Second meeting of the Open-Ended Intergovernmental Ad Hoc Expert Group on Forest Financing (AHEG2), 14-18 January, Vienna

In October 2009, the Special Session of the ninth session of the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF) adopted the Resolution on Means of Implementation for Sustainable Forest Management. This Resolution provided a specific mandate and designed a strategic road map to address forest finance within UNFF. Member States also agreed that the tenth session of UNFF should make decision on forest financing.

The Resolution established the Open-ended Intergovernmental Ad Hoc Expert Group on Forest Financing (AHEG) to make proposals on strategies to mobilize resources from all sources to support the implementation of sustainable forest management, the achievement of the global objectives on forests and the implementation of the non-legally binding instrument on all types of forests (forest instrument), including, inter alia, strengthening and improving access to funds and establishing a voluntary global forest fund. 

The Resolution also established a Facilitative Process. According to this Resolution, the AHEG should hold two meetings, one before the ninth session and one before the tenth session of the United Nations Forum on Forests. The Expert Group should submit a preliminary report at the ninth session and final recommendations at the tenth session for the Forum’s consideration and decision. 

Based on the outcome of AHEG1 which was held in September 2010 in Nairobi, Kenya, UNFF9 adopted in its Resolution on Forests for People adopted in February 2011. Resolution of the UNFF9 called for intensive intersessional activities on forest finance. A wide spectrum of inputs on forest financing was requested from governments, CPF members, regional processes and major groups, in preparation for AHEG2 and UNFF10. 

Member States are also expected to develop and implement national forest policy and policy instruments on all types of forests and trees outside forests, and to report their progress, experiences and lessons to AHEG2. 

The main inputs to AHEG2 include the 2012 study on Forest Financing by the Advisory Group on Finance of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests (AGF/CPF), reports of the Facilitative Process Workshops on Forest Financing in LFCCs/SIDS, and Afrcia/LDCs, compilation of substantive submissions on forest financing by countries, as well as other relevant inputs.

The outcome of AHEG2 is a critical component for a decision on forest financing in UNFF10 in April 2013 in Istanbul-Turkey, and also for the decision on the future of the international arrangement on forests in UNFF11 in 2015. 

For more information: http://www.un.org/esa/forests/adhoc.html

International Expert Group Meeting on Indigenous Youth will take place at UN Headquarters in New York on 29-31 January

The Division for Social Policy and Development will be organizing an International Expert Group Meeting entitled “Indigenous youth: Identity, challenges and hope: articles 14, 17, 21 and 25 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples”. The meeting will be arranged in accordance with a decision by ECOSOC made at the recommendation of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.

Some of the challenges that indigenous youth face across the globe will be explored and policy and programmatic proposals will be proposed and be addressed at the twelfth session of the Permanent Forum in May 2013.

For more information:
International Expert Group Meeting: Indigenous youth: Identity, challenges and hope: articles 14, 17, 21 and 25 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

International Experts of the three UN mechanisms on Indigenous Peoples’ Rights met to prepare for the 2014 World Conference on Indigenous Peoples on 17-21 December in Guatemala

On the occasion of the commemoration of the Oxlajuj B’aqtun held in Tikal, Guatemala, the UN Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues met to discuss the preparation of the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples in 2014.

Assisted by staff from the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (SPFII), members of the forum also met with government officials, the UN country team, indigenous peoples’ organizations as well as journalist and the academia.

More information (in Spanish):
Encuentro de Expertos Indígenas Internacionales