1 April 2009: In a speech to a meeting on climate change and forests, which took place on 1 April 2009, in London, UK, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed the launch of the Rainforest Project by the Prince of Wales, the host of the meeting.

Secretary-General Ban stated that the Project is “the principle of sustainability put into practice,” with benefits for the local and global communities, as well as a catalyst for green growth. Ban emphasized that the Rainforest Project provides a model to effectively combat climate change, as it gives people the required tools, resources and hope to move towards a lower-carbon economy. On behalf of the UN system, Ban welcomed the Forest Financing Mechanism Working Group proposed by the Prince of Wales. [The speech]