International Policy Award for Visionary Forest Policies:

New York / Montreal / Hamburg, 21 March 2011. The list of nominees for this year’s Future Policy Award has been published. 19 forest policies from 16 countries have been nominated for this international award. 2011 has been declared the International Year of Forests by the United Nations, with the central theme “Forests for People”, to raise consciousness of the multiple values of forests and promote greater awareness of success stories and challenges which many of the world’s forests and the people who depend on them face.

The Future Policy Award is granted by The World Future Council, an international policy research organization that provides decision makers with effective policy solutions. Up to three winning policies will be announced on 21 September 2011 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. Winners will represent the most inspiring, innovative and influential forest policies which contribute to the management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests for the benefit of current and future generations.

The announcement will be followed by an awards ceremony in New York on the evening of 21 September, co-hosted by the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF) Secretariat, the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (SCBD), the World Future Council and the Wildlife Conservation Society. These partners are looking forward to the participation of government representatives, high level officials of international organizations and non-governmental organizations, as well as media and civil society. Nominations include policies from Bhutan, Brazil, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Finland, Gambia, Guatemala, Kenya, Nepal, Norway, India, Indonesia, Rwanda, Turkey, the United States of America and Vietnam.

International organisations including the Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF) members such as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (SCBD) the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), as well as others including the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) have submitted the nominations. The jury is composed of experts on sustainability and forests from all five continents and include Jan McAlpine, Director, United Nations Forum on Forests, Professor Marie Claire Cordonier Segger, Director, Center for International Sustainable Development Law, Jakob von Uexkull, Chair, World Future Council and Right Livelihood Award, Tewolde Berhan Egziabher, Director General, Environmental Protection Authority, Ethiopia and Pauline Tangiora, Maori elder from the Rongomaiwahine tribe.

Jan McAlpine, Director of the United Nations Forum on Forests Secretariat said “Human dependence on forest resources for the most basic needs of food, medicine, clean water and shelter are values that call for a local, regional and international political commitment to sustainably managing our forests. Throughout the International Year of Forests 2011, we will celebrate the functions that forests provide to people and the vital role they play in realising meaningful sustainable development. It is therefore very timely that innovative forest policy solutions are being honoured through this year’s Future Policy Award.”

Ahmed Djoghlaf, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, said: “This recognition and celebration of biodiversity leaders who are promoting the international forest agenda, on the occasion of the International Year of Forests and the start of the United Nations Decade on Biodiversity is a major contribution to promoting the new strategic plan for biodiversity for 2011 to 2020, and in particular the forest related Aichi Target including the synergies among the three Rio conventions, UNFCCC, UNCCD and UNCBD.”

Alexandra Wandel, Executive Member of the Management Board of the World Future Council, said, “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 for visionary policies and speed up policy action.”