21 March 2015: Under the theme ‘Forests | Climate | Change,’ the family of United Nations organizations commemorated the International Day of Forests with a number of events, announcements and reports, many of which emphasized the important role of forests in climate mitigation and adaptation.

In his statement, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon described the value of forests in supporting cultures and livelihoods, mitigating climate change, providing freshwater and protecting people from natural disasters. He called for increased investments and commitments to reduce deforestation, manage forests sustainably, and build a climate-resilient future.

Ahead of the Day, an event on forests and a climate smart future was convened at UN Headquarters in New York, US and brought together representatives from the UN Forum on Forests (UNFF) Secretariat, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the Government of Gabon, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Discussions focused on the important role of forests in climate change mitigation and adaptation as well as the need to implement the New York Declaration on Forests.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) prepared outreach materials for the Day, releasing a video highlighting the links between forests and climate change, a forest quiz, posters and banners, and a listing of tree planting ceremonies to be held globally. FAO also released the findings of its assessment of forest-based carbon emissions titled, ‘FAO assessment of forests and carbon stocks, 1990–2015.’ The report cites a drop in total emissions of 25% between 2001 and 2015 and attributes it to a reduction in the global rate of deforestation. The assessment also notes that emissions from forest degradation have increased from 0.4 to 1 Gigatonnes (Gt) of carbon dioxide (CO2) over the same period. As such, Jose Graziano da Silva, FAO Director-General, called for an increased focus on the sustainable management of forests in combination with investments in sustainable agriculture to reduce pressure on forest ecosystems.

Publications were also released by the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) and the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). The ITTO ‘Voluntary guidelines for the sustainable management of natural tropical forests’ updates a 1990 policy guidance document, while the ‘Technical guide on the quantification of carbon benefits in ITTO projects’ provides step-by-step advice for forest managers in measuring the carbon benefits of their forest projects. In a separate publication, ‘Forests in the ECE region: Trends and Challenges in Achieving the Global Objectives on Forests,’ the UNECE notes that while forest cover is growing in the region, the income generated by forests and its related sectors is declining. The report calls for urgent reforms to the sector.

Finally, and also to mark the Day, Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), called for increased voluntary reporting on forest ecosystem restoration within the framework of climate change, highlighting the Forest Ecosystem Restoration Initiative (FERI) as a tool to support countries in meeting restoration targets. He also announced the signing of an agreement with the Korea Forest Service to strengthen FERI. [International Day of Forests Website] [UN Secretary General Statement] [UN Special Event – Create a Climate Smart Future] [UN Press Release] [FAO Press Release] [CBD Statement] [ITTO Press Release] [UNECE Press Release] [Publication: Voluntary guidelines for the sustainable management of natural tropical forests] [Publication: Technical guide on the quantification of carbon benefits in ITTO projects]