Talk:Global Forest Coalition

Merge request

Forest Working Group is a predecessor organization to this organization. The two stub articles should be merged into this one, focusing on the current organization. Thanks, DA Sonnenfeld (talk) 11:50, 17 February 2013 (UTC)

done! L.tak (talk) 14:17, 3 July 2013 (UTC)

Out of date

Dear all,

The page of the Global Forest Coalition is very much out of date. I have designed one which is more up to date. However, I'm an unpaid intern there, and I think this is a conflict of interest. What can I do best now? Please find below the new content which I think is appropriate.

Kind regards,

Linde Lindeberbers (talk) 13:17, 12 April 2019 (UTC)

Extended content

Abbreviation GFC Formation The Global Forest Coalition was originally established by 19 NGOs and Indigenous Peoples’ Organizations (IPOs) from all over the world in 2000. Until 2005, the Global Forest Coalition was formally hosted by the World Rainforest Movement. In November 2005, the Global Forest Coalition was registered as an independent foundation in the Netherlands. Purpose To promote socially just and effective forest conservation and restoration policies that respect the rights of Indigenous Peoples, local communities and women. Northern office Amsterdam, The Netherlands Southern office Asunción, Paraguay Region Worldwide Methods Supporting and coordinating joint NGO/IPO campaigns Website https://globalforestcoalition.org/ Contents The Global Forest Coalition History Mission & Vision Objectives Campaigns Publications Members The Global Forest Coalition The Global Forest Coalition (GFC) is a worldwide coalition of NGOs, Indigenous Peoples and local communities organizations engaged in global policy debates related to forests. The aim of the GFC is to advocate for the rights of forest-dependent peoples as a basis for forest policy, and to address the direct and underlying causes of deforestation and forest degradation.[1] To achieve this, the coalition facilitates the effective and equitable participation of its members in global policy fora that focus on forests and monitors the implementation of agreed policy commitments. The primary targets of the coalition are the UN’s Framework Convention on Climate Change and Convention on Biological Diversity. Coalition members and staff are also actively involved in the United Nations Forum on Forests, the High Level Political Forum, the UN Environment Assembly and other forest-related policy processes. History The Global Forest Coalition was founded in 2000 by 19 NGOs and Indigenous Peoples’ Organizations (IPOs) from all over the world. It is a successor to the NGO Forest Working Group, which was originally established in 1995. In 1997, the NGO Forest Working Group took the lead in a multi-stakeholder initiative to address the underlying causes of deforestation and forest degradation (co-coordinated by the IUCN Netherlands National Committee and the World Rainforest Movement). This initiative published 40 case studies and 20 in-depth studies on the underlying causes of forest loss and organized nine regional and global workshops. Recognizing the importance of the participation of NGOs and IPOs from developing countries in international forest policy processes, the members of the NGO Forest Working Group decided to establish the Global Forest Coalition as an inclusive, informal alliance of Southern and Northern NGOs and IPOs. The GFC was formally hosted by the World Rainforest Movement up until 2005. In November 2005, it was registered as an independent foundation in the Netherlands.[2] Mission & Vision[3] The Global Forest Coalition campaigns through its broad membership and in coordination with other allies, alliances, movements and networks, to support the struggles of Indigenous People and local communities by bring their views, positions and proposals to the forefront of local, national, and global forest-related decision-making processes. The mission of the GFC is to advocate for the conservation and restoration of forest ecosystems, through defending and promoting respect for the rights, territories, traditional knowledge and sustainable livelihoods of the Indigenous Peoples and local communities that co-exist with them. The vision of the Global Forest Coalition is to; Protect real forests, and the people dependent on them. The GFC strives for a world where forest ecosystems are protected through sustainable co-existence with the Indigenous Peoples and local communities that call forests home, and where the specific rights, roles, needs and aspirations of women are central to this. Protect the rights of forest peoples. The rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities must be fully respected and upheld in all forest-related policies, and customary systems of forest governance and conservation, and the territorial rights to land of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, should be fully respected. Halt deforestation and biodiversity loss. Governments worldwide should comply with their commitment to halt deforestation and forest biodiversity loss, at the latest by 2020. The privatization, commercialization and deterioration of public policy, through public-private partnerships and other schemes, should be halted, and governments should guarantee the protection of human rights, particularly for vulnerable groups. Plantations are not forests. Forest conservation should focus on the preservation, restoration and sustainable use of forests, using indigenous species. Whereas, tree plantations must be excluded from the definition of forests especially where they are invasive, non-native, commercial and/or monocultures, and thus they are also excluded from subsidies and other forms of financial support intended for reforestation and afforestation. Forests are not a commodity to be traded, forests are for life. The impacts of the consumption of wood and other forest products must be reduced to a minimum, with sustainable local use governed by local conservation practices prioritized instead. Forests are key to the climate crisis. Forest protection and restoration should be placed at the heart of climate regulation, to mitigate against the impacts of climate change and to protect biodiversity and halt desertification. Biodiversity through cultural diversity. The cultural diversity and traditional knowledge of Indigenous Peoples and local communities is vital to biodiversity conservation