UNFF Facilitative Process

The UNFF Facilitative Process was launched in 2009 to assist Member States in mobilizing financing for sustainable forest management. Its functions were as follows (resolution E/CN.18/SS/2009/L.1):

Guide to a Common Forest Financing Strategy in SIDS, LFCCs, African Countries and LDCs

• To assist in mobilizing and supporting new and additional financial resources from all sources for sustainable forest management (SFM);
• To assist countries in mobilizing, accessing and enhancing the effective use of existing financial resources from all sources for SFM;
• To identify, facilitate and simplify access to all sources of finance for SFM;
• To identify obstacles to, gaps in and opportunities for financing SFM;
• To assist countries in developing national financing strategies;
• To facilitate the transfer of environmentally sound technologies and capacity-building to developing countries;
• To provide advice, upon request, and to share examples of good practice in improving the enabling environment for sustainable forest management; and
• To enhance coordination, cooperation and coherence among relevant funding sources and mechanisms to improve the implementation of the non-legally binding instrument on all types of forests.

The resolution also called to take into account the special needs and circumstances of Africa, the least developed countries, low-forest-cover countries, high-forest cover countries, medium-forest-cover countries, high-forest-cover low-deforestation countries and small island developing States.

The Facilitative Process implemented 3 projects:

• Identifying gaps, obstacles and opportunities to financing sustainable forest management in small island developing states and low forest cover countries (2009-2013), funded by the Global Environment Facility and the government of the United Kingdom;
• Identifying gaps, obstacles and opportunities to financing sustainable forest management in Africa and least developed countries (2011-2013), funded by the government of Germany; and
• Harnessing climate financing for sustainable forest management in Southern Africa, Central Asia and the Pacific (2013-2015), funded by the 8th tranche of the UN Development Account.

In 2015 the Facilitative Process was strengthened, upgraded and renamed the Global Forest Financing Facilitation Network (GFFFN).