Co-hosted by the Swiss and Australian governments, a region-led initiative (RLI) in support of the UN Forum on Forests (UNFF) was held in Geneva, Switzerland, from 28-30 January 2008.

The first of its kind, the RLI brought together 49 participants from forest-related regional and sub-regional organizations, UNFF 8 Bureau members, members of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests, and selected country experts. Participants identified priority areas for regional and sub-regional organizations, including implementation of sustainable forest management (SFM), capacity building and mobilization of financing. Participants expressed their views regarding challenges faced in implementing SFM, including: translating high-level policy into action; means of implementation and the need for information exchange; and integrating forestry issues into national development strategies. They also discussed the interaction between the regional and sub-regional organizations and UNFF.
Link to further information
Report of the meeting