10 July 2018: On Tuesday, 10 July, on the sidelines of the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), the Permanent Mission of Austria to the UN and the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) organized an event to provide guidance to the Forum on the linkages between SDG 15 (life on land) and the other SDGs.

The event titled, ‘Forests and Water on a Changing Planet: Scientific Insights for Building Sustainable and Resilient Societies,’ also launched the Global Forest Expert Panel (GFEP) assessment report, ‘Forest and Water on a Changing Planet: Vulnerability, Adaptation and Governance Opportunities,’ which addresses, among other things, the climate-forest-water-people nexus.

During the event, speakers highlighted that: approximatey 75% of the world’s water supply comes from forested watersheds; forest ecosystems have strong interlinkages with the SDGs; and a stronger forest-water link can help policymakers make sound decisions.

Approximately 75% of the world’s water supply comes from forested watersheds.

GFEP Co-Chair Meine van Noordwijk, World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) and Wageningen University, said forests play a role in modifying rainfall and climate in a manner not captured under the UNFCCC. GFEP Co-Chair Irena Creed, University of Saskatchewan, stressed the need for new institutional and governance frameworks to optimize climate-forest-water management.

Joakim Harlin, UN Environment Programme (UNEP, or UN Environment) and UN-Water Vice-Chair, noted links between SDG 6 (clean water and sanitation) and SDG 15, including through SDG 6 target 6.6 (protect and restore water-related ecosystems). One participant suggested developing a synthesis report on SDG 6 and SDG 15 for the next HLPF. [Publication: Forest and Water on a Changing Planet: Vulnerability, Adaptation and Governance Opportunities] [IISD RS Coverage of Side Event on Water-Forest Linkages]