EU Statement at the UN Forum on Forests

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Mr. Chairman, Excellencies, distinguished delegates,

 I am honoured to speak on behalf of the European Union and its 27 Member States.

First of all, let us warmly thank the panellists and the moderators for their contribution to this inspiring roundtable. We appreciate the focus on pointing out that sustainable forest-based solutions have great potential to address the triple planetary crisis. Let us highlight that Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) contributes to all three dimensions of sustainable development. Its balanced and holistic approach is in the core of the UNFF.

EU would first like to share some key messages.

• Forests are becoming a political issue of growing interest at all levels.
• The importance of sustainably managing all types of forests and of ensuring that consumption and production patterns are sustainable and don’t lead to deforestation and forest degradation.
• The importance of building the resilience of forests and forest-dependent communities to environmental challenges.
• The urgent need for addressing the increasing fragmentation of forest-related policies.
• The undeniable potential of the International Arrangement on Forests, while recalling its many struggles in delivering.

On the first question,

First of all, urbanization, land abandonment and rural depopulation poses major challenges in many regions:

• The lack of opportunities in rural areas and the low profitability of some forests hinders the implementation of sustainable forest management and nature-based solutions. So rural development and land-use planning and management are essential from a social, economic and environmental point of view.

Secondly, the fragmentation of forest-related policies at all levels and the need for stronger governance and coordination between public administrations, and more synergistic measures to move from a fragmented approach to an integrated and synergistic one.

On the second question, we agree that science, innovation, and technology are key to address the triple planetary crisis. Some key concepts:

• Interdisciplinary research on resilience to the triple planetary crisis and balancing trade-offs between multiple goals.
• Remote sensing and Artificial Intelligence (AI)’s potential for early warning systems
• Innovation in a sustainable and circular bioeconomy for instance within textiles and construction products

Finally the importance of the standardisation work of international organizations on cross definitions and encouraging closer collaboration and coordination between programs.

On the third question, we underscore the importance of finding innovative, diverse and mixed financial solutions, working closely with the private sector.

On the last question, the IAF and the UNFF, at its integral part, should continue focusing on promoting sustainable forest management as a dynamic and holistic concept taking into consideration all functions of forests and that addresses all dimensions of sustainable development.

The UNFF must leverage synergies with other relevant international forums, processes and agreements, and ensure that forest-related actions and solutions play a stronger role in all relevant global processes.

We consider that UNFF must capitalize on the potential of high-level segments like this one to raise awareness.

Let us conclude by highlighting that acting on the Triple Planetary Crisis in an ambitious, integrated and synergetic manner provides mutually reinforcing benefits for increasing resilience and securing sustainable livelihoods while reducing trade-offs.

I thank you for your attention.