and the protection of forest ecosystems and should therefore be protected, with an emphasis on inter-generational dialogue and the crucial role of young people. Objectives • To increase public and political awareness of the importance of combating the real, direct and underlying causes of deforestation and forest degradation. • To ensure that the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities are defended and guaranteed at the territorial level and in national, regional and international policies on forests and other related areas, including biodiversity and climate change. • To protect and promote customary systems of forest governance and conservation, and the traditional knowledge of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, to ensure the health of forests and forest biodiversity. • To ensure that community conservation and restoration initiatives have appropriate organizational capacity, and receive sufficient legal, political, technical and financial support. • To increase the capacity of local communities, Indigenous Peoples, social movements and women’s groups to analyze and address the social and environmental impacts of market-based conservation schemes, such as the false solutions that are being promoted within climate policies. • To facilitate and support regional and international alliances of organizations and communities working to defend forests and forest peoples. Campaigns The Global Forest Coalition supports and coordinates joint NGO/IPO campaigns for socially just and effective forest policy and the rights of Indigenous and other forest peoples. Furthermore, the GFC is also one of five organizations that together constitute the #Women2030 [4] program, a project aiming to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a gender-equitable and climate-just way. The Global Forest Coalition works on the following campaigns:[5] - Defending Rights. Forests are home to people. Rural communities and Indigenous Peoples have been living with and protecting their forests for centuries. But their lands and way of life are under threat, and their rights to govern, live in, use and conserve their territories are often not recognized or respected. The GFC takes the rights of Indigenous Peoples and other forest-dependent peoples as a starting point in the fight to protect forests. - Forests, Trees and Climate Change. The Forests, Trees and Climate Change campaign focuses on the drivers of forest loss and land conversion to monoculture tree plantations that have arisen in the post-Paris Agreement climate mitigation context. This includes bioenergy generation to meet renewable energy targets, climate mitigation approaches centered around afforestation and carbon markets, and climate finance that is increasingly led by the private sector and directed towards commercial tree plantations. - Supporting Community Conservation. Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities’ Conserved Territories and Areas (ICCAs) cover 12-22% of the earth’s territory. There is convincing evidence that ICCAs not only sustain many unique cultures and livelihoods, but that they are also far more effective at forest conservation and restoration than conventional protected areas. It is also broadly recognized that Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) play a central role in the implementation of ecosystem conservation and restoration strategies on the ground. GFC promotes the legal and political recognition of ICCAs and the autonomous governance structures and rights of the communities that manage them. - Trade and Other Underlying Causes of Forest Loss. International trade in commodities like soy, beef, wood and palm oil is a major driver of forest loss, land grabbing and climate change. The free trade agreements that fuel the trade in these big drivers of deforestation are also a major threat to forests, ecosystems, climate change and communities. The GFC works to halt and reverse these trade agreements, and remove agriculture and forests from the control of the World Trade Organization (WTO). They do this through active advocacy strategies and by mobilizing opposition amongst their member groups, and their social movement allies. - Allies against Unsustainable Livestock. The production of meat and animal feed for the intensive livestock industry is one of the main causes of deforestation, especially in South America, the continent with the highest rates of deforestation on Earth. The GFC raises awareness of the impacts of unsustainable livestock production and campaigns to end subsidies and perverse subsidies for these destructive practices. They also support the struggles of peasant farmers and Indigenous communities, who are often forcibly removed from their land by big agribusiness and poisoned by toxic fertilizers and herbicides, and GFC promotes more sustainable, community-based alternatives. - Women’s rights and Empowerment. The GFC works together with a large number of women’s movements in the international Women’s Major Group (WMG)[13] on sustainable development and on UNEP processes, and in the #Women2030 Program[14]. They are also part of The Gender & Sustainable Development Alliance[15] which includes recognized organizations such as Women International for a Common Future (WECF)[16] and the Gender Water Alliance[17]. GFC aims to integrate gender considerations in all their other policies and activities. Publications The Global Forest Coalition regularly produces reports, photo essays, infographics, briefing papers, weblogs and other information materials in order to share the views and analysis of its members and staff, and as a part of the campaigns mentioned above. The coalition also produces Roots, a semi-regular e-newsletter, and Forest Cover, a magazine on international forest policy. Roots features news and reports on the activities of the coalition and its members, feedback from international events related to forests, as well as notice of future meetings and events. Forest Cover is published three times a year and features critical articles, written by a broad range of GFC members and allies, on international forest-related policies, news from other NGOs and IPOs, and reports on important intergovernmental meetings. Members The Global Forest Coalition currently has 93 member organizations from 63 different countries. NGOs and IPOs can apply for membership through their respective regional coordinator.

