Communication from the Council – United Nations Forum on Forestry (UNFF) — first substantive session in June 2001 — Council conclusions
Date: 2001-06-07
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: Coreper, UNO, forestry policy, sustainable development, the EU's international role

7.6.2001

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Official Journal of the European Communities

C 164/1

I

(Information)

COUNCIL

United Nations Forum on Forestry (UNFF) (cid:151) first substantive session in June 2001 (cid:151) Council
conclusions

(2001/C 164/01)

1. In February 2001, the United Nations Forum on Forests set up by the Economic and Social Council
(Ecosoc) of the UN in October 2000 (see doc. No 14805/00) held its organisational meeting (1) and
informal consultations (see doc. No 6546/01 + ADD 1) in order to prepare its first substantial session in
New York in June 2001 (UNFF 1) which has to adopt its provisional Multi-year programme of work
(MYPOW), develop a plan of action (PoA) for the implementation of the proposals for action of the
Intergovernmental Panel on Forest (IPF) and of the Intergovernmental Forum on Forest (IPF) and initiate
the work with a Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF).

2. The ad-hoc working party on forestry at its meetings on 17 and 18 April and 2 May 2001, devoted its
work on the preparation of a draft of Council’s conclusions based on suggestions from the Presidency,
in view of its adoption by the Agriculture Council in May 2001, before the first substantial session of
the Forum (UNFF 1) which will take place in New York from 11 to 22 June 2001.

3. The delegations,

supported by the Commission representative,

reached a consensus on these
conclusions, consequently the working party invites the Coreper to endorse the draft annexed to this
note and then forward it for inscription as an (cid:145)A(cid:146) item on the agenda of a coming meeting of the
Agriculture Council.

(1) Before this meeting, the Coreper on 31 January 2001 (doc. No 5817/01) confirmed certain considerations set up by

the ad-hoc Working Party on Forest, (doc. No 5567/01).

DRAFT COUNCIL CONCLUSIONS ON THE FIRST SUBSTANTIVE MEETING OF UNFF IN JUNE 2001

that

1. The European Union reaffirms

sustainable forest
management (SFM) is an integral part of sustainable devel-
opment. The Council, recalling its earlier conclusions,
remains committed to the implementation of
the Rio
Declaration on environment and development Agenda 21
and the forest principles and reiterates its support
for
promoting the management, conservation and sustainable
development of all types of forests.

2. The Council welcomes the Ecosoc Resolution E/2000/L.35,
which sets out the goals, objectives and principal functions
of the international arrangement on forests and establishes
the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF) and calls for
the formation of a Collaborative Partnership on Forests
the United
(CPF) between the relevant organisations of
Nations
international and
regional organisations, institutions and instruments.

system and other

relevant

3. The Council looks forward to the first substantive meeting
of the UNFF in June 2001, which will discuss and take
decisions on the following issues:

(i) adoption of
(MYPOW);

its multi-year programme of work

(ii) development of a plan of action for the implemen-
tation of
Intergovernmental Panel on Forests (IPF)/
Intergovernmental Forum on Forests (IFF) proposals
for action, which will address financial provisions;

(iii) initiation of

the United Nations Forum on Forests’

work with the CPF.

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7.6.2001

4. The Council welcomes the work already done within the
EU to consider how the UNFF and the CPF should handle
the principal functions of the international arrangement
on forests. The Council recognises that detailed positions
on these functions will be required for UNFF 1.

5. The MYPOW should translate the objectives, principal
functions and the specific tasks outlined in Ecosoc
Resolution E/2000/35 into concrete activities
to be
undertaken by the UNFF over the next five years. The
overall goal of the MYPOW is to facilitate and promote
implementation at national, regional and global levels of
sustainable forest management in all types of forests. The
MYPOW must also allow the UNFF to provide a forum for
policy guidance and coordination.

proposals for action, which are to be carried out at the
national, regional and global levels. It is urgent to define
the plan. The plan of action should build on the IFF Final
Report, which outlines how implementation of the IPF/IFF
proposals for action should be undertaken. Since the UNFF
is a facilitating rather than an operational body, its plan of
action will have to work through existing instruments by
giving guidance for more effective and coherent support
for the implementation of the IPF/IFF proposals for action.
A decision should be taken at UNFF 1 on the overall
framework,
facilitate
actors in identifying their own priorities and approaches
to implement the IPF/IFF proposals for action in a holistic
manner. This should lead countries, CPF member bodies,
and regional processes such as the Ministerial Conference
on the protection of forests in Europe and other stake-
holders to provide appropriate inputs.

targets and timetable, which will

6. To ensure effectiveness, UNFF should have a manageable
agenda. For instance, each session of the UNFF could deal
with one cross-cutting issue and two other priority issues.
These could include issues that arise from national reports
dealing with obstacles and achievements in implemen-
tation as well as current developments in other processes,
in
global
programmes. The Council invites the UNFF to undertake
frequent consultations with these other forums, e.g. the
UN Framework Convention on climate change, the UN
Convention to combat desertification and the Convention
on biological diversity.

forest-related

conventions

particular

and

7. To facilitate the UNFF session discussions and support the
background
MYPOW through
of
information and preparatory discussions
the Council
supports the establishment of ad-hoc working groups on:

collection

the

(cid:151) finance,

(cid:151) parameters of a mandate for developing a legal

framework,

(cid:151) a

reporting

system including monitoring

and

assessment.

