Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

617. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide an overview of the Presidency led EU position at the UN Forum on Forests that took place in Istanbul, Turkey between 8 - 19 April 2013; Ireland's positions and stances during the forum; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36227/13]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The tenth UN Forum on Forests (UN FF10) was held in Istanbul, Turkey from 8th to 20th April 2013 during Ireland’s recent Presidency. This was a world-wide forum with many countries, UN Organisations and NGOs present holding diverse views and objectives. It represented a major logistical and diplomatic challenge for Ireland which, with the European Commission, acted as lead negotiator and spokesperson for the European Union in the multiple contact groups.

The two week session addressed a range of important issues relating to forests and economic development including means of implementation for sustainable forest management (SFM) and a number of important emerging issues. Long and difficult negotiations were a feature of this session as delegates aimed to reflect the core issues of most importance to them in the overall conclusions. The importance of forests for economic development and on their overall contribution to the green economy was central. This will facilitate a further rollout of SFM at global level. This can only benefit all countries, both in the developed and developing worlds.

A multi-stakeholder dialogue and a high level Ministerial segment took place during the first week of the session. The overall result of the two week session was deemed to be a success by participants and agreement on two action-oriented Draft Resolutions was delivered. Resolution 1 addresses the implementation of the non-legally binding instrument on forests, regional inputs, economic development and enhanced global cooperation. The second resolution dealt with agreement on emerging issues, means of implementation and the UNFF Trust Fund. These will, in due course, go before the UN Economic and Social Council for further action.

The Irish Presidency was particularly challenging in the Forestry arena with many major international events taking place. In the case of the Istanbul event, it involved months of preparation that entailed developing and coordinating very detailed position papers which successfully captured the European position. I can justifiably express a feeling of satisfaction with our Presidency’s achievements in this complex area. Ireland has left a very sound platform for our EU and other colleagues to work from in the coming months.