NEW YORK DECLARATION ON FORESTS Action Agenda

The New York Declaration on Forests Action Agenda (2014) outlines a comprehensive framework for governments, companies, indigenous peoples, and multilateral institutions to slow, halt, and reverse global forest loss. It details a 'menu of key actions' for various stakeholders and reports a surge in zero-deforestation commitments from global commodity traders and consumer goods companies, alongside national pledges for forest restoration and the protection of indigenous lands.

• Global deforestation is driven significantly by the production of commodities, with soy, palm oil, beef, and paper accounting for approximately half of all global forest loss. Other contributing factors include energy, mining, fuel wood collection, urban expansion, and infrastructure.
• Major global palm oil traders, including Wilmar International, Golden Agri-Resources, and Cargill, have adopted zero-deforestation policies. These policies now cover approximately 60% of global trade, representing a market value of about $30 billion and an area equivalent to the size of Portugal. This shift is estimated to reduce CO2 emissions by 400-450 million tons annually by 2020.
• The Consumer Goods Forum (CGF), comprising 400 companies with sales of $3 trillion, pledged to remove deforestation from supply chains for soy, palm oil, beef, pulp, and paper by 2020. Between December 2013 and September 2014, 21 additional consumer goods companies adopted zero-deforestation policies.
• A global coalition of indigenous peoples from Indonesia, the Congo Basin, Central America, and the Amazon pledged to protect and sustainably manage 400 million hectares of forests. This area stores over 85 Gt of CO2. Their priorities include access to climate finance, free prior informed consent, and progress on customary land rights.
• Several countries have made specific forest restoration pledges under the Bonn Challenge, totaling 34 million hectares. These include Ethiopia (22 million hectares), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (8 million hectares), Uganda (2.5 million hectares), and Guatemala (1.2 million hectares). Additionally, Asia Pulp and Paper pledged to restore 1 million hectares.
• The Governors' Climate and Forest Task Force, representing 26 states and provinces that cover 25% of all tropical forests, pledged in the August 2014 Rio Branco Declaration to reduce deforestation by 80% by 2020 compared to historic levels, utilizing results-based payments.
• Developed nations including Germany, Norway, and the United Kingdom expressed intent to provide predictable REDD+ financing and results-based payments for up to 20 new emission reduction programs by 2016. Furthermore, the UK, Germany, Norway, France, and the Netherlands pledged to implement procurement policies to limit the consumption of commodities linked to deforestation.

APA

Forest Declaration Assessment (2014). NEW YORK DECLARATION ON FORESTS Action Agenda. https://forestdeclaration.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/NYDF_Action-Agenda.pdf

Chicago

Forest Declaration Assessment. NEW YORK DECLARATION ON FORESTS Action Agenda. 2014. https://forestdeclaration.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/NYDF_Action-Agenda.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Forest Declaration Assessment |title=NEW YORK DECLARATION ON FORESTS Action Agenda |date=14 September 2014 |url=https://forestdeclaration.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/NYDF_Action-Agenda.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{forestdeclarationassessment2014new, author = {{Forest Declaration Assessment}}, title = {{NEW YORK DECLARATION ON FORESTS Action Agenda}}, institution = {Forest Declaration Assessment}, year = {2014}, month = sep, url = {https://forestdeclaration.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/NYDF_Action-Agenda.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }