Introduction

Forest issues have long been enmeshed in overriding international issues, such as financing for development, international trade, and transfer of environmentally sound technologies. The forest sector is not only a key component of sustainable development; it is in important respects a microcosm of sustainable development.

Yet, as far as global forestry management is concerned, progress has been slow, and except for sporadic attempts to create particular forestry strategies under the auspices of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the International Tropical Timber Organisation (ITTO), no comprehensive global regulation has been elaborated to address a whole range of issues connected with the world’s forests.

The 1990s brought about a change in perspectives on forest policy at the national and international level. For the first time, forest-related issues were addressed on a global scale at the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED). This marked a re-orientation of international forest policy, and a shift away from the objective of sustainable timber production towards ecologically sustainable management and use of forests, including the conservation of biodiversity.

Construction of Forestry Architecture under the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED)

The current international forest regime thus consists of substantial soft law (non-legally binding) instruments as well as international and regional treaties. These are further complemented by international policy processes, which have themselves spawned a body of policy instruments. In addition to the Statement of Forest Principles, UNCED also resulted in the Agenda 21 action programme aimed at preventing the destruction of forests (Chapter 11, Combating Deforestation), the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Convention on Biological Diversity.

Forest Policy Processes

1. The Intergovernmental Panel on Forests

In 1995, the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), on the recommendation of the Commission for Sustainable Development (CSD) approved the establishment of an open ended ad hoc Intergovernmental Panel on Forests (IPF).

The IPF had five programme elements:

• • Implementation of UNCED decisions related to forests at the national and international levels, including an examination of sectoral and cross-sectoral linkages;
  • International co-operation in financial assistance and technology transfer;
  • Scientific research, forest assessment, and development of criteria and indicators for sustainable forest management;
  • Trade and environment in relation to forest products and services; • International organisations and multilateral institutions, and instruments, including appropriate legal mechanisms.

2. The Intergovernmental Forum on Forests (IFF)

The IFF was created specifically for the purpose of continuing the intergovernmental policy dialogue on forests started by the IPF.

The IFF’s specific mandate included:

• • Promoting and facilitating the implementation of the IPF proposals for action;
  • Reviewing, monitoring and reporting on progress in the management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests;
  • Considering matters left pending as regards the programme elements of the Intergovernmental Panel on Forests, in particular trade and environment in relation to forest products and services, transfer of technology and the need for financial resources.

3. United Nations Forum on Forests

The UNFF now has a five year mandate to:

• • Facilitate and promote the implementation of inter alia, the IPF/IFF proposals for action;
  • Provide a forum for continued policy dialogue and development;
  • Enhance co-operation and policy and programme co-ordination on forest related issues;
  • Foster international co-operation;
  • Monitor and assess progress at the national, regional and global levels and;
  • Strengthen political commitment to the management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests

The Inter-Agency Task Force on Forests continues its support to the forest policy process in the form of a Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF) with the same intergovernmental members.

The CPF’s purpose is to support the work of the United Nations Forum on Forests and to present a concrete and coordinated proposal to assist the implementation of the IPF/IFF proposals for action.

The International Tropical Timber Agreement

The ITTA, as the only global convention specifically addressing tropical deforestation, is primarily a commodity agreement between producer and consumer countries of tropical hardwoods. The International Tropical Timber Council (ITTC) operates as a decision-making and recommendatory body having three permanent committees including the Committee on Reforestation and Forest Management.

1. The 1983 Agreement

The main objective of the 1983 agreement was to provide an effective framework for cooperation and consultation between tropical timber producing and consuming countries on all aspects of the tropical timber economy and the expansion and diversification of trade in tropical timber. It also includes the objective of promoting sustainable utilization and conservation of tropical forests and maintaining ecological balance.

2. The 1994 Agreement

ITTA 1994 effects a number of changes to the 1983 agreement, partly in response to the UNCED Statement of Forest Principles and Chapter 11 of Agenda 21. However, much of the 1994 text mirrors the 1983 version. For example, the institutional mechanisms of the ITTO and ITTC remain, and the two categories of membership: producing and consuming countries are continued. Of the few progressive elements in the new Agreement, one of the most prominent is the balancing and expansion of the objectives (from 8 to 14 in number). Among its objectives, the 1994 Agreement stresses:

• • The process of sustainable development;
  • The promotion of non-discriminatory timber trade practices;
  • The promotion of processing in producer countries;
  • The development of mechanisms to provide new and additional financial resources; and
  • The promotion of access to and transfer of technology, including on concessional and preferential terms.

Conclusion

The experience of the IPF/IFF processes and the ITTA demonstrate that the efforts to develop a global regime on forests that promotes sustainable forest management in a way that: 1. slows the destruction of ecosystems, and 2. protects the socio-economic interests of the producer countries, has not yet proved possible. From the foregoing discussion, it is evident that this can be attributed to:

a). The nature of the forestry sector itself. The destructive activity is by and large located in the South, although it is perpetuated by the drive for increasing consumption in the North. The situation is further complicated by the close inter-dependence of the stakeholders in the forestry sector, including local and indigenous communities, who are increasingly making their voice heard on issues of production of forest resources;

b). The different development and environment priorities of the North and South. Developing countries are concerned about separating the issues of exploitation of natural resources that they consider development assets from the environmental problems that merit international regulation. Developed countries are of the view that forests are a common concern of mankind, requiring international rules. Where the environment and development agendas coincide, the balance between national and international interests needs defining.

c). The weakness of the system of global governance. There is increasing fragmentation in the activities of international organisations with resulting duplication and inefficiency. The respective players, such as multilateral development banks, the ITTO, UNDP, UNEP, FAO, GEF, UNESCO require increased co-ordination. There is also a need to harmonise the multiple and potentially conflicting international instruments impacting on forests. The inter-relationship of global conventions, such as those on climate change, biodiversity and desertification needs to be reconciled as does the appropriate role of existing iregional agreements, such as those covering protection of wildlife. The lack of financial resources to adequately fund oversight of treaties and their implementation is a major factor that needs careful planning. Moreover, intergovernmental regulatory processes or negotiations take time to put in place. They usually require consensus to be legitimate, especially if they involve complex issues as those in the forestry sector; this adds to the difficulty of achieving resolution of the necessary regulatory