A joint initiative to contribute to the Intergovernmental Forum on Forests (IFF)

Reasons for this initiative

Alarming past and current trends in global deforestation and forest degradation document a deepening forest crisis worldwide. During the last decade, in particular, the forest crisis has received increasing attention and has prompted many initiatives by governments and intergovernmental agencies. Still, these and other responses appear to be insufficient in being able to achieve a significant deceleration and reversal of the above-mentioned trends.

Many people have analyzed the potential explanations of why these recent responses to the forest crisis have failed to generate the significant progress needed. There seems to be broad agreement that these initiatives have focused far too much attention on the proximate causes of deforestation/forest degradation (and factors within the forest sector), and have largely ignored the underlying (root) causes of these problems.

How the initiative came about

In 1995, the U.N. Commission on Sustainable Development in 1995 established an Intergovernmental Panel on Forests to address a wide range of forest-related issues, including one element entitled: "Underlying Causes of Deforestation and Forest Degradation". The IPF produced a final report in early 1997 containing a set of 135 proposals for action that governments have agreed to implement. This package of proposals was formally endorsed at the June 1997 UN General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) on the implementation of Agenda 21. In terms of underlying causes, the IPF proposals for action urged all countries, with the support of international organizations and the participation of major groups, to:

• undertake case studies to identify the most important underlying causes of deforestation and forest degradation
• prepare in-depth studies of the underlying causes of deforestation and forest degradation at the national and international levels and analyse comprehensively the historical perspective of such processes in the world, as well as international underlying causes including transboundary economic forces;
• support the convening, as soon as possible, of a global workshop on the international underlying causes of deforestation and forest degradation and their relationship to national underlying causes ;
• formulate policies aiming at securing land tenure for local communities and indigenous people, including policies, as appropriate, aimed at the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits of forests.
• formulate and implement national strategies, through an open and participatory process, for addressing these underlying causes.

As a follow-up to the IPF, at UNGASS, governments established the Intergovernmental Forum on Forests (IFF) to promote implementation of the IPF proposals for action, to monitor such implementation; and to address matters left pending by the IPF. The first meeting of the IFF, held during 1 - 3 October 1997 in New York decided to include analysis of underlying causes of deforestation and forest degradation in the program of work, "including transboundary economic forces of deforestation and forest degradation, taking into account a historical perspective and the pressures exerted on forests by other sectors, notably agriculture in the quest for food security".

At IFF-1, NGOs announced a particular interest in contributing to the IFF deliberations on underlying causes. At one of the formal plenary sessions, a group of nearly 20 NGOs presented a joint statement expressing their willingness to contribute to a joint initiative on national and international underlying causes, designed to help inform the IFF discussions on this topic. The proposals put forward by the NGO-coalition were welcomed by many participants and several governments expressed their willingness to join as partners in the process, including the government of Costa Rica, which offered to host a global workshop to analyse the issue.

Main goal and specific objectives

The goal of this project is to support and build upon the effective implementation of the IPF Proposals for Action covering underlying causes of deforestation and forest degradation and the ongoing work of the Intergovernmental Forum on Forests. More specific objectives of this project are:

• to contribute to further analysis of the major underlying causes of deforestation and forest degradation at the national, regional and global levels -- on the basis of new and existing case-studies, other in-depth studies, a global workshop and various participatory dialogue/consultation processes;
• to raise the level of awareness and facilitate a heightened dialogue about these underlying causes among a broad range of governmental and non-governmental actors, both within and outside the forest sector;
• to stimulate partnerships among stakeholders around solution-oriented approaches to these issues, including needed policy reforms and other actions.

What activities will be carried out

Preparation of case studies to be presented and discussed in seven regional and one indigenous peoples organizations' workshops. The regions are Africa, Asia, CIS, Europe, Latin America, North America and Oceania.

The organization, in partnership with governments and international agencies, of a global workshop on national and international underlying causes of deforestation and forest degradation. The workshop, which will be held in Costa Rica (18 to 22 January 1999) will include presentations by governments, NGOs and indigenous peoples, with a focus on solution-oriented approaches to addressing underlying causes.

Preparation of a synthesis report of the results of the above, and that this report form the basis for a review by IFF3 (May 1999) on the progress being made in implementing the IPF Proposals for Action on underlying causes.

Who participate in the process

Participants include NGOs, indigenous peoples organizations, grass-root organizations, governments and intergovernmental agencies. The process is coordinated by a Global Secretariat, composed by the World Rainforest Movement and the Netherlands Committee for IUCN. An Organizing Committee has been established, which includes Costa Rica (the host country), UNEP (the lead agency of the Interagency Task Force on Forests), the regional/IPO focal points and the Global Secretariat. The process receives advice and guidance from a Steering Committee, which includes the members of the Organizing Committee, government representatives from a number of countries, including the UK, Nepal, Portugal, Russian Federation, Brazil, Denmark, the Netherlands, Canada, Ghana, Finland, Australia and Japan, the IFF secretariat, IUCN/WWF and Via Campesina. The whole process is open to all interested parties, who can participate in the different activities which will be carried out.

How to get in contact

If you are interested in participating in this process, please contact your relevant focal point or the global secretariat.

Global Secretariat:

Ricardo Carrere, World Rainforest Movement, Uruguay rcarrere@chasque.apc.org
tel: 598-2-4096192, fax: 4019222

Simone Lovera, Netherlands Committee for IUCN, Netherlands Slovera@nciucn.nl
tel: 31-20-6261732, fax: 6279349

Regional and IPO Focal Points:

Indigenous Peoples: Habla hispana: Marcial Arias, International Alliance of Tribal-Indigenous Peoples of the Tropical Forests, Panama, mag@orbi.net
and English speaking: Sandy Gauntlett, Indigenous Research Institute - Auckland University, UK, labourwest@xtra.co.nz

Latin America: Elías Díaz Peña, Sobrevivencia, Paraguay, survive@quanta.com.py

North America: Juliette Moussa, Hans Verolme, Bionet-US bionet@igc.apc.org

Europe: Marcus Colchester, Forest Peoples Program, UK
wrm@gn.apc.org and Saskia Ozinga, FERN, UK saskia@gn.apc.org

CIS: Andrei Laletin, IUCN, Russian Federation, Friends of the Siberian Forests, <laletin@online.ru>

Africa: Lambert Okrah, Institute for Cultural Affairs, Ghana icagh@ghana.com, Zachee Nzoh-Ngandaubou, CERUT, Cameroon
fax (237) 332 300

Asia: Mia Siscawati, Indonesian Bioforum/RMI, Indonesia <miasisca@indo.net.id>
and Yoichi Kuroda, Jatan, Japan Kuroda@iges.or.jp

Oceania and Pacific: Ian Fry, Pacific Bioweb, Australia ifry@peg.apc.org

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