Context:
Recently, India participated in the 19th session of the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF19), which was held in New York, USA, from May 6th to 10th, 2024.
More on the news
- The UNFF 19 meeting, focused on achieving global forest goals and increasing progress towards sustainable development by 2030.
India’s effort for conservation and sustainable forest management
- India highlighted the significant expansion of India’s network of protected regions, which now encompasses over a thousand wildlife sanctuaries, national parks, reserves for tigers, biosphere reserves, and various other habitats dedicated to wildlife conservation.
- India also introduced the Green Credit Program, designed to incentivize entities to plant trees and restore degraded forest lands.
- India’s Green Credit Initiative was launched on the sidelines of COP-28 as an initiative within the government’s Lifestyle for Environment or LIFE movement. The Green Credit Rules, 2023, were notified in October, 2023.
- 50 years of Project Tiger and 30 years of Project Elephant underscore India’s commitment to species conservation and habitat protection.
- India also highlighted the creation of the International Big Cat Alliance, another important step in protecting and conserving the seven big cat species around the world through collaborative international efforts.
- In October 2023, India hosted the country-led initiative under UNFF in Dehradun, which was attended by representatives from 40 countries and 20 international organisations.
- India hosted a side event on ‘Principles and Strategies for Landscape Integrated Fire Management through Collaborative Governance’, in partnership with the Agency for Integrated Rural Fire Management, Portugal, Korea Forest Service, and International Tropical Timber Organization at UNFF19.
- India ranks third in the net gain in average annual forest area between 2010 and 2020.
United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF)
- The UNFF is a body under the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) established in its Resolution 2000/35.
- It aims to support the goals of the International Arrangement on Forests (IAF) and advance other international forest-related instruments, processes, commitments, and objectives.
- Since, its establishment in 2000, the Forum has set many milestones including
- The first UN Forest Instrument in 2007
- The Global Forest Financing Facilitation Network (GFFFN) in 2015
- The adoption of the first UN Strategic Plan for Forests 2030 and its six Global Forest Goals in 2017.
- India is one of the founding members of the UNFF.
UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
- The UN Charter established ECOSOC in 1945 as one of the six main organs of the United Nations.
- ECOSOC links a diverse family of subsidiary bodies and UN entities Organigram dedicated to sustainable development, providing overall guidance and coordination.
- Headquarters: New York, USA.