UNRIC Library Backgrounder: Forests

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• International Year of Forests 2011:
  http://www.un.org/en/events/iyof2011/
• International Day for Biological Diversity, 22 May 2011 – “Forest Biodiversity: Earth’s Living Treasure”:
  http://www.cbd.int/idb/2011/ 
• World Environment Day, 5 June 2011 – “Forests: Nature at your service”:
  http://www.unep.org/wed/

UN Entities

• United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF):
  http://www.un.org/esa/forests/index.html

Selected UN Documents

• Non-Legally Binding Instrument on All Types of Forests (NLBI):
  http://undocs.org/E/CN.18/2007/8(SUPP)
• “Forest Principles” (Non-legally Binding Authoritative Statement of Principles for a Global Consensus on the Management, Conservation and Sustainable Development of All Types of Forests (1992)):
  http://www.un.org/documents/ga/conf151/aconf15126-3annex3.htm
• Chapter 11 of Agenda 21 - Combating Deforestation:
  http://www.un.org/esa/dsd/agenda21/res_agenda21_11.shtml
• Forest Milestone Documents:
  http://www.un.org/esa/forests/about-history.html
• Documents and Reports of UN Forum on Forests:
  http://www.un.org/esa/forests/documents-unff.html
• Documents and Reports of the Intergovernmental Forum on Forests (IFF):
  http://www.un.org/esa/forests/documents-iff.html
• Documents and Reports of Intergovernmental Panel on Forests (IPF):
  http://www.un.org/esa/forests/documents-ipf.html

Selected Statements and Speeches of UN Officials

• Closing Ceremony of the International Year of Forests: Remarks by Mr. Sha Zukang, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, Secretary-General of the 2012 UN Conference on Sustainable Development (9 February 2012, New York):
  http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/usg/statements/international-year-of-forests-closing-3.html
• Secretary-General, in Remarks at Durban Side Event, Stresses Need for Partnerships to Reduce Deforestation, Promote ‘Green’ Growth (SG/SM/14005-ENV/DEV/1248, 7 December 2011):
  http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2011/sgsm14005.doc.htm
• Secretary-General, in Message, Urges All to Re-commit to Management, Conservation, Sustainable Development of All Types of Forests for ‘Our Collective Future’ (SG/SM/13580-ENV/DEV/1216-OBV/995, 18 May 2011): 
  http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2011/sgsm13580.doc.htm
• Joseph Deiss, President of the 65th session of the United Nations General Assembly, on the occasion of the global launch of the International Year of Forests (New York, 2 February 2011):
  http://www.un.org/en/ga/president/65/statements/forests20211.shtml
• 2011 International Year of Forests creates platform to educate about forests’ value — social, environmental costs of losing them, Secretary-General Says (SG/SM/13384-ENV/DEV/1189-OBV/960, 2 February 2011):
  http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2011/sgsm13384.doc.htm
• ‘Time for global action to protect forests is now, Secretary-General tells ‘Avoided Deforestation Partners’ Event at Cancun Climate Change Conference (SG/SM/13306-ENV/DEV/1173, 8 December 2010):
  http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2010/sgsm13306.doc.htm
• Secretary-General, in message, praises Scientific Union for playing essential role in strengthening long-term political commitment to sustainable forest management (SG/SM/13072-ENV/DEV/1152, 26 August 2010):
  http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2010/sgsm13072.doc.htm
• Partnership of developing, developed nations must respect forest-country sovereignty, support indigenous peoples, Secretary-General tells High-Level Event (SG/SM/12481-ENV/DEV/1078, 23 September 2009):
  http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2009/sgsm12481.doc.htm
• Secretary-General remarks at press conference on Programme To Reduce Deforestation In Developing Countries (SG/SM/11812-ENV/DEV/1007, 24 September 2008):
  http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2008/sgsm11812.doc.htm

