9 March 2015: In support of stakeholder engagement in the UN Forum on Forests (UNFF) process, the UNFF Secretariat, the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the UN Department of Public Information (UNDPI) collaborated on the production of four television stories highlighting the contribution of forests to sustainable development.

The stories cover walnut harvesting in Kyrgyzstan, eco-tourism in the forests of Solomon Islands, how Moringa trees can combat malnutrition in Togo, and the protection of forests to save turtles in Trinidad and Tobago. The stories demonstrate how in low-forest cover countries, financing for sustainable forest management (SFM) can contribute to the broader economy and sustainable development.

In parallel, the Major Groups Partnership on Forests (MGPoF), which was established to support Major Groups’ participation in the UNFF, held a Major Groups Led Initiative (MGI) in Kathmandu, Nepal. The MGI 2015 considered the UNFF review process, explored case studies from other forest related processes such as the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO), and discussed options for strengthening the relationship between the Partnership and the UNFF.

The MGI 2015 was held 2-6 March 2015 with support from the ITTO and the Governments of Germany and Nepal. The meeting, the third in a series of initiatives, was held under the theme ‘Sustainable Forest Management – Designing the Vehicles for Securing the Means of Implementation.’ [UNFF Facilitative Process Press Release] [Website: MGI 2015]