Finance for Forests Progress on the New York Declaration on Forests Executive Summary - Goals 8 and 9 Assessment Report

This executive summary assesses progress toward Goals 8 and 9 of the New York Declaration on Forests (NYDF), focusing on forest finance. It concludes that 'green finance' aligned with forest and climate goals is insufficient and vastly outweighed by 'grey finance'—investments and subsidies that drive deforestation. While some progress is noted in results-based REDD+ payments and impact investing, the report argues that a dramatic shift in investment is required to achieve zero deforestation.

• Total 'green finance' for NYDF Goals 8 and 9 since 2010 is approximately USD 20 billion, which the report describes as insufficient given that tropical forests could provide up to 30 percent of the climate change mitigation required by the Paris Agreement.
• Green finance is marginal compared to 'grey finance' in the land sector, which totals USD 777 billion. This grey finance includes development finance for agriculture in deforestation countries, capital stocks in agriculture, forestry, and fisheries, and subsidies for deforestation drivers in Brazil and Indonesia.
• The economic incentives driving deforestation are substantial, with the production value of four key agricultural commodities in tropical countries exceeding USD 1 trillion.
• International public green development finance for forestry is small; of USD 167 billion in mitigation-related development finance from developed countries and multilateral institutions, only USD 3.6 billion was allocated to forestry, with USD 2.3 billion of that going to key deforestation countries.
• Domestic government commitments for REDD+ programs in several middle-income countries total USD 10 billion planned for the next 4 to 10 years, with Mexico and Costa Rica providing the largest shares.
• Private sector 'green' impact investments for forests in Africa, Asia, and Latin America are estimated at USD 2.7 billion, which is a small fraction of the USD 414 billion in private capital stocks for 'business as usual' farming, forestry, and fisheries in deforestation countries.
• Results-based REDD+ finance commitments from multilateral and bilateral institutions exceed USD 4.1 billion. Notable contributions include more than USD 1.1 billion disbursed by Norway to Brazil, and USD 306 million mobilized by the German REDD Early Mover Program for disbursements to Colombia and the Brazilian state of Acre.
• Indonesia and Brazil invest approximately USD 276 billion in subsidies for four key commodities that drive deforestation: soy, palm oil, beef, and timber.

APA

Forest Declaration Assessment (2017). Finance for Forests Progress on the New York Declaration on Forests Executive Summary - Goals 8 and 9 Assessment Report. https://forestdeclaration.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/2017NYDFReport_ES.pdf

Chicago

Forest Declaration Assessment. Finance for Forests Progress on the New York Declaration on Forests Executive Summary - Goals 8 and 9 Assessment Report. 2017. https://forestdeclaration.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/2017NYDFReport_ES.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Forest Declaration Assessment |title=Finance for Forests Progress on the New York Declaration on Forests Executive Summary - Goals 8 and 9 Assessment Report |date=October 2017 |url=https://forestdeclaration.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/2017NYDFReport_ES.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{forestdeclarationassessment2017finance, author = {{Forest Declaration Assessment}}, title = {{Finance for Forests Progress on the New York Declaration on Forests Executive Summary - Goals 8 and 9 Assessment Report}}, institution = {Forest Declaration Assessment}, year = {2017}, month = oct, url = {https://forestdeclaration.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/2017NYDFReport_ES.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }