Dialogue with CPF Heads and UNFF partners

Excellencies, chair, Director of UNFF, panelists, members of the forum,

I would like to thank the panelists for their insightful introductions. We see a growing awareness of the forests role in tackling the global challenges of our time. This represents opportunities for coordinated action for achieving the global forest goals.

We should welcome all initiatives that could lead to progress in sustainable management of the worlds forest like the Glasgow Leaders' Declaration on Forests and Land Use.

Cooperation between fora and processes is key to achieve synergies, making the most of our common resources.

Therefore, Norway would like to stress the importance of the collaborative partnership on forests. Respecting the distinct roles and mandates of the members, we would like to see that this cooperation continues and strengthened where possible.

We acknowledge and appreciate FAOs key role in coordinating the partnership. We see FAOs strong competence in questions related to food production and food security as a strength, as we see this as interlinked with the challenges related to protection and sustainable management of forests.

As the challenges and demands on forests increases, science is more important than ever before. We appreciate the involvement of IUFRO and wish for a successful IUFRO World Congress in Stockholm this summer, hosted by Sweden in in close partnership with the Nordic-Baltic countries. Here forest scientist from all over the world will discuss forest and society towards 2050.

We need major groups and stakeholders aboard to find solutions that will work overall. This includes enabling conditions for forest owners and securing the rights of indigenous peoples and other forest dependant people. Also, a firm focus on the involvment of women and girls in sustainable forest management is necessary, including gender-responsive access to to forest finance.

Thank you.