The International Day of Forests will be observed for the first time on 21 March 2013. Considering that there was no globally-recognized date commemorating and raising awareness on this issue, the UN General Assembly (UNGA) adopted a resolution in December 2012, on the recommendation of its Second Committee, proclaiming 21 March the annual International Day of Forests. The text encourages member States to organize annual events on forests and trees outside forests, including, for example, tree-planting campaigns. The draft requests the Secretariat of the UN Forum on Forests (UNFF) to act as the facilitator of the International Day in collaboration with governments, the Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF) and other relevant organizations.  

date: 21 March 2013   location: worldwide   contact: UN Forum on Forests   phone: +1 212 963 3401 / +1 917 367 4244   fax: +1 917 367 3186   e-mail: unff@un.org   www: http://www.un.org/esa/forests/