Forest Policies from six countries shortlisted for Future Policy Award

Top candidates found in Bhutan, The Gambia, Nepal, Rwanda, Switzerland and the USA

New York / Montreal / Hamburg / Rome, 5 July 2011 – Policies from six countries are now shortlisted for the 2011 Future Policy Award. Bhutan, The Gambia, Nepal, Rwanda, Switzerland and the USA are still in the running for the most inspiring, innovative and influential forest policies worldwide. The Future Policy Award is granted by the World Future Council, an international policy research organization that provides decision makers with effective policy solutions. The three winning policies which contribute best to the conservation and sustainable development of forests for the benefit of current and future generations will be announced on 21 September 2011 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
The announcement will be followed by an awards ceremony hosted by the World Future Council, the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF) Secretariat, the Secretariat of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Wildlife Conservation Society. These partners look forward to the participation of government representatives, high level officials of international organizations and non-governmental organizations, as well as media and civil society.

The Future Policy Award celebrates the world’s most exemplary national policies that create better living conditions for current and future generations and that produce practical and tangible results. The award’s theme, in which policy progress is particularly urgent, is chosen on an annual basis. This year’s focus is forests as 2011 has been declared the International Year of Forests by the United Nations, with the central theme “Forests for People”, to raise awareness of the multiple values of forests and highlight success stories and challenges faced by many of the world’s forests and the people who depend on them.
Alexandra Wandel, Director of the World Future Council, says, “With the Future Policy Award we want to cast a spotlight on policies that lead by example. The aim of the World Future Council is to raise global awareness of visionary policies and speed up policy action in the interests of present and future generations.”

“Recognizing innovative forest policies is a vital component of raising awareness of the role forests play in delivering essential benefits and services for people everywhere,” says Jan McAlpine, Director of the UN Forum on Forests Secretariat. “This year’s Future Policy Award is particularly timely given its links to the first ever International Year of Forests 2011 and its message "Forests for People”. Since the Earth Summit in Rio in 1992, forests have been viewed largely through the lens of environmental concerns; it is time that we also focus on the other tangible values forests provide, from economic benefits, including livelihoods for 1.6 billion of the poorest of the poor, to social and cultural values.”

Ahmed Djoghlaf, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity and Honorary Councillor of the WFC comments “These six shortlisted candidates all demonstrate leadership towards the achievement of the 2020 Biodiversity targets: halving deforestation, restoring forests worldwide and ensuring that all forests are managed sustainably. Through the implementation of these policies, we can achieve the 2050 vision, which is a future of life in harmony with nature.”

Eduardo Rojas Briales, Assistant Director General of the Food and Agriculture Organization, says “The Future Policy Award presents an excellent opportunity to emphasize the important role of national policies in restoring and preserving the vital functions of forests for people and to shed some light on the world’s best practices in governing forest resources. FAO would like to encourage countries and organizations to take action on forests during the International Year of Forests and share knowledge and successful experience in forest governance.”