Forests: A natural solution to climate change, crucial for a sustainable future

Stopping deforestation and restoring damaged forests could provide a third of the climate solution by 2030 – and there are decades of effort under way around the world to protect forests as a response to climate change. One of the largest efforts is the UN-REDD Programme, which is ten years old this year. It is a joint undertaking of the FAO, UNDP and UN Environment to fight deforestation and forest degradation – and to foster new and collaborative approaches in response to the existential challenge of climate change. The Programme now encompasses 64 partner countries, and it has become a flagship UN partnership for the Paris Agreement and for delivering on the Sustainable Development Agenda. Today, it is a global knowledge hub for solutions to deforestation and forest degradation as explained by José Graziano da Silva, Director-General of the FAO, Achim Steiner, Administrator of UNDP, and Erik Solheim, Head of UN Environment.