Mr. Manoel Sobral Filho, the new Director of the UN Forum on Forests Secretariat in UN DESA, has devoted his life to forests. In his conversation with DESA News, he highlights key challenges and opportunities for forests, and how 2015 is truly a year for global action for forests.
“I started working as a trainee in a large forest development project in Brazil,” explains Mr. Sobral, who was appointed as the new UNFFS Director by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, and took office in the fall of 2014. With a background in science, he describes how his lifelong mission to sustain the world’s forests began over 40 years ago.
Early in his career, Mr. Sobral had the opportunity to live and work in the Amazon region for six years, “working in the heart of the forest”. Since then, Mr. Sobral gained extensive experience on global forest issues, from serving as the Director of Brazil’s Forest Product Research Center at the National Institute of Amazonian Research and, to more recently, as Executive Director of the International Tropical Timber Organisation (ITTO).
“We are at a time where all the values of forests are being recognized”
Forests are vital for the planet’s well-being
“Forests are connected to water, energy, food security, climate,” Mr. Sobral says, as he highlights the fundamental importance of these ecosystems for the well-being of people and the planet.
Forest catchments are responsible for 75 per cent of the world’s freshwater, nine per cent of global clean renewable energy is derived from forests, 80 per cent of the terrestrial biodiversity is in forests and some 20 per cent of the world’s population depend on them for their livelihood.
“As much as we consider forests valuable, there are many services that forests provide that are public services and public goods,” he says, describing some of the main challenges that the world is facing today. “It is so difficult to make people pay for these public goods. As a result, we have been losing forests, in particular natural forests,” he adds.
“The first challenge is how do we protect these forests, how do you avoid illegal deforestation and illegal degradation,” Mr. Sobral points out. He notes that many developing countries face pressing social and economic needs, which are often prioritized over forest issues. “This is really our main challenge,” Mr. Sobral underlines. In this regard, he stresses the importance of mechanisms to mobilize financing for sustainable forest management, to enable “payments to the ones that own them, and the ones that derive the livelihoods from them.”
2015 is the year for global action
Looking ahead, Mr. Sobral shares the main opportunities brought forward by the new post-2015 development agenda. “We are at a time where all the values of forests are being recognized,” he says. Noting the convergence of timing in various international discussions – from the post-2015 development agenda and financing for development, to the International Arrangement on Forests, and climate change; he notes that 2015 offers a “rare political opportunity to integrate forests” into the framework for action until 2030.
“One of the services that forests provide is in storing carbon. It is one of the most economical ways of doing so,” Mr. Sobral explains. “So there are already mechanisms to reward forests for that and if this is mainstreamed in the agreement that is in sight for Paris, it will be an opportunity that we have been able to seize,” he adds, pointing to the prospects of the upcoming COP21 in Paris, later this year.
Mr. Sobral also highlights how issues related to financing and means of implementation were critical issues for forests. In this regard, he notes the important opportunity presented by the upcoming Third International Conference on Financing for Development in Addis Ababa in July. “This is the year that the members of the United Nations will decide on how to progress faster towards implementation of sustainable forest management.”
“This is the year that the members of the United Nations will decide on how to progress faster towards implementation of sustainable forest management”
Responding to the global call for action Forests are an integral part of the proposed 17 Sustainable Development Goals, and are specifically referenced in two of the proposed goals, notes Mr. Sobral. He shares with DESA News how the UNFF Secretariat has been working with partners in the global efforts in 2015 that will bring about the new sustainable development agenda.
The Forum is now at a crossroads, explains Mr. Sobral, describing how this year the UNFF will review the International Arrangement on Forests (IAF) and decide on “its own agenda beyond 2015”. “There is recognition that much more has to be done – much more in action, not only in dialogue and policy development,” he adds.
A recent meeting in New York brought together forest experts to discuss the post-2015 IAF, paving the way for discussions at the 11th session of the UN Forum on Forests to be held from 4 to 15 May 2015 in New York. Mr. Sobral points out that some of the key messages from the meeting focus on how to support implementation of sustainable forest policy, at all levels – international, regional and national.
“The performance of the future IAF and UNFF will be assessed years from now, and its success will be really measured against implementation targets,” Mr. Sobral says. He notes that experts also put forth various options for strengthening the current IAF, including consideration of strategic trust funds, strategic action plans, and mechanisms to facilitate greater access to means of implementation for sustainable forest management.
