Expert Meeting held in China on the Global Forest Financing Facilitation Network

This week, the UNFF Secretariat organised an expert meeting on the Contribution of the Global Forest Financing Facilitation Network (GFFFN) to the Implementation of the UN Strategic Plan for Forests 2030, in Chengdu, China, from 6 to 8 March 2018. The meeting was co-organised by the Government of China, and attended by 44 participants from 24 countries, 4 international organisations, and 2 major groups. The meeting was opened by Ms. Liu Bing, Director General of Sichuan Department of Forestry and Mr. Manoel Sobral Filho, Director of the UNFF Secretariat. The expert meeting was co-chaired by Mr. Wu Zhimin, Director General, Department of International Cooperation of State Forestry Administration of China and Mr. Juergen Blaser, Professor of Bern University of Applied Sciences, Switzerland.

Experts discussed guidelines for the operation of the GFFFN and measures to improve its effectiveness and efficiency. Over the course of the meeting, issues raised included: enhancing collaboration with key multilateral financing mechanisms such as the Global Environment Facility and the Green Climate Fund, establishing a database on financial sources and flows for forests, and increasing participation of the private sector, civil society, and women in mobilizing forest financing. The outcome of the expert meeting was a co-chairs’ summary which includes proposed guidelines and measures to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the GFFFN aimed at facilitating discussions on this topic at the 13th Session of the UNFF to be held from 7 to 11 May 2018 in New York. The proposed draft guidelines include GFFFN purpose and priorities, principles, management, eligibility, procedures, partnership, clearing house, funding and resource mobilization, reporting, and communication, follow up and evaluation of the GFFFN activities and provisions for review of the guidelines.