The Chair of the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF), Mr. İsmail Belen has briefed Permanent Missions in New York on the ongoing preparations for the Forum’s twentieth session (UNFF20), scheduled to hold from 5 to 9 May 2025 at the UN Headquarters.
At a virtual briefing held on 4 April, Mr. Belen outlined the key organizational and thematic priorities for the session, which will focus on Global Forest Goals 1, 3 and 5.
These goals address reversing the loss of forest cover, enhancing forest-based economic, social and environmental benefits, and promoting governance frameworks to implement sustainable forest management.
The session, which comes amid increasing climate concerns and biodiversity loss, is expected to explore practical strategies for accelerating global forest restoration and sustainable management.
However, Mr. Belen also raised concerns over the impact of the UN’s ongoing liquidity crisis on the Forum’s operations.
He explained how austerity measures resulting from the global body’s financial limitations would influence the modalities and delivery of UNFF20. His remarks were circulated to UNFF National Focal Points and relevant stakeholders.
Responding to questions from participants, the UNFF Secretariat and the Forum’s Secretary provided updates on session logistics and acknowledged the challenges posed by the current financial constraints.
Despite these limitations, the Forum reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring productive deliberations and outcomes during UNFF20.
By Dare Akogun
