Expert group meeting on regional engagement

Ahead of the 20th session of the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF20) scheduled for May 2025, an expert group meeting on strengthening the engagement of regional and subregional partners in the work of the UNFF was held in Bangkok from 21 to 23 January 2025.

RECOFTC, as one of the regional and subregional partners of UNFF, co-chaired the expert group meeting. Joining me as co-chair was Jayaraman Durai, director of global programme for the International Bamboo and Rattan Organization.

The UN Strategic Pan for Forests

The UN Strategic Plan for Forests states that “regional bodies (…) provide a crucial bridge between international policies and national actions and are important partners in efforts to implement the strategic plan and achieve its Global Forest Goals (GFGs) and targets.”

At the UNFF19 last year, there was recognition of the role of forests in combating climate change, land degradation and biodiversity loss. There was also recognition of the need for inclusion and participation.

An omnibus resolution was passed, calling for greater involvement from national and subregional partners, including major groups – women, children and youth, Indigenous Peoples, non-governmental organizations, local authorities, workers and trade unions, business and industry, scientific and technological community, and farmers – and other stakeholders.

Building on UNFF19

Six actions relating to the involvement of regional and subregional partners were agreed upon at UNFF19. These actions encourage regional and subregional partners to exchange information, enhance cooperation, raise awareness, strengthen stakeholder engagement and build capacity to scale up best practices within and across regions.

Regional and subregional partners play an important role in contributing to the GFGs. They are supporting countries in their respective regions to prepare them for UNFF and other conventions, although one of the limitations to achieving this is financial resources.

Engaging with financial institutions

During the expert group meeting, partners shared their learnings on engaging with regional and subregional financial institutions such as the Asian Development Bank, African Development Bank and Inter-American Development Bank, among others, to expand collaboration on forest-related issues.

While there are growing opportunities to engage with regional financial institutions, the resources required to invest in pursuing these opportunities may not be financially feasible for smaller organizations like RECOFTC.

Regional partners and long-term engagement are key

There are numerous regional, subregional and transboundary forestry initiatives working to achieve the GFGs. The discussions during the three days of the experts group meeting re-emphasized the point that regional and subregional partners of the UNFF play an important role in achieving them.

So far, all regional and subregional partners have incorporated the contribution of the GFGs in their respective plans, programmes and strategies either explicitly or implicitly. Through their work, they are strengthening cross-sectoral collaboration and partnerships to promote sustainable forest-based bioeconomy approaches and ecosystem restoration contributing to improved livelihoods.

The capacity building programmes are implemented through formal (e.g. educational and vocational institutions) and informal (e.g. farmer field schools and exchange programmes) mechanisms. Importantly, these especially target women, youth, Indigenous Peoples and local communities.

Achieving sustainable results requires long-term technical and financial engagement . Although regional and subregional partners such as RECOFTC engage actively with major groups and other stakeholders in forest restoration and forest-based livelihoods programmes, funding remains a limitation as many of these engagements are project-based. Finding the right approach to engage with the diverse needs and issues of major groups and other relevant stakeholders is key to achieving sustainable outcomes.

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Janita Gurung is programme lead for governance and rights at RECOFTC. 

RECOFTC’s work is made possible with the support of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and the Government of Sweden.