Sustainable Development Goals and Forests, A summary of UNECE engagement and perspectives

This paper was produced in preparation for the 72nd session of the UN Economic Commission for Europe Committee on Forests and Forest Industry held in Kazan, Republic of Tatarstan, Russian Federation, 18-21 November 2014, where discussions covered the role of forests in the post-2015 agenda. The paper was compiled from existing literature and describes the progress of work by the joint UNECE/FAO Forestry and Timber Section on forests in the post-2015 agenda in the UNECE region. It outlines the political process related to the development of the SDGs and the outcomes of the workshop on ‘Forests and Sustainable Development Goals: a regional view’. The paper also summarises relevant analytical work conducted to date, and existing systems of monitoring and evaluation of all aspects related to the state of forests, forest resources, forest services and sustainable forest management, and the outlook for the goals framework, implementation and accountability from the perspective of forests.