The UN Forum on Forests’ ad hoc expert group on approaches and mechanisms for monitoring, assessment and reporting met at the Palais des Nations in Geneva from 8 to 12 December 2003, following which the ad hoc expert group on finance and transfer of environmentally sound technologies (TESTs) convened from 15 to 19 December 2003.

Both groups developed a number of recommendations that will be forwarded to the UNFF.
Ad Hoc Expert Group on Monitoring, Assessment and Reporting: As decided by UNFF at its third session, this group’s tasks included: assessing existing reporting requirements under relevant international conventions, processes, instruments and organizations; assessing existing monitoring and assessment procedures in international conventions, processes, instruments and organizations related to forests; proposing ways for the Forum to monitor and assess progress based on voluntary reporting by countries, members of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF), and other relevant organizations and international and regional processes; proposing an outline for voluntary reporting to the Forum; recommending options for drawing upon the reports provided to Forum sessions to identify trends and lessons learned; and developing recommendations on how to build capacity in countries, including the increase of resources for that goal, for monitoring, assessment and reporting, taking into account the special needs of developing countries.
The group’s recommendations include suggestions that the UNFF: call for greater efforts of international organizations and instruments to identify areas of overlap and redundancy in reporting and inconsistencies in information reported; invite FAO and other CPF members, criteria and indicators processes, and other relevant organizations and instruments to cooperate in preparing a document that provides a global overview of progress toward sustainable forest management for UNFF-5 consideration; continue monitoring and assessing progress in the implementation of the IPF/IFF proposals for action according to established practices until UNFF-5, after which countries could use their national forest programmes or equivalents as one method to demonstrate progress in implementation to the international community; and recommend that there be greater coherence and linkage between reports generated for domestic purposes and international reporting, using, where possible, reports generated domestically on implementation of national forest programmes or their equivalent, reflecting the implementation of international commitments. The advance, unedited meeting report can be accessed at: http://www.un.org/esa/forests/pdf/aheg/mar/adv-uned_final-ahegmar030104.pdf. Documents for the meeting and more information on the ad hoc group can be accessed at: http://www.un.org/esa/forests/adhoc-monitor.html
Ad Hoc Expert Group on Finance and Transfer of Environmentally Sound Technologies (TESTs): This group’s terms of reference include: considering previous initiatives on finance; assessing the role and status of official development assistance (ODA) directed towards sustainable forest management and considering ways for enhancing its availability and effectiveness; reviewing the effectiveness of existing international financing for sustainable forest management; proposing measures to improve the effectiveness of that financing; exploring the potential of new and innovative approaches to attract increased financing for sustainable forest management; assessing country experiences towards mobilization of financial resources to support sustainable forest management; assessing and considering the role of the private sector in financing sustainable forest management; reviewing and assessing existing initiatives on the transfer of environmentally sound technologies and knowledge diffusion for the promotion of sustainable forest management; and recommending approaches to improve transfer of forest-related environmentally sound technologies.
The group’s December recommendations included the call for UNFF to recommend that Member States and CPF members facilitate the flow of information on environmentally sound technologies to forest related educational establishments by developing links to information networks, and by strengthening cooperation with enterprises and public institutions using environmentally sound technologies. UNFF was also encouraged to urge that the promotion of private investment be included in national SFM financing strategies and include all types of forests and forest activities, and that countries take measures to improve rent capture from forest management and develop capacity building programmes targeted at decision makers in forestry financing. The advance, unedited report of the meeting can be accessed at: http://www.un.org/esa/forests/pdf/aheg/finance-tests/adv-uned_final-ahegf-tests080104.pdf. Documents for the meeting and more information on the ad hoc group can be accessed at: http://www.un.org/esa/forests/adhoc-finance.html