High-level forest and climate talks yesterday brought together leaders from ten nations, including major economies and forest-rich countries. In a Plenary meeting of the Forest and Climate Leaders Partnership, updates on existing forest protection commitments were announced.
The President of the Republic of Ghana, H.E. Nana Akufo-Addo, announced Ghana and the UK’s commitment to becoming the new Co-Chair of the FCLP, commenting:
“The world’s forest holds a value of 150 trillion dollars. Underscoring their importance for our economies and livelihoods. Our forests remain under siege. The World Resources Institute reported that 3.7 million hectares were lost in 2023 alone, largely due to human activity. This tragedy cannot continue.
We established the FCLP at COP27 to fight this. Thirty-three countries came together to coordinate a collective response, identifying common priorities and advancing them in alignment.”
UK Energy Security and Net Zero Secretary Ed Milliband set out FCLP priorities, including tackling illegality and strengthening forest governance, transforming supply chains and markets, and unlocking public and private investment for the protection and restoration of forests.
Balkissou Buba, Co-Chair of the Global Alliance of Territorial Communities, said, “No climate or biodiversity agreement can succeed without Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities. Our territories hold millions of hectares of primary forests, essential to fighting climate change. These lands are not merely resources; they are part of who we are, sustained through our respectful connection to them.”
“Today, we launch a powerful Call to Action. Countries must set concrete, measurable goals in their climate plans to recognise and protect Indigenous territories. We call on governments to make a binding pledge to expand and secure our land tenure rights, committing to a rapid and effective process that acknowledges our essential role in mitigating climate change.
It is time for a stronger, more ambitious financial pledge built together with us to ensure that funds are greater, more transparent, and directed toward Indigenous-led funding mechanisms and advocacy platforms. At this COP, it’s time to call for more countries to join us and ask the COP30 Presidency to provide a platform to launch these commitments.“
Tom Skirrow, Chief Executive Officer of Tree Aid, commented: “Today we have heard progress from leaders on forests. The UK, for example, reinstated its commitment to dedicate half of its £3bn nature target to forests.
Yet, globally, the scale of action still falls short of what’s needed. Forests sequester 20% of global carbon emissions, but they receive just 3% of climate finance. Three years after the Glasgow Forest Declaration, it’s promising to see commitments, but we’re still short of the original pledge – and the global financing gap for nature continues to widen.”
“At this ‘finance COP’, we need concrete progress on existing commitments and new finance for forests. There is simply no path to delivering the Paris Agreement without protecting our forests and ensuring Indigenous Peoples and local communities, who safeguard millions of hectares of primary forest, receive the finance they so desperately need. With stronger government leadership, we can unlock public and private money and help close the natural finance gap. The climate crisis remains at our doorstep – now is the time for action.”
Professor Tom Crowther, Professor of Ecology, ETH Zurich, founder of Crowther Lab, founder Restor commented: “Forests are humanity’s first line of defence against climate change and biodiversity loss. But they are surpassing critical thresholds, jeopardising food security and undermining forest’s ability to sustain life on Earth.
While the world grapples with the escalating climate crisis, our forests are a powerful ally – naturally capturing carbon, protecting communities from extreme weather, and sheltering countless species from extinction. But crucially, there can be no choice between nature and emissions. Our survival depends on both.”
Signals of progress from the Forest Tenure Funders Group (FTFG) Report:
- Around $55 million—representing 10.6% of total Pledge funds—reached IP and LC organisations directly in 2023.
- Private foundations are leading the way in disbursing funds directly to IP and LC organisations. In 2023, over 27% of philanthropic Pledge funding was direct.
- IP- and LC-led funds are becoming critical pathways for directing resources to Indigenous communities, with seven such funds receiving direct support in 2023.
Highlights from leaders’ speeches during the high-level event:
- Minister Marina Silva reaffirmed Brazil’s commitment to focus on the TFFF at COP30 to promote financial incentives for developing countries that conserve forests with fixed payment per hectare conserved or restored.
- Luis Gilberto Murillo, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Colombia, launched a call for a new global financial pact on forests and urged leaders to join the Peace for Nature coalition.
- Rt Hon Ed Milliband, Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, UK, formerly took on the UK’s role of co-chair of the FCLP alongside Guyana. He noted that forests are a priority in the UK government’s net zero plan, commenting: “We know we need to take urgent action on our forests if we are to keep 1.5 alive.”
- Balkissou Buba, Co-Chair of the Global Alliance of Territorial Communities, launched a three-step Call to Action for leaders to recognise and protect Indigenous territories.
- Hans Brattskar, Special Envoy for Climate & Forests, Norway, reinstated Norway and Germany’s $215 million pledge through the FCLP and shared progress from Colombia, Peru and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
- Ravi Menon, Ambassador for Climate Action, Singapore, talked about country package initiatives from Gabon and Colombia. Reinstated Singapore’s support for forest countries to charter ambitious paths to halt forest loss.
- HE Laurent Tchagba, Minister of Water and Forests, Coôte d’Ivoire, shared their ‘nature actions’ and launched a call for technological and financial firms to ‘support the government in its ambition to redevelop the forest cover in the country to help with the fight against climate change’.
- John Podesta, Special Advisor for International Climate Policy, USA, officially received the co-chair role from the USA and Guyana to the UK and Ghana for the co-chair roles of the FCLP.
Strong UK pledges on climate and nature at COP29. Yesterday, the UK PM announced the country’s NDC target of 81% reduction on 1990 levels by 2035. See comments from WRI and WWF here.
Coinciding with Prime Minister Starmer’s speech, David Lammy, the UK Foreign Secretary, gave a speech on Indigenous Peoples and protecting forests and reaffirmed the UK’s £3bn pledge for nature – committing to dedicate £1.5m to forests.