Further information

• Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) – Forestry:
  http://www.fao.org/forestry/en/
  • International Year of Forests 2011:
    http://www.fao.org/forestry/iyf2011/en/
  • Regional Forestry Commissions:
    http://www.fao.org/forestry/46199/en/
  • Committee on Forestry:
    http://www.fao.org/forestry/cofo/en/
• Secretariat of the Convention on Biodiversity (CBD) - Forest Biodiversity:
  http://www.cbd.int/forest/
• Secretariat of the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) - Sustainable Forest Management:
  http://www.thegef.org/gef/SFM
• Secretariat of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD):
  http://www.unccd.int
• Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) 
  • REDD Web Platform:
    http://unfccc.int/methods_science/redd/items/4531.php
  • Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF):
    http://unfccc.int/methods_and_science/lulucf/items/1084.php
• United Nations Commission for Europe (UNECE) – Forestry and Timber:
  http://live.unece.org/forests/welcome.html
• United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) – Forests:
  http://www.unep.org/forests/
  • Climate Neutral Network:
    http://www.unep.org/climateneutral/Topics/Forestry/tabid/145/Default.aspx
• United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) - The World Heritage Forest Programme:
  http://whc.unesco.org/en/forests
• The United Nations Collaborative Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries (UN-REDD):
  http://www.un-redd.org/
• United Nations University (UNU) - Interactive Course Module on Forestry, Forest Policy and Economics:
  http://foper.unu.edu/
• World Bank - Forests and Forestry:
  http://go.worldbank.org/VIQE69YFZ0
• United Nations Photo: International Year of Forests - Forests and People
  http://www.unmultimedia.org/photo/gallery.jsp?query=subject%3A%22International%20Year%20of%20Forests:%20Forests%20and%20People%22

Selected Publications available online

• Mountain Forests in a Changing World: Realizing values, addressing challenges (FAO, 2011):
  http://www.mountainpartnership.org/common/files/pdf/web_TKohler.pdf
• European Forest Sector Outlook Study II: 2010-2030 (UNECE, 2011):
  http://www.unece.org/forests-welcome/areas-of-work/forestsoutlookwelcome/forestsoutlookoutputsmop1/efsos-ii-2010-2030.html
• Forest Products Annual Market Review 2010-2011 (UNECE, 2011):
  http://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/publications/timber/FPAMR_2010-2011_HQ.pdf
• Our Planet, June 2011: “Forests – Nature at your service”:
  http://www.unep.org/pdf/op_june/EN/OP-2011-06-EN-FULLVERSION.pdf
• TUNZA – The UNEP Magazine for Youth, Vol. 9 No.1, 2011: “Forests and trees”:
  http://www.unep.org/pdf/Tunza_9.1_Eng_lr.pdf
• Forests in a Green Economy: A Synthesis' (UNEP, May 2011):
  http://www.unep.org/pdf/PressReleases/UNEP-ForestsGreenEco-basse_def_version_normale.pdf 
• Framework for Assessing and Monitoring Forest Governance (FAO / World Bank, 2011):
  http://www.fao.org/climatechange/27526-0cc61ecc084048c7a9425f64942df70a8.pdf
• State of the World's Forests - SOFO (published every two years by FAO):
  http://www.fao.org/forestry/sofo/en/
• unasylva: An international journal of forestry and forest industries (FAO):
  http://www.fao.org/forestry/unasylva/en/
• Global Forest Resources Assessment 2010 (FAO):
  http://www.fao.org/forestry/fra/fra2010/en/
• Vital Forest Graphics (UNEP, 2009):
  http://www.grida.no/_res/site/file/publications/vital_forest_graphics.pdf
• Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing countries (REDD): A Guide for Indigenous Peoples (UNU-IAS, November 2008):
  http://www.ias.unu.edu/sub_page.aspx?catID=7&ddlID=731
• Our Planet, September 2008: “Living Legacy - The future of forests”:
  http://www.unep.org/pdf/ourplanet/OP-2008-09-en-FULLVERSION.pdf
• Forests Sourcebook: practical guidance for sustaining forests in development cooperation (World Bank, April 2008):
  http://siteresources.worldbank.org/EXTFORSOUBOOK/Resources/completeforestsourcebookapril2008.pdf
• TUNZA - The UNEP Magazine for Youth, Vol. 4 No. 3, 2006: “Forests”:
  http://www.ourplanet.com/tunza/issue0403en/