IAF beyond 2015

By 2020, ensure the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services, in particular forests, wetlands, mountains and drylands, in line with obligations under international agreements

IAF beyond 2015

At the eleventh session of the Forum in May 2015, Member States agreed to develop a Strategic Plan for the International Arrangment on Forests (IAF) for the period of 2017 to 2030. The Strategic Plan aims at guiding the work of the Forum, its Secretariat, and the Collaborative Partnership on Forests, and other components of the IAF.

Strategic Plan Components

The IAF Strategic Plan will consist of 3 components. The 3 components are:

  • Four quadrennial programmes of work
  • Communication strategy
  • Implementation framework

UNFF Expert Groups and Working Group

Member States at UNFF11 agreed to establish a Working Group of the Forum to develop a proposal on the IAF Strategic Plan and the first quadrennial programme of work (2017-2020). The outcome of the Working Group discussions will be submitted to the Special Session of UNFF in 2017.

The Forum also agreed, subject to availability of the extra budgetary funding, to convene two meetings of an open-ended intergovernmental Ad-hoc Expert Group in 2016 to discuss the IAF Strategic Plan. The result of these meetings, if convened, will be channelled to the UNFF Working Group.

The Post-2015 Agenda

The Post-2015 Development Agenda refers to a process led by the United Nations that aims to help define the future global development framework that will succeed the Millennium Development Goals.

Learn more about development framework

Forest fact

Close to 1.6 billion – more than 25% of the world’s population – rely on forests resources for their livelihoods. Approximately 1.2 billion use trees on farms to generate food and cash. In the context of climate change, sustainable forest management and responsible use of forests products present the most effective and cost-competitive natural carbon capture and storage system.