The Global Forest Expert Panels (GFEP) initiative was established within the framework of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF), and is led and coordinated by the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) as part of IUFRO’s Science-Policy Programme (SciPol). It builds on the political recognition provided by the United Nations Forum on Forests (ECOSOC Resolution 2006/49) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD Decision IX/16).
The core activity of the GFEP initiative is preparing global reports and accompanying policy briefs on key issues that reflect state-of-the-art understanding of the subject matter. They are a comprehensive, interdisciplinary and scientifically sound information source written in a comprehensible way for policy makers, stakeholders and the interested broader public. Topics are chosen based on the information needs of intergovernmental processes and institutions.
The reports are prepared by thematic Expert Panels involving internationally recognized leading scientific experts in their field, who consolidate existing, available information rather than conducting new research. To ensure scientific rigor, all reports undergo a double-blind peer review process.
The frequency of reports is determined by the information needs and requests from intergovernmental processes. All GFEP reports are accompanied by related policy briefs that give an overview of the key messages for policy- and decision-makers.
All GFEP reports received considerable international media attention, had significant impact on international policies and have served as background information for discussions, briefing documents for negotiators, guidance for strategic policy development, as well as teaching materials.
Forests for Social and Economic Resilience
Following the successful completion of the thematic reports on adaptation of forests and people to climate change; international forest governance; biodiversity, forest management, and REDD+; food security; illegal timber trade; water; forests and poverty, and forests and human health, IUFRO initiated a new GFEP on Forests for Social and Economic Resilience.
Given the multi-dimensional relationships between forests and social and economic resilience, and the cross-sectoral nature of the topic, a thorough scientific assessment of these relationships is needed. Such an assessment will provide a solid contribution to current and upcoming global discussions and platforms, and will support integrated, holistic, and effective policy responses.
For updates on this panel, please visit the related webpage.