Youth will take centre stage at the United Nations on 2 and 3 February during the annual Economic and Social Council’s (ECOSOC) Youth Forum, exploring the role of young people in the transition from the Millennium Development Goals to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The event will give the world’s youth a powerful platform to engage in dialogue with decision-makers on development issues most important to them.
“In order to arrive at an inclusive and people-centred post-2015 development agenda, it is more crucial than ever to explore and advocate for young people’s development priorities for the future,” ECOSOC President Martin Sajdik said, illustrating the importance of youth participation. “We cannot discuss the future development goals without bringing the voices of young people into discussions to give them the opportunity to shape the future they want”.
“In the world today, we have 1.8 billion young people. This is a ready asset that we have to put to use,” Vivian Onano, Global Youth Ambassador for ‘A World at School’ and one of the Forum’s panellists said. “We need to use youth as our champions so that they can be able to implement the SDGs into our local communities and also in our countries. The only way we can achieve this goal is making it inclusive of everyone, so young people have to be at the forefront.”
“We are going to show […] that we are not the leaders of tomorrow, we are the leaders of today,” Marie Masson from Denmark said.
“In order to arrive at an inclusive and people-centred post-2015 development agenda, it is more crucial than ever to explore and advocate for young people’s development priorities for the future”
Martin Sajdik
ECOSOC President
As the international community gets ready to implement a new set of Sustainable Development Goals, youth delegates from every continent are eager to weigh in with their visions for a more inclusive and sustainable future.
“In 2030, I see a world where all children have access to education,” said Xiuxiu Yan, a youth delegate from China.
Unemployment, healthcare, income inequality and the empowerment of women also rank high as development issues most important to youth. Vivian puts gender equality on the top of her list: “I want a world where each and every child has access to opportunities, regardless of their gender,” she said.
Platform to contribute with unique skills
The Youth Forum has been hosted at UN headquarters in New York every year since 2012, providing a broad platform for young people from around the world to highlight their insights and visions on development issues. With the number of young people globally continuing to grow, they need to be increasingly included in development efforts. They also bring unique skills and viewpoints to a world that is becoming increasingly interconnected.
“Young people have never been more educated or connected through social media as today,” Ahmad Alhendawi, the UN’s Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Youth said in his message calling for youth to participate in the Forum. “We need youth on board to move this agenda forward. It is our job to leave no one behind.”
Bridging MDG momentum with new development agenda
2015 will be a year of transition, when the world will graduate from the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and move onto a new development agenda based on a set of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These goals, seventeen in total, will address current development issues that range from climate change to education, healthcare and poverty. Much like the MDGs, they set clear, measurable targets for the international community to work towards.
The MDGs have been named the most successful anti-poverty push in history, reaching groundbreaking results in education, child and maternal mortality and the scaling back of non-communicable diseases. But areas remain where the targets are still out of reach. The SDGs will aim to build upon the successes of the MDGs and make for an inclusive, all-encompassing post-2015 development agenda that is action-oriented, ‘aspirational’ and global in nature. Including youth in both the drafting and implementation of the news goals is therefore vital, as they do not only bring fresh, new perspectives to the debate, but they will ultimately be responsible for a large part of its implementation.
“We need youth on board to move this agenda forward. It is our job to leave no one behind”
Ahmad Alhendawi
UN’s Secretary General’s Special Envoy on Youth
Original approach
The Forum will shine a light on the improvements in development since the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals in the year 2000, as well as serve as a podium for new, original approaches to issues that affect youth and their communities.
“ECOSOC is the platform where we debate on how to bring more sustainability to this world,” Lasha Shakulashvili, a Youth Delegate from Georgia, said, explaining why the Youth forum is the perfect platform for young people to bring up their issues. “We can globally unite our efforts around great ideas”.
ECOSOC is the UN’s principal body for coordination, policy review, policy dialogue and recommendations on economic, social and environmental issues, and on 2 February, the UN headquarters in New York will be buzzing with the excitement and energy of the world’s youth, and all the insights, issues and innovative ideas they will bring to the table.
Focused on the theme “Rethinking and Strengthening Social Development in the Contemporary World”, the 53rd Commission for Social Development, taking place on 4-13 February, will kick off a year of reflection and strategic planning among the intergovernmental bodies of the UN. As part of this event, a major campaign will be launched to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the Copenhagen Declaration and Programme of Action. For inclusion. For equality. For people.
Chaired by Ambassador Simona Mirela Miculescu of Romania, the 53rd session is expected to attract more than 500 representatives from various ECOSOC organizations attending the event in New York. This year’s priority theme, “Rethinking and Strengthening Social Development in the Contemporary World”, was chosen with attention to the proposed new global development agenda to succeed the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), currently under deliberation in the General Assembly.
