PROGRESS ON THE NEW YORK DECLARATION ON FORESTS

The report finds that while the Paris Agreement has confirmed the role of forests in the international climate agenda, global efforts to end forest loss and greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 remain insufficient. It argues that current economic systems incentivize forest exploitation and that existing government initiatives—such as REDD+ programs and monitoring systems—have not been enough to counter these drivers. To realize forests' mitigation potential, the authors recommend that governments increase ambition in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), massively scale up domestic and international finance, and implement six specific strategies: strengthening land governance, securing Indigenous Peoples and local communities' (IPLCs) rights, aligning fiscal incentives, promoting multistakeholder collaboration, ensuring robust monitoring, and expanding demand-side measures in importing countries.

• Goal 7 of the New York Declaration on Forests (NYDF) has been achieved because the Paris Agreement has formally recognized the importance of forests in the international climate agenda.
• Despite some progress, such as the operation of over 50 national-scale REDD+ programs and over 100 robust forest monitoring systems, global efforts are insufficient to meet 2030 targets for ending forest loss and associated greenhouse gas emissions.
• Forest mitigation goals are hindered by a global economic system that prioritizes infinite production and consumption, driving the exploitation of forests for minerals, metals, and agricultural land.
• Many governments lack quantitative forest-related mitigation targets in their NDCs, and those that exist are often insufficiently ambitious or dependent on international funding.
• Current financial flows for forest mitigation are a 'miniscule fraction' of what is required, necessitating a shift toward 'greening' grey finance and reforming subsidies.
• Securing the land rights and tenure of Indigenous Peoples and local communities (IPLCs) is identified as a critical strategy for protecting forest areas and carbon sequestration.
• Importing countries are urged to take responsibility for their 'global forest footprints' by implementing due diligence requirements, public procurement policies, and trade agreements aligned with the Paris Agreement.

APA

Forest Declaration Assessment (2021). PROGRESS ON THE NEW YORK DECLARATION ON FORESTS. https://forestdeclaration.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/2021NYDFReport_Recs_EN.pdf

Chicago

Forest Declaration Assessment. PROGRESS ON THE NEW YORK DECLARATION ON FORESTS. 2021. https://forestdeclaration.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/2021NYDFReport_Recs_EN.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Forest Declaration Assessment |title=PROGRESS ON THE NEW YORK DECLARATION ON FORESTS |date=October 2021 |url=https://forestdeclaration.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/2021NYDFReport_Recs_EN.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{forestdeclarationassessment2021progress, author = {{Forest Declaration Assessment}}, title = {{PROGRESS ON THE NEW YORK DECLARATION ON FORESTS}}, institution = {Forest Declaration Assessment}, year = {2021}, month = oct, url = {https://forestdeclaration.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/2021NYDFReport_Recs_EN.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }