-related activities, including their mandates, missions, organizational structures, programmes, activities, personnel and budget, as well as information on collaborative forest-related work and activities of organizations and instruments. The directory should be updated on a regular basis. FAO, in cooperation with other member organizations of the Task Force, could have a leading role in this task.
The Forum called upon Governments to provide guidance to the governing bodies of international and regional organizations and instruments, and to encourage non-governmental organizations to cooperate in implementing activities to increase public awareness of the direct and indirect benefits derived from forests, at national, subregional, regional and global levels.
The Forum called upon Governments to provide guidance to the governing bodies of international and regional organizations and instruments, and to encourage non-governmental organizations to cooperate in facilitating interinstitutional consultation on cross-sectoral forest policies, policy reforms, and planning and programmes for sustainable forest management.
The Forum called upon Governments to provide guidance to the governing bodies of international and regional organizations and instruments, and to encourage non-governmental organizations to cooperate in enhancing cost-effective data systems, to allow the preparation and the timely dissemination of information on progress in sustainable forest management.
The Forum called upon relevant international and regional organizations and instruments to consider, in their relevant policies and programmes, the needs and requirements of developing countries and countries with economies in transition, with special attention to low forest cover countries.
The Forum urged international and regional organizations and governing bodies of instruments to support forest programmes and to integrate forest-related aspects in programmes aimed at poverty alleviation, decreasing population pressures, promoting food security and promoting environmental awareness.
