| Contents: 2021 Refresh International Day of Forests Race to Zero Other Updates Forest News and Stories Events and Webinars |
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| In 2014, at the UN Secretary General’s Climate Action Summit, the New York Declaration on Forests (NYDF) was formed by a historic coalition of governments, companies, Indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLC), and civil society organizations who pledged to take action to end deforestation by 2030 and restore 350 million hectares of degraded forests. However, the 2020 target to halve deforestation was not met, along with other 2020 targets. While the NYDF is still a pragmatic and relevant framework, the collective efforts to achieve them have not been enough. This decade is critical for increasing action to end deforestation and to achieve global climate and biodiversity goals and the NYDF must be centered around moving from commitments to action. Today, NYDF endorsers acknowledge the relevance and comprehensiveness of the NYDF goals but also recognize the need to reinforce the goals. To address this gap, the NYDF Global Platform launched a refresh process in August 2020 to raise ambition and political will and encourage action towards meeting the NYDF goals. The NYDF Refresh Process will result in more targeted guidance for endorsers and other key stakeholders on the pathways to meet the NYDF goals through the accompanying Action Agenda. This process is both energizing existing endorsers and increasing interest from other stakeholders and governments to endorse the NYDF, an opportunity that will be highlighted in the lead up to COP26. Process and Timeline: Between January and February 2021, the NYDF Platform hosted focal sessions on each of the NYDF goals, drawing inputs from endorsers and key stakeholders. Additional consultations will take place over the next couple months, focused on gathering inputs from forest countries, Indigenous peoples and local communities, and companies. Based on the input received, the NYDF will make minor adjustments in the wording of the Declaration and draft an updated framework for the Action Agenda. The NYDF Secretariat expects to launch the revised NYDF Declaration and Action Agenda by July 2021 and is exploring opportunities to highlight the refreshed NYDF and ambition by endorsers and other key stakeholders at COP26 in Glasgow. |
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International Day of Forests
Forest Restoration: A path to recovery and well-being
| Happy International Day of Forests! March 21 is a day to celebrate and raise awareness of the importance of all types of forests. The theme for 2021 is "Forest restoration: a path to recovery and well-being". To celebrate forest day:Read these two new blogs Look to forests and landscapes to fight climate change and Healthy forests provide a pathway to respond to the climate crisis and unlock green recovery to learn more about important forest actions.Learn about progress by NYDF country endorsers - Kenya, Ecuador, and Papua New Guinea and their work to to empower youth, ensure deforestation-free and sustainable production, and halve greenhouse gas emissions all in the name of forest protection.Read this story in the New York Times about the role of Indigenous peoples as forest defenders and stewards of nature: There’s a Global Plan to Conserve Nature. Indigenous People Could Lead the Way. |
Join the Race To Zero Campaign!
| The Race To Zero is a UN-backed, global campaign to rally leadership and support from all non-state actors for a healthy, resilient, zero carbon recovery. All members are committed to achieving net zero emissions by 2050 at the very latest, with robust and transparent plans for getting there. The objective is to build momentum around the shift to a decarbonized economy ahead of COP26, sending governments a resounding signal that business, cities, regions and investors are united in meeting the Paris goals and creating a more inclusive and resilient economy. Forests are a key solution to achieving net zero emissions. The NYDF Platform encourages endorsers and the NYDF community to join and follow the Race to Zero Campaign. Who's involved in the Race To Zero Campaign?454 Cities | 23 Regions | 1,397 Businesses | 74 Investors | 596 Universities |
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| Job Listing UNDP Climate & Forests Regional Technical Advisor for Asia & the Pacific: Applications due by 31 March 2021 |
| The Collective Effort to End Deforestation: A pathway for companies to raise their ambition CDP's latest Global Forest Report launched this week. This report, based on data disclosed by companies in 2020, assesses 553 companies against 15 key performance indicators that they should be taking to tackle deforestation from agricultural commodities. It shows that the business case for action has never been stronger and that companies must start raising their ambitions when it comes to delivering change. |
| Consideration for Integrating Nature-Based Solutions in Nationally Determined Contributions Illustrating the Potential Through REDD+ Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) is a key nature-based solution (NBS) for the forest sector. Drawing on lessons from UNDP’s support to REDD+ countries over the past decade, this paper describes crucial areas for policy makers to consider when seeking to enhance their NDCs and support NDC implementation through NBS. |
