27 February 2014, ForestEurope news - The importance of forests for sustainable development was underlined during the 8th meeting of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly Open Working Group (OWG) on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The meeting took place at the UN Headquarters in New York, USA, on 3-7 February 2014.
Forests were one of the issues addressed during the meeting, which also dealt with oceans and seas, biodiversity, social equity, gender equality, conflict prevention, promotion of peace and governance.
As was stated during the meeting, forests contribute significantly to poverty alleviation and food security, they produce medicines, regulate water flows, improve water quality, mitigate floods and are essential for adaptation to climate change. They are relevant for income generation and can have an essential contribution to a green economy.
The multifunctional contributions of forests to sustainable development were emphasized by many of the delegates, and there was great agreement on the need to integrate them into the SDGs which are now being worked on.
Furthermore, several side events were also held during the Open Working Group meeting, aimed at exchanging views on forests and their contribution to sustainable development.
During the side event organized by the Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF), in collaboration with the Permanent Mission of Finland to the UN, the different possibilities for integrating forests into the SDGs were discussed. This event also presented the outcomes of the expert workshop on Forests and SDGs that was organized by the Joint ECE/FAO Forestry and Timber Section on 22-23 January 2014 in Geneva. Participants in that workshop (FOREST EUROPE Liaison Unit Madrid among them) exchanged ideas on how to integrate forests into the SDGs.
This was the final session in the OWG's diagnostic phase. Five decision-making sessions will now follow, between March and July 2014, in order to decide which issues should or should not be included in the SDGs. These goals will replace the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in the post-2015 development agenda.