Intersessional meetings will also be important in facili-
tating and advancing UNFF’s work.

8. The Council stresses the importance it places on the
relevant organisations,
appropriate participation of all
instruments,
institutions, regional processes as well as
the private sector, NGOs and other major groups as
defined in Agenda 21 in the work of the UNFF.

9. The Council considers that the plan of action should be
seen as a process to support implementation of IPF/IFF

and

synergies between the organisations

10. The Council welcomes the recent establishment of the CPF.
It should support the work of the UNFF and enhance
cooperation and coordination amongst its participants, to
seek
the
instruments involved. CPF participants should undertake
joint programming that
consistent with policies,
is
strategies and activities promoted by the UNFF. The CPF
should act in a twofold manner: to coordinate inputs from
its various members to UNFF, and to take full account of
UNFF activities in its work. The Council is looking forward
to seeing concrete proposals on specific inputs and aspects
from CPF. The Council recognises that effective coor-
dination is only possible if States that are members of
adopt
the
coherent positions with respect to the individual agencies.

of CPF organisations

governing

bodies

importance

11. Reaffirming its April 2000 Conclusions,

the Council
attaches great
to Ecosoc’s decision that
within five years the UNFF will consider with a view to
recommending to the Ecosoc and through it
to the
General Assembly the parameters of a mandate for
developing a legal framework on all types of forests.

12. The Council considers that the main measure of the effec-
tiveness of the international arrangement on forests will be
its ability to fulfil
the goals, objectives and principal
functions set out in the Ecosoc Resolution and thereby
promote greater implementation of the IPF/IFF proposals
for action. The Council attaches great importance to the
review of the effectiveness of the arrangement in five years’
time. The review should be based on targets set for the
functions
international
of
objectives
the
arrangement of forests from the start.

and

the

13. The EU urges all partners to show a sustained commitment
to the implementation of the IPF/IFF proposals for action.
already committed to
The EU Member States
developing
to
strengthen sustainable forest management in Europe. As
the group of donors providing the largest volume of
grant funds for forests the EU is ready to take a leading
role, internationally, in the implementation process.

programmes

national

(NFPs)

forest

are

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14. One of the main challenges to achieving sustainable forest
management is to make it self-financing in the long run.
Public, private, domestic and international sources have
complementary roles
to play in achieving this goal.
Sustainable forest management is important in meeting
human needs and alleviating poverty.
In this context,
there is a continuing need for official development
flows (cid:151) especially to the poorest
assistance (ODA)
countries (cid:151) in support of NFPs,
including national
financing strategies, and for capacity building. The EU
remains
fully committed to development cooperation,
including to reaching the ODA target of 0,7 % of GNP
Innovative
by all donor countries as soon as possible.
work is also required on financial
instruments, which
will capture the full value of services provided by forests.

15. Further improvement in coordination of ODA so as to
ensure an integrated approach towards sustainable devel-
opment in general and SFM in particular, also continues to
be a priority for the EU. At the global level, the integrated
and coordinated follow-up of the series of UN conferences
and summits of the 1990s, in line with the Millennium
Declaration adopted by the Millennium Assembly of the
in September 2000 is of particular
United Nations
importance. The international development targets as elab-
orated in those conferences and agreed within the OECD
high-level meeting of DAC in 1996, provide a useful
framework to this end. The Council welcomes the work
done on a draft Code of conduct for forest sector devel-

opment cooperation of the European Community and the
EU Member States. The Council also welcomes
the
proposed collaborative action in support of national
forest programmes
through the NFP implementation
facility and UNDP programme on forests (Profor). The
EU has a key role to play in making both initiatives
successful.

16. Recalling the Council Resolution on forests and devel-
the EU will continue to
opment of November 1999,
assist developing countries to develop and implement
forest programmes in so far as the countries
national
concerned request
in their bilateral
such assistance
negotiations with donors within existing development
programmes.

17. Strengthened

is

of

political

commitment

utmost
importance for successful sustainable forest management.
the opportunity provided for
The Council welcomes
the UNFF to
ministers at
discuss
forest
and
management. The EU is of the view that high-level minis-
terial meetings should be organised twice over the five
years of the UNFF, the last one taking place at UNFF 5.

the high-level segments of

sustainable

decisions

take

on

18. A declaration by the high-level segment on achievements
made and further action to be taken towards sustainable
forest management would also constitute a valuable
message to the world summit on sustainable development.