11 June 2013: The UN Forum on Forests (UNFF) has announced the members of the bureau for its eleventh meeting (UNFF11) to be held in 2015 under the theme ‘Forests: progress, challenges and the way forward for the international arrangement on forests.’

The bureau is comprised of: Raphael Azeredo from Brazil, Wu Zhimin of China, Srećko Juričić of Croatia, Heikki Granholm of Finland, and Macharia Kamau of Kenya.

Tasks to be undertaken by the bureau include: selecting experts for the independent assessment on the past performance of UNFF; the means of implementation and the relationship of the non-legally binding instrument on all types of forests (NLBI) with other international conventions; a review of the UNFF Secretariat and the Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF); and consideration of the role of the UNFF within the UN sustainable development framework. The bureau will also support the preparations for the consideration of the future of the international arrangement on forests. [UNFF11 Bureau Website]