Linde, thank you for declaring your possible conflict of interest and for proposing changes here on the talk page. Are all of these citations to GFC sources? It would be best to have more independent references in the article. Dialectric (talk) 14:19, 12 April 2019 (UTC)

Dialectric, Thanks for responding! When I'm referring to campaigns for example I just put in a reference to their website. There is not really another way to reference this! I edited the text to leave only the basic references in, do you think this is better? When there is a referral to other organizations etc then they're not GFC references of course. I took a look at other pages of environmental organizations, and they also reference in the same way.. What do you think is the best way of getting this published now? Lindeberbers (talk) 13:33, 16 April 2019 (UTC)

Help with updating this page please!

Dear all,

The page of the Global Forest Coalition is very much out of date. I have designed one which is more up to date. However, I'm an unpaid intern there, and I think this is a conflict of interest. I reviewed it again, based on feedback from the last thread of talks on this page. What can I do best now? Please find below the new content which I think is appropriate. I also included a list of all the references below.

Kind regards,

Linde Berbers Lindeberbers (talk) 09:36, 18 April 2019 (UTC)

Extended content

Abbreviation GFC Formation The Global Forest Coalition was originally established by 19 NGOs and Indigenous Peoples’ Organizations (IPOs) from all over the world in 2000. Until 2005, the Global Forest Coalition was formally hosted by the World Rainforest Movement. In November 2005, the Global Forest Coalition was registered as an independent foundation in the Netherlands. Purpose To promote socially just and effective forest conservation and restoration policies that respect the rights of Indigenous Peoples, local communities and women. Northern office Amsterdam, The Netherlands Southern office Asunción, Paraguay Region Worldwide Methods Supporting and coordinating joint NGO/IPO campaigns Website https://globalforestcoalition.org/ Contents The Global Forest Coalition History Mission & Vision Objectives Campaigns Publications Members The Global Forest Coalition The Global Forest Coalition (GFC) is a worldwide coalition of NGOs, Indigenous Peoples and local communities organizations engaged in global policy debates related to forests. The aim of the GFC is to advocate for the rights of forest-dependent peoples as a basis for forest policy, and to address the direct and underlying causes of deforestation and forest degradation.[1] To achieve this, the coalition facilitates the effective and equitable participation of its members in global policy fora that focus on forests and monitors the implementation of agreed policy commitments. The primary targets of the coalition are the UN’s Framework Convention on Climate Change and Convention on Biological Diversity. Coalition members and staff are also actively involved in the United Nations Forum on Forests, the High Level Political Forum, the UN Environment Assembly and other forest-related policy processes. History The Global Forest Coalition was founded in 2000 by 19 NGOs and Indigenous Peoples’ Organizations (IPOs) from all over the world. It is a successor to the NGO Forest Working Group, which was originally established in 1995. In 1997, the NGO Forest Working Group took the lead in a multi-stakeholder initiative to address the underlying causes of deforestation and forest degradation (co-coordinated by the IUCN Netherlands National Committee and the World Rainforest Movement). This initiative published 40 case studies and 20 in-depth studies on the underlying causes of forest loss and organized nine regional and global workshops. Recognizing the importance of the participation of NGOs and IPOs from developing countries in international forest policy processes, the members of the NGO Forest Working Group decided to establish the Global Forest Coalition as an inclusive, informal alliance of Southern and Northern NGOs and IPOs. The GFC was formally hosted by the World Rainforest Movement up until 2005. In November 2005, it was registered as an independent foundation in the Netherlands. Mission & Vision[2] The Global Forest Coalition campaigns through its broad membership and in coordination with other allies, alliances, movements and networks, to support the struggles of Indigenous People and local communities by bring their views, positions and proposals to the forefront of local, national, and global forest-related decision-making processes. The mission of the GFC is to advocate for the