The thirteenth session of the UN Forum on Forests (UNFF13) opened on Monday, 7 May 2018, at UN Headquarters in New York. In the morning, delegates addressed a number of organizational matters, including an amendment to the agenda to add a sub-item to discuss how the reform of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) may affect the UNFF Secretariat.
The Forum heard opening statements from Marie Chatardová, President, UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), Liu Zhenmin, UN Under-Secretary-General, Economic and Social Affairs, and UNFF Director Manoel Sobral Filho. This was followed by discussion on the implementation of the UN Strategic Plan for Forests 2017-2030 (UNSPF), starting with announcements of voluntary national contributions (VNCs) to the UNSPF from among others, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Jamaica, Madagascar, Nepal, New Zealand, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Paraguay, Peru, the Philippines, Slovakia, Turkey and Ukraine. Delegates then engaged in more general policy discussion on UNSPF implementation.