10 August 2011: The UN Forum on Forests Secretariat has launched the first issue of its newsletter “Regional Voices,” reporting on several regional activities related to sustainable forest management.

The first issue highlights a recent conference in the European region, the FOREST EUROPE Ministerial Conference, held in Oslo in June 2011, where delegates agreed to begin negotiations on a legally binding instrument on European forests. It also outlines activities carried out by REPAR (the Network of Parliamentarians for the Sustainable Management of Forest Ecosystems in Central Africa) to fight climate change and desertification, including reforestation and stakeholder participation activities, and high-level meetings to review progress and formulate new recommendations. The Newsletter further highlights the work of the International Model Forests Network (IMFN), a Canadian initiative that is now active in 24 countries to facilitate exchanges of lessons learned in applying sustainable natural resource management, and advances in participatory forest management in Central Africa. [Publication: Regional Voices, Issue 1]