conservation and restoration of forest ecosystems, through defending and promoting respect for the rights, territories, traditional knowledge and sustainable livelihoods of the Indigenous Peoples and local communities that co-exist with them. The vision of the Global Forest Coalition is to; Protect real forests, and the people dependent on them. The GFC strives for a world where forest ecosystems are protected through sustainable co-existence with the Indigenous Peoples and local communities that call forests home, and where the specific rights, roles, needs and aspirations of women are central to this. Protect the rights of forest peoples. The rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities must be fully respected and upheld in all forest-related policies, and customary systems of forest governance and conservation, and the territorial rights to land of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, should be fully respected. Halt deforestation and biodiversity loss. Governments worldwide should comply with their commitment to halt deforestation and forest biodiversity loss, at the latest by 2020. The privatization, commercialization and deterioration of public policy, through public-private partnerships and other schemes, should be halted, and governments should guarantee the protection of human rights, particularly for vulnerable groups. Plantations are not forests. Forest conservation should focus on the preservation, restoration and sustainable use of forests, using indigenous species. Whereas, tree plantations must be excluded from the definition of forests especially where they are invasive, non-native, commercial and/or monocultures, and thus they are also excluded from subsidies and other forms of financial support intended for reforestation and afforestation. Forests are not a commodity to be traded, forests are for life. The impacts of the consumption of wood and other forest products must be reduced to a minimum, with sustainable local use governed by local conservation practices prioritized instead. Forests are key to the climate crisis. Forest protection and restoration should be placed at the heart of climate regulation, to mitigate against the impacts of climate change and to protect biodiversity and halt desertification. Biodiversity through cultural diversity. The cultural diversity and traditional knowledge of Indigenous Peoples and local communities is vital to biodiversity conservation and the protection of forest ecosystems and should therefore be protected, with an emphasis on inter-generational dialogue and the crucial role of young people. Objectives • To increase public and political awareness of the importance of combating the real, direct and underlying causes of deforestation and forest degradation. • To ensure that the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities are defended and guaranteed at the territorial level and in national, regional and international policies on forests and other related areas, including biodiversity and climate change. • To protect and promote customary systems of forest governance and conservation, and the traditional knowledge of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, to ensure the health of forests and forest biodiversity. • To ensure that community conservation and restoration initiatives have appropriate organizational capacity, and receive sufficient legal, political, technical and financial support. • To increase the capacity of local communities, Indigenous Peoples, social movements and women’s groups to analyze and address the social and environmental impacts of market-based conservation schemes, such as the false solutions that are being promoted within climate policies. • To facilitate and support regional and international alliances of organizations and communities working to defend forests and forest peoples. Campaigns The Global Forest Coalition supports and coordinates joint NGO/IPO campaigns for socially just and effective forest policy and the rights of Indigenous and other forest peoples. Furthermore, the GFC is also one of five organizations that together constitute the #Women2030 [3] program, a project aiming to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a gender-equitable and climate-just way. The Global Forest Coalition works on the following campaigns:[4] - Defending Rights. Forests are home to people. Rural communities and Indigenous Peoples have been living with and protecting their forests for centuries. But their lands and way of life are under threat, and their rights to govern, live in, use and conserve their territories are often not recognized or respected. The GFC takes the rights of Indigenous Peoples and other forest-dependent peoples as a starting point in the fight to protect forests. - Forests, Trees and Climate Change. The Forests, Trees and Climate Change campaign focuses on the drivers of forest loss and land conversion to monoculture tree plantations that have arisen in the post-Paris Agreement climate mitigation context. This includes bioenergy generation to meet renewable energy targets, climate mitigation approaches centered around afforestation and carbon markets, and climate finance that is increasingly led by the private sector and directed towards commercial tree plantations. - Supporting Community Conservation. Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities’ Conserved Territories and Areas (ICCAs) cover 12-22% of the earth’s territory. There is convincing evidence that ICCAs not only sustain many unique cultures and livelihoods, but that they are also far more effective at forest conservation and restoration than conventional protected areas. It is also broadly recognized that Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) play a central role in the implementation of ecosystem conservation and restoration strategies on the ground. GFC promotes the legal and political recognition of ICCAs and the autonomous governance structures and rights of the communities that manage them. - Trade and Other Underlying Causes of Forest Loss. International trade in commodities like soy, beef, wood and palm oil is a major driver of forest loss, land grabbing and climate change. The free trade agreements that fuel the trade in these big drivers of deforestation are also a major threat to forests, ecosystems, climate change and communities. The GFC works to halt and reverse these trade agreements, and remove agriculture and forests from the control of the World Trade Organization (WTO). They do this through active advocacy strategies and by mobilizing opposition amongst their member groups, and their social movement allies. - Allies against Unsustainable Livestock. The production of meat and animal feed for the intensive livestock industry is one of the main causes of deforestation, especially in South America, the continent with the highest rates of deforestation on Earth. The GFC raises awareness of the impacts of unsustainable livestock production and campaigns to end subsidies and perverse subsidies for these destructive practices. They also support the struggles of peasant farmers and Indigenous communities, who are often forcibly removed from their land by big agribusiness and poisoned by toxic fertilizers and herbicides, and GFC promotes more sustainable, community-based alternatives. - Women’s rights and Empowerment. The GFC works together with a large number of women’s movements in the international Women’s Major Group (WMG)[5] on sustainable development and on UNEP processes, and in the #Women2030 Program[6]. They are also part of The Gender & Sustainable Development Alliance[7] which includes recognized organizations such as Women International for a Common Future (WECF)[8] and the Gender Water Alliance[9]. GFC aims to integrate gender considerations in all their other policies and activities. Publications The Global Forest Coalition regularly produces reports, photo essays, infographics, briefing papers, weblogs and other information materials in order to share the views and analysis of its members and staff, and as a part of the campaigns mentioned above. The coalition also produces Roots, a semi-regular e-newsletter, and Forest Cover, a magazine on international forest policy. Roots features news and reports on the activities of the coalition and its members, feedback from international events related to forests, as well as notice of future meetings and events. Forest Cover is published three times a year and features critical articles, written by a broad range of GFC members and allies, on international forest-related policies, news from other NGOs and IPOs, and reports on important intergovernmental meetings. Members The Global Forest Coalition currently has 93 member organizations from 63 different countries. NGOs and IPOs can apply for membership through their respective regional coordinator. [1] = https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Forest_Coalition#cite_note-1 [2] = https://globalforestcoalition.org/about-us/vision-mission/ [3] = https://www.women2030.org/ [4] = https://globalforestcoalition.org/campaigns/ [5] = http://www.womenmajorgroup.org/ [6] = https://www.women2030.org/ [7] = http://www.wecf.eu/english/articles/2014/10/gender-sustainable-alliance.php [8] = http://www.wecf.eu/ [9] = http://genderandwater.org/en

