Collaborative Partnership on Forests

The Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF) is a voluntary arrangement of international organizations and institutions with substantial programmes on forests. It was established by the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in 2000 through resolution 2000/35, which invited the executive heads of relevant United Nations bodies and other international and regional organizations to form a partnership to support the work of the UN Forum on Forests (UNFF) and to enhance cooperation and coordination among forest-related actors.

The CPF began its work alongside the first session of the Forum in 2001, with a mandate to:

  • support the deliberations of UNFF;
  • enhance cooperation and coordination among its members;
  • strengthen political commitment to sustainable forest management;
  • facilitate the implementation of forest-related decisions, including the proposals for action of the Intergovernmental Panel and Forum on Forests; and
  • assist the Forum in monitoring, assessment and reporting.

Evolution of the mandate

Since its establishment, the CPF’s mandate has been reinforced and expanded through a series of key decisions:

  • ECOSOC resolution 2000/35 (2000) – established CPF as a mechanism to support the Forum, build on inter-agency collaboration, and facilitate joint programming.
  • E/CN.18/2001/7 (2001) – set out the partnership’s objectives and tasks in direct support of UNFF, including assistance to countries in implementation and reporting.
  • A/RES/62/98 (2007, Forest Instrument/NLBI) – called on Member States, as members of CPF governing bodies, to align forest-related priorities and support CPF joint initiatives.
  • E/RES/2015/33 (2015) – defined CPF’s core functions: supporting the Forum and its members, providing scientific and technical advice, enhancing coherence across programmes, and promoting implementation of the Forest Instrument.
  • E/RES/2017/4 (2017, UN Strategic Plan for Forests 2017–2030) – integrated CPF as one of the three pillars supporting the International Arrangement on Forests, alongside the Forum secretariat and Trust Fund.

CPF in practice

Across successive sessions of the Forum, CPF has been consistently recognised as:

  • a high-level platform for policy dialogue, engaging ministers and heads of organizations (e.g. UNFF2, UNFF9, UNFF10, UNFF11, UNFF19);
  • a mechanism for enhanced cooperation and coordination within the International Arrangement on Forests (UNFF8, UNFF11, UNFF16);
  • a contributor to monitoring, reporting and implementation support for the UN Strategic Plan for Forests (UNFF12 onwards);
  • and a partner in high-level outreach and partnership forums, including dialogues with major groups, the private sector and civil society (UNFF14, UNFF19).

Today

The CPF, chaired by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), brings together 16 international organizations working on forest-related issues. Through joint initiatives, a shared workplan and regular reporting to the Forum, CPF works to advance the Global Forest Goals and targets of the UN Strategic Plan for Forests, promote policy coherence, and strengthen the collective impact of the international forest community.