January 2014: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) has released the sixteenth edition of its newsletter on forests, InFO News, which features an editorial by Jan McAlpine, who recently completed her tenure as the Director of the UN Forum on Forests (UNFF).

The newsletter highlights the release of the FAO database on nutrition, food, agriculture, fisheries and forests as well as FAO contributions to and facilitation of discussions on forest management by indigenous peoples, local communities and smallholders.

Other FAO meetings and publications covered in the newsletter address the importance of secure tenure and access to basic infrastructure for mountain farmers, the role of forests in food and nutrition security, and the need for stakeholder engagement and scenario planning in the development of forest policies.

With regard to activities supported by FAO, the newsletter highlights the establishment of national mountain committees to support sustainable development in the Andes, the creation of a conservation corridor in West Africa, support for agro-environmental sustainability in Latin America, and an upcoming call for proposals to support governments, companies and organizations in eligible timber producing countries that are not currently participating in Voluntary Partnership Agreements with the European Union.

Other items covered in the newsletter include the ongoing reviews of the steering committee of the Collaborative Partnership on Mediterranean Forests and the Committee on Mediterranean Forestry Questions – Silva Mediterranea.

Finally, the newsletter reports on the proceedings and outcomes of Metsä2013, including the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)/FAO Forestry and Timber Section market statements for 2013/2014. [Publication: InFO News No.16]