CREATING AWARENESS ON THE NON-LEGALLY BINDING INSTRUMENT ON ALL TYPES OF FORESTS

1. CREATING AWARENESS ON THE NON-LEGALLY BINDING INSTRUMENT ON ALL TYPES OF FORESTS Peter Gondo

2. Session1: INTRODUCTION TO THE NLBI/FOREST INSTRUMENT • BACKGROUND AND ORIGIN OF THE NLBI • PURPOSE OF THE NLBI • Guiding Principles of the NLBI • National policies and measures of the NLBI

3. BACKGROUND AND ORIGIN OF THE NLBI • Forests cover one third of the world’s land area • 4billion ha; India- 78 million ha (68million ha 2010FRA) • 1.6 billion people depend on forests for their livelihood • High rate of deforestation -13 million ha. p.a. (-0.1% • India- afforestation rate of 0.21% p.a. • 17% of GHG emissions (global) • < 6% under management • US$ 1-1.5 trillion in lost revenue (TEEB 2010) • Finding ways to ensure that forests benefit present and future generations is the essence of sustainable forest management.

4. A milestone event • Rio conventions (UNFCC, CBD, UNCCD) • Agenda 21 • ForestPrinciples • IPF/IFF proposalsforaction • UNFF (2000) • Global objectivesonForests (2006) • NLBI (2007)

5. United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF) • Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Resolution E/2000/35, (2000) • International arrangement on forests • Establishing the UNFFas subsidiary body of ECOSOC • Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF) • Facilitative Process • Multi-stakeholder dialogue • Objectives: • Promote the management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests • Strengthen long-term political commitment

6. Principal functions of UNFF • Facilitate implementation of forest-related agreements and foster common understanding SFM • Provide for continued policy development and dialogue among Governments, international organizations, and major groups, to address forest issues and emerging areas of concern in a holistic, comprehensive and integrated manner, • Enhance cooperation, policy and programme coordination on forest-related issues • Foster international cooperation • Monitor, assess and report on progress

7. UNFF functions • Strengthen political commitment to SFM • Enhance contribution of forests to achievement of the internationally agreed development goals,( MDGs, Johannesburg Declaration and the JPI of the WSSD), • Encourage and assist countries develop and implement SFM strategies, • Strengthen interaction between the UNFF, relevant regional and sub regional forest-related mechanisms, institutions and instruments, organizations and processes,

8. Global Objectives on Forests (2006) • Reverse the loss of forest cover • Enhance forest-based economic, social and environmental benefits • Increase the area of sustainably managed forests and proportion of products from sustainably managed forests • Reverse the decline in official development assistance (ODA)

9. Non-Legally Binding Instrument on All types of forests (NLBI) • Forest Instrument • May 2007; • Why NLBI? • Forests and trees provide multiple economic, social and environmental benefits • Existing consensus on forests: Forest principles, IPF/IFF proposals for action, resolutions and decisions of UNFF; • Impact of climate change on forests, contribution of forests to addressing climate change

10. Why NLBI • Need to strengthen political commitment and collective efforts at all levels • Mobilize increased financial resources, capacity development and transfer of technology • No agreement on Forest Convention or other legal arrangement • Keep international forest dialogue alive in absence of legally binding agreement

11. Guiding Principles • The instrument is voluntary and non-legally binding • Each State is responsible for the sustainable management of its forests and for the enforcement of its forest-related laws • Major groups, local communities, forest owners and other relevant stakeholders should be involved in a transparent and participatory way • Achieving SFM depends on significantly increased, new and additional financial resources • Achieving SFM also depends on good governance • International cooperation is crucial

12. Components • National policies and measures • International cooperation and means of implementation

13. National policies and measures • Develop and implement NFPs or similar strategies for SFM and integrate them into strategies for sustainable development incl. PRS • Consider the seven thematic elements of SFM • Promote the use of management tools to assess the environmental impact; promote good environmental practices • Develop/implement policies that encourage SFM to provide a wide range of goods and services, contribute to poverty reduction and the development of rural communities • Promote efficient production and processing of forest products

14. National policies and measures • Support the protection and use of traditional forest-related knowledge and practices incl. fair and equitable sharing of benefits • Further develop and implement C&I for SFM • Create enabling environments for investment by private sector, communities + other forest • Develop financing strategies taking into account all funding sources • Encourage recognition of range of values from forests and ways to reflect such values in the marketplace

15. National policies and measures • Enhance cross sectoral policy and programme coordination to integrate the forest sector into national decision-making processes • Integrate national forest programmes or other strategies of SFM into national sustainable development strategies e.g. PRSs • Establish or strengthen partnerships and joint programmes with stakeholders • Review and improve forest legislation, strengthen forest law enforcement, promote good governance • Address threats to forest health and vitality from natural disasters and human activities

16. National policies and measures • Develop or expand, and maintain networks of protected forest areas • Assess the conditions and management effectiveness of existing protected areas • Strengthen the contribution of science and research in advancing SFM; • Promote the development and application of scientific and technological innovations, incl. for local communities • Strengthen public understanding of the importance and benefits of forests and SFM

17. National policies and measures • Promote access to and support formal and informal education, extension and training, for implementation of SFM • Support education, training and extension programmes involving local and indigenous communities, forest workers and forest owners • Promote active and effective participation of major groups, local communities, forest owners and other relevant stakeholders

18. National policies and measures • Encourage the private sector and civil society organizations to implement voluntary instruments such as certification, • Enhance access by households, small-scale forest owners and communities to forest resources and markets

19. Monitoring, assessment and reporting • Member states noted importance of monitoring and reporting and agreed as follows: • Member States should monitor and assess progress on the instrument. • Member States should submit, on a voluntary basis, taking into account availability of resources and the requirements of other bodies or instruments, national progress reports to the Forum.

20. Exercise 1.1: Relating existing national forestry development framework to the NLBI policies and measures • In country groups, participants should indicate the type of forest development framework they are using i.e. NFP, Forest Master Plan or other equivalent and when it was developed or adopted. • Which of the national policies and measures are being implemented in your country? • This exercise will help participants to reflect and relate the policies and measures to their own situations. • Time: This exercise should take 45 minutes