India’s Pronouncements at the 19th Session of the UNFF

May 13, 2024

India said important things at the 19th Session of the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF) in New York in May 2023. The country emphasized the progress it had made in protecting forests, which it said was due to careful management and policy application. The amount of forest land in India has steadily grown over the last 15 years, according to sources. India will have the third-largest net gain in forest area each year from 2010 to 2020 thanks to this growth.

International Collaborations in Species Protection

The session made it clear that India places a high value on protecting nature and wildlife. It was stated that a network of more than a thousand protected areas, such as wildlife sanctuaries, national parks, tiger reserves, and biosphere reserves, had grown. Conservation efforts like “Project Tiger” and “Project Elephant” are celebrating important birthdays at key points in this growth. India brought attention to the creation of the International Big Cat Alliance, a world group working together to protect seven species of big cats. This project shows how important India is to protecting wildlife around the world.

About UNFF

The United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF) was established in October 2000 by the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.
UNFF’s main objective is to promote the management, conservation, and sustainable development of all types of forests.
It has its headquarters at the United Nations in New York.
The Forum includes all member states of the United Nations and operates under the jurisdiction of the Economic and Social Council.
The UNFF follows a multi-year program of work, with each year focusing on specific aspects of forest policy.
The Forum’s activities are guided by the Forest Instrument, adopted by the UNFF in 2007, which outlines a set of principles for sustainable forest management.
UNFF engages in facilitating cooperation and coordination on forest issues with various international and regional organizations and processes.
The forum holds biennial sessions to assess progress and set future directions in global forest policy.
UNFF produces a Global Forest Resources Assessment report periodically, which provides comprehensive data on forest conditions worldwide.
The forum also contributes directly to the objectives of other key international environmental agreements, including the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), and the Paris Agreement on climate change.

What is the International Big Cat Alliance?

The International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA), spearheaded by India in April 2023, aims to protect the world’s seven main big cat species. The alliance, comprising 97 countries, will foster collaboration, share best practices, and develop guidelines to combat illegal wildlife trade and poaching. India has pledged $100 million for the first five years, after which the IBCA will be self-sustaining through various funding sources.

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