— Preceding unsigned comment added by Lindeberbers (talk • contribs) 14:21, 24 April 2019 (UTC)

Reply 24-APR-2019

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Notes

Edit request new with ref-tags!

Dear all,

Here I am again, I included the ref-tags now. What do you guys think? Is there anything else? :)

Kind regards and thanks for all the help so far,

Linde Lindeberbers (talk) 13:57, 20 May 2019 (UTC)

Abbreviation GFC Formation The Global Forest Coalition was originally established by 19 NGOs and Indigenous Peoples’ Organizations (IPOs) from all over the world in 2000. Until 2005, the Global Forest Coalition was formally hosted by the World Rainforest Movement. In November 2005, the Global Forest Coalition was registered as an independent foundation in the Netherlands. Purpose To promote socially just and effective forest conservation and restoration policies that respect the rights of Indigenous Peoples, local communities and women. Northern office Amsterdam, The Netherlands Southern office Asunción, Paraguay Region Worldwide Methods Supporting and coordinating joint NGO/IPO campaigns Website https://globalforestcoalition.org/

Contents The Global Forest Coalition History Mission & Vision Objectives Campaigns Publications Members

The Global Forest Coalition The Global Forest Coalition (GFC) is a worldwide coalition of NGOs, Indigenous Peoples and local communities organizations engaged in global policy debates related to forests. The aim of the GFC is to advocate for the rights of forest-dependent peoples as a basis for forest policy, and to address the direct and underlying causes of deforestation and forest degradation.Global_Forest_Coalition#cite_note-1 To achieve this, the coalition facilitates the effective and equitable participation of its members in global policy fora that focus on forests and monitors the implementation of agreed policy commitments. The primary targets of the coalition are the UN’s Framework Convention on Climate Change and Convention on Biological Diversity. Coalition members and staff are also actively involved in the United Nations Forum on Forests, the High Level Political Forum, the UN Environment Assembly and other forest-related policy processes. History The Global Forest Coalition was founded in 2000 by 19 NGOs and Indigenous Peoples’ Organizations (IPOs) from all over the world. It is a successor to the NGO Forest Working Group, which was originally established in 1995. In 1997, the NGO Forest Working Group took the lead in a multi-stakeholder initiative to address the underlying causes of deforestation and forest degradation (co-coordinated by the IUCN Netherlands National Committee and the World Rainforest Movement). This initiative published 40 case studies and 20 in-depth studies on the underlying causes of forest loss and organized nine regional and global workshops.

Recognizing the importance of the participation of NGOs and IPOs from developing countries in international forest policy processes, the members of the NGO Forest Working Group decided to establish the Global Forest Coalition as an inclusive, informal alliance of Southern and Northern NGOs and IPOs.

The GFC was formally hosted by the World Rainforest Movement up until 2005. In November 2005, it was registered as an independent foundation in the Netherlands.

Mission & Vision[1] The Global Forest Coalition campaigns through its broad membership and in coordination with other allies, alliances, movements and networks, to support the struggles of Indigenous People and local communities by bring their views, positions and proposals to the forefront of local, national, and global forest-related decision-making processes. The mission of the GFC is to advocate for the conservation and restoration of forest ecosystems, through defending and promoting respect for the rights, territories, traditional knowledge and sustainable livelihoods of the Indigenous Peoples and local communities that co-exist with them. The vision of the Global Forest Coalition is to; Protect real forests, and the people dependent on them. The GFC strives for a world where forest ecosystems are protected through sustainable co-existence with the Indigenous Peoples and local communities that call forests home, and where the specific rights, roles, needs and aspirations of women are central to this. Protect the rights of forest peoples. The rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities must be fully respected and upheld in all forest-related policies, and customary systems of forest governance and conservation, and the territorial rights to land of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, should be fully respected. Halt deforestation and biodiversity loss. Governments worldwide should comply with their commitment to halt deforestation and forest biodiversity loss, at the latest by 2020. The privatization, commercialization and deterioration of public policy, through public-private partnerships and other schemes, should be halted, and governments should guarantee the protection of human rights, particularly for vulnerable groups. Plantations are not forests. Forest conservation should focus on the preservation, restoration and sustainable use of forests, using indigenous species. Whereas, tree plantations must be excluded from the definition of forests especially where they are invasive, non-native, commercial and/or monocultures, and thus they are also excluded from subsidies and other forms of financial support intended for reforestation and afforestation. Forests are not a commodity to be traded, forests are for life. The impacts of the consumption of wood and other forest products must be reduced to a minimum, with sustainable local use governed by local conservation practices prioritized instead. Forests are key to the climate crisis. Forest protection and restoration should be placed at the heart of climate regulation, to mitigate against the impacts of climate change and to protect biodiversity and halt desertification. Biodiversity through cultural diversity. The cultural diversity and traditional knowledge of Indigenous Peoples and local communities is vital to biodiversity conservation and the protection of forest ecosystems and should therefore be protected, with an emphasis on inter-generational dialogue and the crucial role of young people.

Objectives • To increase public and political awareness of the importance of combating the real, direct and underlying causes of deforestation and forest degradation. • To ensure that the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities are defended and guaranteed at the territorial level and in national, regional and international policies on forests and other related areas, including biodiversity and climate change. • To protect and promote customary systems of forest governance and conservation, and the traditional knowledge of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, to ensure the health of forests and forest biodiversity. • To ensure that community conservation and restoration initiatives have appropriate organizational capacity, and receive sufficient legal, political, technical and financial support. • To increase the capacity of local communities, Indigenous Peoples, social movements and women’s groups to analyze and address the social and environmental impacts of market-based conservation schemes, such as the false solutions that are being promoted within climate policies. • To facilitate and support regional and international alliances of organizations and communities working to defend forests and forest peoples.

