4 February 2011: The ninth session of the UN Forum on Forests (UNFF 9), which focused on the theme “Forests for people, livelihoods and poverty eradication,” convened from 24 January-4 February 2011, at UN Headquarters in New York, US, and brought together over 700 participants to address: the International Year of Forests (Forests 2011); forests for people, livelihoods and poverty eradication; and means of implementation for sustainable forest management (SFM).

Delegates also attended a two-day High-Level Segment, which included the official launch of Forests 2011, and four High-Level Roundtables on: forests and people; forests and finance; “forests-plus;” and forests and Rio+20 (UN Conference on Sustainable Development, or UNCSD). A Ministerial Declaration was adopted on 3 February.

Delegates also participated in a Multi-stakeholder Dialogue and a panel discussion on food, energy and economic challenges, with a special focus on women and children. Delegates spent much of their time discussing aspects and sharing national experiences and lessons learned on the theme “Forests for People, Livelihoods and Poverty Eradication,” identifying concrete means through which SFM can contribute to poverty eradication and human well-being. Delegates adopted the Resolution on Forests for People, Livelihoods and Poverty Eradication, which includes sections on: assessment of progress for achieving the Global Objectives on Forests and implementing the Forest Instrument; regional cooperation; Forests 2011; enhanced cooperation; means of implementation; and actions for states and other relevant actors regarding forests for people, livelihoods and poverty eradication.

Some debate was held on whether to refer to the outcomes of the 16th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 16) to the UNFCCC (Cancun Climate Change Conference) in the final resolution. On enhanced cooperation, there were objections to highlighting cooperation between the UNFF and UNFCCC Secretariats in relation to forest-related decisions taken by the UNFCCC to promote synergies with SFM. The final resolution refers instead to all Rio Conventions. [IISD RS Coverage of UNFF 9] [UNFF 9 Website]