Excerpt from: UN GA- 61/193.

International Year of Forests, 2011

The General Assembly,

"Recognizing that forests and sustainable forest management can contribute significantly to sustainable development, poverty eradication and the achievement of internationally agreed development goals...

"Emphasizing the need for sustainable management of all types of forests, including fragile forest ecosystems,

"Convinced that concerted efforts should focus on raising awareness at all levels to strengthen the sustainable management,

conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests for the benefit of current and future generations,

1. Decides to declare 2011 the International Year of Forests;

2. Requests the secretariat of the United Nations Forum on Forests of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the Secretariat, to serve as the focal point for the implementation of the Year, in collaboration with Governments, the Collaborative Partnership on Forests and international, regional and subregional organizations and processes as well as relevant major groups;

4. Calls upon Governments, relevant regional and international organizations, and major groups to support activities related to the Year, inter alia, through voluntary contributions, and to link their relevant activities to the Year;

5. Encourages voluntary partnerships ... to facilitate and promote activities related to the Year at the local and national levels...;

- Excerpt from: 83rd plenary meeting, 20 December 2006, Resolution adopted by the United Nations General Assembly,On the report of the Second Committee (A/61/422/Add.1 and Corr.1), Full text at: http://www.un.org/en/events/iyof2011/resolution.shtml

UNESCO World Heritage Centre and Year of Forests

The World Heritage Centre welcomes the International Year of Forests.  With 100 World Herritage (WH) sites recognized wholly, or in part, for their rich forest biodiversity, the WH Convention is the most effective intergovernmental convention for the in-situ conservation of forest biodiversity. (more)

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) seeks to encourage the identification, protection and preservation of cultural and natural heritage around the world considered to be of outstanding value to humanity. This is embodied in an international treaty called the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage , adopted by UNESCO in 1972.

UNESCO coordinates actions of its partners by administering the World Heritage Convention (1972).

Excerpt from Forests for people:

Cultural and social values of forests and social development

from UN Forum on Forests 9, 25 Jan 2011, United Nations, New York, NY

"Numerous benefits from forests
• 1.6 billion livelihoods around the world
- Forests for health (medicine, clean water)
- Forests for food (protein, fruit etc.)
- Forests for heating and housing
• Poverty reduction for the most marginalised communities
• An essential contribution to MDGs

Cultural values of forests

- Forests as recreation,

forests as life

- The pure,

the sacred,

the spiritual"

Links:

"Forests" for World Environment Day: 3 june 2011 youtube video from UN : www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrOU2u-v6bE

UN's International Year of Forests site: www.un.org/en/events/iyof2011/

PDF of Year of Forests Fact Sheet: www.un.org/esa/forests/pdf/session_documents/unff9/Fact_Sheet_IYF.pdf

jpg format Year of Forest  fact sheet at: www.worldharmonyrun.org/un_initiatives/year_of_forests/iyf_logo