04 January 2008 – The Philippine Mission to the United Nations in New York reported to the Department of Foreign Affairs that the UN General Assembly (UNGA) adopted last December 17, a resolution approving the non-legally binding instrument on all types of forests as endorsed by the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF) at its seventh Session held last April.

The UNGA President hailed the adoption of the General Assembly of the resolution as a reflection of the strong international commitment to promote the implementation of sustainable forest management through a new and more holistic approach that brings all stakeholders together.

Current UNFF Chair Hans Hoogoeveen of the Netherlands, considered the adoption of the instrument as historic. It has taken governments 15 years since the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 to conclude its negotiations on a global approach to protect the world’s forests, the last remaining hope for the world to avert climate change. According to Mr. Hoogoeveen, the outcome of UNFF-7 is rightly seen as a milestone to also enhance the achievement of the Millenium Development Goals (MDG). He stressed the important linkage between forests and climate change.

In ensuring the involvement of the next generation of future leaders and decision makers of the world in the sustainable development of forests, the Government of the Netherlands has decided to establish the UNFF-Netherlands Fellowship that will provide students from all over the world the opportunity to pursue studies in the field of international forest policy.

Incoming UNFF-8 Chair Boen Purnama, Secretary General of Ministry of Forestry of Indonesia, stated that the adoption of the non-legally binding instrument of all types of forests, UNGA affirmed the crucial contribution of forests to the achievement of broader international development goals, sustainable development and the protection of the earth’s fragile environment.

According to Pekka Patossari, Director of the UNFF Secretariat, the resolution adopting the instrument was a major step toward the creation of a new “people-centered” forest policy.

UN Philippine Permanent Representative Hilario Davide Jr. expressed that the Philippines has been an active participant in the negotiations of the non-legally binding instrument on all types of forests during the UNFF past sessions. He cited the Philippines’ success in the inclusion in the instrument the “Means of Implementation for Sustainable Forest Management in the Multi-year Programme of Work”, as well as pushing for the inclusion of the clause “law enforcement” in lieu of the controversial concept of “good governance” in the non-legally binding instrument. END.