Campaigns The Global Forest Coalition supports and coordinates joint NGO/IPO campaigns for socially just and effective forest policy and the rights of Indigenous and other forest peoples. Furthermore, the GFC is also one of five organizations that together constitute the #Women2030 [2] program, a project aiming to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a gender-equitable and climate-just way. The Global Forest Coalition works on the following campaigns:[3] - Defending Rights. Forests are home to people. Rural communities and Indigenous Peoples have been living with and protecting their forests for centuries. But their lands and way of life are under threat, and their rights to govern, live in, use and conserve their territories are often not recognized or respected. The GFC takes the rights of Indigenous Peoples and other forest-dependent peoples as a starting point in the fight to protect forests. - Forests, Trees and Climate Change. The Forests, Trees and Climate Change campaign focuses on the drivers of forest loss and land conversion to monoculture tree plantations that have arisen in the post-Paris Agreement climate mitigation context. This includes bioenergy generation to meet renewable energy targets, climate mitigation approaches centered around afforestation and carbon markets, and climate finance that is increasingly led by the private sector and directed towards commercial tree plantations. - Supporting Community Conservation. Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities’ Conserved Territories and Areas (ICCAs) cover 12-22% of the earth’s territory. There is convincing evidence that ICCAs not only sustain many unique cultures and livelihoods, but that they are also far more effective at forest conservation and restoration than conventional protected areas. It is also broadly recognized that Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) play a central role in the implementation of ecosystem conservation and restoration strategies on the ground. GFC promotes the legal and political recognition of ICCAs and the autonomous governance structures and rights of the communities that manage them. - Trade and Other Underlying Causes of Forest Loss. International trade in commodities like soy, beef, wood and palm oil is a major driver of forest loss, land grabbing and climate change. The free trade agreements that fuel the trade in these big drivers of deforestation are also a major threat to forests, ecosystems, climate change and communities. The GFC works to halt and reverse these trade agreements, and remove agriculture and forests from the control of the World Trade Organization (WTO). They do this through active advocacy strategies and by mobilizing opposition amongst their member groups, and their social movement allies. - Allies against Unsustainable Livestock. The production of meat and animal feed for the intensive livestock industry is one of the main causes of deforestation, especially in South America, the continent with the highest rates of deforestation on Earth. The GFC raises awareness of the impacts of unsustainable livestock production and campaigns to end subsidies and perverse subsidies for these destructive practices. They also support the struggles of peasant farmers and Indigenous communities, who are often forcibly removed from their land by big agribusiness and poisoned by toxic fertilizers and herbicides, and GFC promotes more sustainable, community-based alternatives. - Women’s rights and Empowerment. The GFC works together with a large number of women’s movements in the international Women’s Major Group (WMG)[4] on sustainable development and on UNEP processes, and in the #Women2030 Program[5]. They are also part of The Gender & Sustainable Development Alliance[6] which includes recognized organizations such as Women International for a Common Future (WECF)[7] and the Gender Water Alliance[8]. GFC aims to integrate gender considerations in all their other policies and activities.

Publications The Global Forest Coalition regularly produces reports, photo essays, infographics, briefing papers, weblogs and other information materials in order to share the views and analysis of its members and staff, and as a part of the campaigns mentioned above. The coalition also produces Roots, a semi-regular e-newsletter, and Forest Cover, a magazine on international forest policy. Roots features news and reports on the activities of the coalition and its members, feedback from international events related to forests, as well as notice of future meetings and events. Forest Cover is published three times a year and features critical articles, written by a broad range of GFC members and allies, on international forest-related policies, news from other NGOs and IPOs, and reports on important intergovernmental meetings.

Members The Global Forest Coalition currently has 93 member organizations from 63 different countries. NGOs and IPOs can apply for membership through their respective regional coordinator.

[1] = https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Forest_Coalition#cite_note-1 [2] = https://globalforestcoalition.org/about-us/vision-mission/ [3] = https://www.women2030.org/ [4] = https://globalforestcoalition.org/campaigns/ [5] = http://www.womenmajorgroup.org/ [6] = https://www.women2030.org/ [7] = http://www.wecf.eu/english/articles/2014/10/gender-sustainable-alliance.php [8] = http://www.wecf.eu/ [9] = http://genderandwater.org/en