On Friday, 16 January, the Open-Ended Intergovernmental Ad Hoc Expert Group on the International Arrangement on Forests (AHEG2) convened for its final day. In the morning, Co-Chairs Charles Barber and Raymond Landveld invited comments on the draft Co-Chairs’ Summary, in particular the recommendations by the Co-Chairs on the future international arrangement on forests (IAF). Participants made specific comments on the summary of the meeting, in particular the areas of emerging convergence and those for further discussion.

During the afternoon, participants focused on the Co-Chairs’ recommendations for elements that should be included in the UNFF11 resolution, before turning to other matters. The Co-Chairs explained that the discussion on the recommendations would be reflected in a new draft to be completed after AHEG2 ends.

The Secretariat presented the Facilitative Process website, which provides information on UNFF projects and reports. The website, he explained, also has an interactive section, similar to a Facebook newsfeed, where UNFF members and stakeholders can post their own information, and he invited AHEG2 participants to create an account. Participants commented on the value of this website to help communicate UNFF’s activities, and to inform countries on how they can access funding.

In closing the meeting, Co-Chairs Landveld and Barber thanked participants for their engagement throughout the AHEG process. UNFF11 Bureau Chair, Noel Nelson Messone, Minister of Water and Forestry, Gabon, congratulated participants for “setting a positive tone for the discussions to come at UNFF11.” The meeting gavelled to a close at 5:11pm.

For the Full Article please consult the following link: IISDRS Summary & Analysis from #UNFF #AHEG2

Images credits: IISDRS (1) From L-R: Hossein Moeini-Meybodi, Senior Policy Advisor, UNFF Secretariat; Co-Chair Charles Barber, US; Co-Chair Raymond Landveld, Suriname; and Manoel Sobral Filho, Director, UNFF Secretariat (2) UNFF11 Bureau Chair Noel Nelson Messone, Minister of Water and Forestry, Gabon