Statement by Lithuania's Minister of Environment at the United Nations Forum on Forests
Mr. Chairman, Excellences, Distinguished delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen, It is a great honour for me to attend this Forum on Forests and to discuss with you progress, challenges and future of the international arrangement on forests. Lithuania aligns its position with the EU and its Member States position. Lithuania is well aware of forest sector challenges related to climate change, biodiversity loss, unsustainable use of forest resources and others. We are deeply concerned about continuous deforestation and forest degradation. Forest policy fragmentation is constantly increasing and stronger coherence in global forest policy is needed.
In order to tackle these challenges, we have to take necessary measures at all levels – national, regional and global. One of such measures at national level is strategic planning implemented through forest programmes with concrete time bound objectives and goals.
Lithuania adopted National Forestry Sector Development programme in 2013. It includes strategic objectives and concrete actions within fixed time frame until 2020. Recently we have implemented a broad scale of afforestation activities. As a result, during the last ten years forest area in Lithuania has increased by two percent and today forests cover one third of country’s territory. Additionally, after the forest restitution Lithuania ensured good forest governance, sustainable forest management and proper balance among economic, social and environmental functions of forests.
We also believe that regional level plays an effective role as an interface between global and national level.
Lithuania is convinced that UN based global policy dialogue on forest issues with the involvement of other forest-related sectors, is of the highest importance.
We support universal membership of post-2015 UNFF with a clear mandate, objectives and functions. It should facilitate global coordination of forest-related policies, stimulate implementation of Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) and transformation of forest sector in line with the post-2015 sustainable development agenda.
Adequate financial resources for the post-2015 International Arrangement on Forests (IAF) should be secured, while international financing should remain voluntary.
We have to develop more effective inter-sessional working modalities to advance the work of the post-2015 UNFF. It is important that the secretariat arrangements remain UN-based and supported by adequate resources.
Lithuania supports improvement of the post-2015 International Arrangement on Forests (IAF) activities through a strategic planning with long term vision, measurable time bound targets and actions.
Finally, Mr. Chairman, Lithuania believes that strong and continuous political commitment to forests and Sustainable Forest Management and efforts at national, regional and global level will empower us to tackle all forest related challenges.