| Online Course: Indigenous Peoples at the United Nations: Project Access Online Are you an Indigenous representative looking to engage with the United Nations? Do you work with Indigenous peoples and want to support them in their advocacy efforts? The United Nations Development Programme and Tribal Link Foundation are offering a free self-paced course on Indigenous Peoples at the United Nations. The course brings together leading Indigenous experts who will share their expertise on relevant multi-stakeholder forums. Register here. |
| Taking Action for Forests with the New York Declaration on Forests NYDF endorser, Levin Sources, shares their commitment to NYDF, contribution to the refresh process, and a call to action for the mining industry on forests. |
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| Restoration Stewards by Global Landscape Forum (GLF) |
| Commodity Driven Forest Loss: A Study of Southeast Asia by U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service (USFS), Spatial Informatics Group (SIG), World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), SERVIR-Mekong, and USAID |
| 2020's Top Deforesters for Oil Palm in Southeast Asia: A lower rate of deforestation, but the same culprits by Chain Reaction Research |
| 9 Places Where People Are a Force for Nature by The Nature Conservancy |
| 16 Women Restoring the Earth by Gabrielle Lipton for The Global Landscape Forum (GLF) |
| First Study of All Amazon Greenhouse Gases Suggest the Damaged Forest is Now Worsening Climate Change by Craig Welch for National Geographic |
| EU Lawmakers Have Spoken: The Responsibility to Conduct Environmental and Human Due Diligence in Supply Chains will Transform Into a Legal Duty for Companies by Anna Triponel and Maddie Wolberg for Triponel Consulting |
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| Upcoming Events - Indigenous Women: The Strength of Our Communities (31 March 2021): This year marks the 45th year of promoting and amplifying Indigenous voices through Cultural Survival publications. Join this free webinar and learn from Indigenous women experts and human rights defenders who are on the frontlines of climate change mitigation, conservation, and land defense. - Accountability Framework: Responsible Supply Chain Management Company Roundtable (13 April 2021): In the second of two webinars exploring the use of the Accountability Framework to guide supply chain management, company representatives are invited from across the supply chain to discuss challenges and opportunities, share ideas, and answer questions. - UN Forum on Forests (26-30 April 2021): The United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF) is an intergovernmental policy forum that promotes “management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests and to strengthen long-term political commitment to this end”. This year's event will be online with a round table and various side events to attend throughout the week. |
| Past Events - Forest Peoples' Programmes: Rolling Back Social and Environmental Safeguards: This webinar focused on the launch of a report demonstrating how states and other actors are using the COVID-19 pandemic as an opportunity to roll back social and environmental safeguards. In doing so, they are eroding the rights of indigenous peoples in the five most tropically forested countries of the world - World Wildlife Day Virtual Event: The United Nations hosted the first-ever virtual celebration of World Wildlife Day with the theme "Forests and Livelihoods: Sustaining People and Planet." The event highlighted the experiences and knowledge of Indigenous peoples and local communities whose livelihoods rely on forests and wildlife, and who have a long history of managing and sustainably using forest ecosystems. - Global Forest Summit: The planet is moving towards a global warming of 3°C by 2100. Faced with these projections, that involve unimaginable socio-economic consequences, our absolute priority can be summed up in a single word: reduction. Reducing our carbon footprint. Reducing deforestation. Reducing the degradation of forests. Reducing them increasingly and continuously. This online event featured speakers from governments, the UN, climate and biodiversity focused organizations, Indigenous peoples, and more. - No Limits For Women For International Women's Month: Women, Girls, and Climate Justice: The climate emergency disproportionately impacts girls and women due to varying factors including socioeconomic status and power disparities. This webinar focused on the need for women to be at the center of climate solutions. - GLF: What is the state of the world's forests?: For the International Day of Forests 2021, GLF Live brought together three of the world’s preliminary forest experts from Indonesia, Kenya and Italy. In the discussion, they addressed the state of the world’s forests and pieced together the ongoing dichotomies of degradation and restoration to inform what’s needed to protect and create a promising global forest future. |
| The New York Declaration on Forests (NYDF) outlines ten ambitious global targets to protect and restore forests and end natural forest loss by 2030. The NYDF is endorsed by 200 governments, companies, NGOs, and indigenous peoples organizations. The Global Platform for the New York Declaration on Forests (“NYDF Global Platform”) was launched at the UN Climate Change Conference in November 2017 and is dedicated to supporting and accelerating achievement of the global goals expressed in the New York Declaration on Forests. |
| This newsletter is not an endorsement of the organizations featured but intends to provide relevant stories, news, events, and updates to the NYDF community. |
