GFDD and FUNGLODE Participate in International Forum on Forests

Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD) and Fundación Global Democracia y Desarrollo (FUNGLODE) attended the Ninth Session of the International Forum on Forests (UNFF9), celebrated January 24-February 4 at UN headquarters in New York City.

As firm advocates for sustainable environmental protection and management, GFDD and FUNGLODE strongly support UNFF’s
mandate to develop and enhance policy and action aimed at achieving Sustainable Forest Management.

The First UN Forum on Forests was organized by the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in 1995, and represents one of the body’s many efforts to champion the cause of Sustainable Forestry. The proposals for action that emerge from the International Forum on Forests, do not hold participants legally accountable,
but do hold them politically accountable.

During the sessions of the forum, members of the Secretariat, delegations, practitioners and civil society representatives underscored the critical role of forests in providing environmental services, enhancing livelihoods and eradicating poverty.

Forests provide habitat for 80% of terrestrial biodiversity and livelihoods for over 1.6 billion people, while at the same time carrying out the important
function of carbon sequestration, which aids in mitigating climate change.

Throughout UNFF9, stakeholders called for scaled-up efforts to address the following challenges: climate change, land degradation, biodiversity, financing, capacity building, technology transfer and land tenure. People-centered approaches and payments for environmental services were also upheld by the Secretariat and Member States as positive trends in forest management that should be
replicated.

GFDD and FUNGLODE attend conferences and seminars on matters impacting the global community in order to remain at the forefront of academic debate and network and partner with renowned experts, as part of their mission to bring world-class programs concerning social and economic development and democratization to the Dominican Republic.

Related link:
http://www.un.org/esa/forests/bureau-unff9.html