UN Member States convened on 13 April 2004 at UN Headquarters in New York for informal consultations in preparation for the September 2004 ad hoc expert group meeting on consideration with a view to recommending the parameters of a mandate for developing a legal framework on all types of forests.

The UN Forum on Forests (UNFF) Secretariat informed Member States about preparations for the meeting and participants engaged in a short exchange of views on how the meeting should be conducted. A compilation of views submitted for the September meeting was distributed and circulated, and will be available on the UNFF website. Participants also discussed how to facilitate selection of the co-chairs for the meeting. More information is available at: http://www.un.org/esa/forests/adhoc-legal.html