Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Thank you for organising today’s event.

The EU and its Member States would like to start by noting that sustainably managed forests, in line with the UN Forest Instrument and the UN Strategic Plan for Forests, provide essential functions for the environment and for our societies. They also contribute to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and its SDGs, the Paris Agreement and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

This year’s theme of “Forests and Food” is very relevant in our opinion, because forests play a vital role in providing nutritious food, achieving food security, and supporting livelihoods. Non-wood forest products, such as game meat, berries, mushrooms, honey and herbs, are important nutrition source for rural communities, and are also widely used in natural medicine. Sustainably managed forests are beneficial for agriculture too. They protect soil against erosion, regulate water cycles, provide habitats for pollinators, offer food and shade for livestock, and support climatic conditions for local farming. Agro-silvopastoral systems, which integrate crops, trees, and livestock, are also crucial in relation to food security and biodiversity conservation.

Excellencies,

The role of forests for society, the environment and the economy have been well recognised by the EU and its Member States, particularly in the new EU Forest Strategy for 2030 under the European Green Deal. This is the flagship initiative of the EU to achieve the goals of multiple multilateral agreements.

We are therefore committed to supporting all functions of forests, including through promotion of non-wood forest products. In fact, in addition to the wood-based-products, sustainably managed forests offer a variety of important additional products and services, from food to ecotourism, which support the economies and the social development of rural areas. These should therefore be promoted. 

The EU and its Member States are also committed to promoting sustainable forest-based value chains as part of a sustainable and circular bioeconomy. Cross-sectoral cooperation can contribute through increased and diversified incomes for farmers as well as forest owners. It can also contribute to climate mitigation by substituting fossil resources and resource-efficient use of residues.

Excellencies,

The world is facing an alarming rate of deforestation at about 10 million hectares per year, with the expansion of agricultural land being a significant driver. Another 15 million hectares per year of forest are being degraded, putting their important role at risk. We therefore stress and reaffirm the need for halting deforestation and forest degradation, mainstreaming sustainable forest management and increasing and maintaining protected areas as enshrined in the six Global Forest Goals of the UN Strategic Plan for Forests. By implementing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, countries can channel much greater effort into mainstreaming biodiversity, while improving sustainable forest management, reducing illegal harvest and enhancing the restoration of degraded ecosystems.

In concluding and ahead of the upcoming UNFF20, we reiterate the cross-cutting importance of forests and sustainable forest management to achieving our collective goals of the 2030 Agenda, the Paris Agreement and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Finally, we wish to express our appreciation to the Food and Agriculture Organisation and the Collaborative Partnership on Forests for promoting all functions of forests, including the important link between forests and food.

I thank you.