2015 also marks the 20th Anniversary of the first World Summit for Social Development, held in Copenhagen in 1995, a prime opportunity to reflect on the approach to social progress and the contributions of effective social policy to wider development goals.
“The Commission provides an ideal opportunity to focus on the role of social development as a key component of sustainable development and to identify effective means of placing people at the centre of the anticipated post-2015 development agenda,” highlighted Ms. Daniela Bas, Director of UN DESA’s Division for Social Policy and Development (DSPD) ahead of the event.
Deliberations during the Commission will take the form of general discussion as well as high-level interactive dialogues. Several scheduled side-events also promise to add to the depth of dialogue on the theme of the session.
“The Commission provides an ideal opportunity to focus on the role of social development as a key component of sustainable development and to identify effective means of placing people at the centre of the anticipated post-2015 development agenda”
Daniela Bas
Director, UN DESA’s Division for Social Policy and Development
Member States are expected to negotiate four resolutions during the Commission. These resolutions will address issues related to social development on the African continent, older persons, youth and persons with disabilities.
Civil Society Forum
As in previous years, a civil society forum will be held one day prior to the opening of the Commission. On 3 February, prominent civil society actors, representatives of Member States and officials of the United Nations will come together to reflect on key issues related to this year’s priority theme as well as the upcoming post-2015 development agenda.
The Forum provides a platform for civil society representatives to exchange views on important issues of social development and contribute to the overall outcomes of the Commission.
Relevant conclusions of the forum and a related Civil Society Declaration will be presented to the Commission during the official opening.
Emerging issues and priority theme
Three high-level discussions will inform the work of the 53rd session of the Commission. The first one, scheduled for the afternoon of 4 February, will focus on analyzing this year’s priority theme “Rethinking and Strengthening Social Development in the Contemporary World”.
Among the speakers are Honourable Baklai Temengil, Minister of Community and Cultural Affairs of Palau, and Ms. Priti Darooka, Founder and Executive Director of the Programme for Women’s Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (PWESCR). The panel will be moderated by Mr. Michal Boni, Member of the European Parliament from Poland.
A panel discussion on “Emerging issues” will also be held during the Commission, focusing on the “Contributions of Social Development to the Transition from Millennium Development Goals to Sustainable Development Goals.” The panel will be moderated by Ms. Sarah Cook, Director of the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD) and will feature speakers from other system organizations, representatives of Member States and research experts focused on issues of social development.
Commemorating the 20th Anniversary of the World Summit for Social Development
The third high-level event will commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the World Summit for Social Development held in Copenhagen, on 6-12 March 1995. The Summit’s outcome, the Copenhagen Declaration and Programme of Action, constituted an agreement to give social development goals the highest priority. It set an ambitious people-centred agenda aimed to promote social progress, justice and the betterment of the human condition, based on full participation by all.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is expected to address the Commission during the commemoration event. A keynote address will also be delivered by Mr. Juan Somavia, the Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Inter-regional Policy Cooperation and Chair of the Preparatory Committee of the World Summit for Social Development.
For inclusion. For equality. For people.
“We don’t want to just promote what we perceive as effective social policies, we want to learn how the term ‘effective’ is interpreted in practice, on the ground, in daily life”
Daniela Bas
Director, UN DESA’s Division for Social Policy and Development
To support the commemoration of the 20th Anniversary of the Copenhagen Declaration and Programme of Action, DSPD will launch a period of reflection on social progress to date and the challenges ahead. Beginning with the 53rd session of the Commission of Social Development and running throughout 2015, communication efforts of the division will give special attention to the role and contributions of social development to the process and practice of sustainable inclusive development that leaves no one behind.
The yearlong outreach campaign, “For People”, will be organized under the umbrella of the United Nations ‘2015 Time for Global Action’, and focus on the sub-theme, ‘For inclusion. For equality. For people’. The campaign aims to inspire and motivate people around the world to join an ongoing multifaceted dialogue on the progress and future of social development and its role in achieving sustainable development now and in the future.
“Putting people at the centre of sustainable development is essential to the post-2015 agenda and the continued development in a broad range of areas,” said Daniela Bas. “This campaign will not only strengthen the attention to this reality, but will engage the public in unpacking what it actually means to ‘put people at the centre’ helping to inform our work and the work of the international community from the bottom up. We don’t want to just promote what we perceive as effective social policies, we want to learn how the term ‘effective’ is interpreted in practice, on the ground, in daily life.”
