1. How can I, as representative of my organization, attend UNFF Sessions?
2. How can I participate in the international forest policy process and the UNFF?
3. What is a national forest programme?
4. Where can I find UNFF Session Documents, such as the latest UNFF Report?
5. How can I receive travel support to attend UNFF Sessions?

1. How can my I, as representative of my organization, attend UNFF Sessions?

Only organizations accredited with the Economic and Social Committee (ECOSOC) of the UN or with the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) are officially invited to UNFF sessions. Please verify if your organization is ECOSOC accredited at the ECOSOC NGO website under "NGO Search" in the upper right corner. To check if your organzation is accredited with CSD, please review the CSD Roster. If your NGO is accredited with ECOSOC or CSD, then simply follow normal UNFF registration procedures. NGOs and representatives of other major groups can attend UNFF sessions under their own banner only if they are ECOSOC accredited.

If your NGO is not accredited to ECOSOC or CSD, there are several options for attending UNFF Sessions:

1) Become ECOSOC accredited. This is the preferred manner of attending UNFF Sessions as it allows you to speak under the banner of your own organization. Refer to the ECOSOC NGO website under "How to Obtain Status" to accredit your NGO with ECOSOC. Please note, however, that this process has been known to take between one and three years. If you do plan to undertake the accreditation process, please do copy the UNFF Secretariat at email unff@un.org and / or fax 917-367-3186 as we may be able to facilitate your accreditation application.

2) Become part of your official national delegation. Explore with your UNFF National Focal Point or the relevant UN Permanent Mission the possibilities of becoming part of your country's official delegation appointed to attend the UNFF Session.

3) Become part of the official delegation of an ECOSOC accredited NGO. In order to facilitate the identification of relevant ECOSOC accredited NGOs, please consult ECOSOC NGO Website under "NGO Search" in the upper right corner, you can search for organizations that may be relevant to your issues that may be willing to appoint your organization as part of their delegation to UNFF.

Please feel free to contact your UNFF major group focal point for further information on participating during UNFF Sessions as well as inter-sessionally. The UNFF major group focal points are a rich source of information for civil society members to engage in the UNFF process.

2. How can I participate in the international forest policy process and the UNFF?

If you are not a government representative (such as a NGO, individual or academic insitution) and you wish to participate in UNFF Sessions, please consult our Guidelines for Major Groups participation in UNFF Sessions.

• Contact your national focal point to explore volunteer opportunities and regionally specific activities.
• Suggest sources of information (documents, reports, materials) useful or relevant to the global forests community.
• Share relevant data and information on focused topics, or in response to other participants' research and activities.
• Announce forest related conferences, workshops and events.
• Translate materials into local languages (contact the UNFF Secretariat for more information).
• Actively seek to share valuable information from the forest communities you are in contact with, but who do not have Internet access.
• Form a local range-based, forest community group, or other alliance, partnership, or a joint research activity at local, regional, or global levels.
• Contact your local government official and let them know about the information resources available on the forest agenda.
• Send an article on a forest case study, story or experience to the "UNFF News."
• Convene local, national and regional workshops and task forces around relevant forest issues.
• Inform local or national lawmakers via these workshops, briefings and media coverage.
• Contribute directly to the review and implementation of UNCED document Agenda 21, Chapter 11 "Combating Deforestation".

This list adapted from "How to participate in the Mountain Forum"

3. What is a national forest programme?

The Forestry Programme of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations defines a national forest programme as a term that designates the wide range of approaches to the process of planning, programming and implementation of forest activities in a country to be applied at national and sub-national levels, based on a common set of guiding principles. The purpose of the national forest programmes is to establish a workable social and political framework for the conservation, management and sustainable development of all types of forests, which in turn will increase the effectiveness and efficiency of public and private operational and funding commitments. National forest programmes require a broad inter-sectoral approach at all stages, including the formulation of policies, strategies and courses of action, as well as their implementation, monitoring and evaluation.

4. Where can I find UNFF Session Documents, such as the latest UNFF Report?

UNFF Session documents can be found right here on the UNFF website. Other important documents, related to international forest policy can also be found on the introductory documents page.

5. How can I receive travel support to attend UNFF Sessions?

Travel support is provided to representatives on government delegations only. If you are a government representative, please refer to our travel support note for the current session. If you are not a government representative, please refer to our FAQ answer to this question.