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The European Commission launched an open public consultation on the European Affordable Housing Plan, which addresses the housing crisis that continues to impact millions of Europeans. Source: Timberbiz The plan will support EU Member States, regions, and cities in tackling structural challenges, unlocking public and private investment and ultimately improving access to affordable housing.  It is envisaged for next year. “Tackling the housing crisis which is affecting millions of Europeans requires inclusive action. The voice of our citizens is extremely important to shape a European Affordable Housing Plan which can really impact people’s lives across the entire European Union. If we want to make sure all Europeans have an affordable, sustainable and decent home, we need to work together across all levels of governance and sectors,” Commissioner for Energy and Housing, Dan Jørgensen said. This consultation, which follows a call for evidence, marks the second phase of gathering stakeholders’ views on all areas relevant to affordable housing in the EU, such as financing, state aid, simplification, and short-term accommodation rentals, among others. Interested parties are invited to provide their views until 17 October 2025. This initiative builds on the ongoing efforts of the Commission to make housing more sustainable and affordable across the EU. This includes the recent establishment of the Housing Advisory Board, a group of independent experts that will advise the Commission in preparation of the plan, as well as the ongoing consultation on the revision of State aid rules.

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The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations unveiled the first major redesign of its open-source forest monitoring platform, Open Foris, since its launch over 15 years ago. Source: Timberbiz Developed as FAO’s first open-source project, Open Foris has grown into a widely used suite of digital solutions for forest and land monitoring, with more than 250,000 users in 196 countries. Open Foris has been used by 91% of forest submissions from 65 countries in their forest reference level submissions to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), contributing to the reporting of over 14 billion tonnes of CO₂ in forest emission reductions or enhancements. “Technology can be a great equalizer, especially when it’s free, open and inclusive,” said FAO’s Forestry Director, Zhimin Wu. “Open Foris has been a game-changer for democratizing open-source forest monitoring solutions and shows that transparency and collaboration can unlock the potential of forests for climate action.” The redesigned Open Foris platform improves usability for a wide range of audiences, from technical experts to first-time users. The platform now offers clearer navigation, with structured pathways based on user needs and expertise. The platform is a central hub for a growing suite of ten open-source solutions designed to help countries and organizations collect, analyse, and manage forest data for more informed, data-driven decisions. Open Foris remains committed to free and open access, offering scalable, adaptable and innovative forest monitoring solutions. Developed in collaboration with partners including Google, NASA, and international research institutions, Open Foris aims to empower countries by providing free access to modern forest monitoring innovations, removing barriers to forest reporting, and country access to forest-based climate finance. Open Foris also supports forest-based actions such as conservation, restoration and sustainable use, delivering scalable digital solutions that meet real-world needs. The initiative has delivered nearly 500 training sessions in 100 countries, directly reaching around 15,000 participants who are now trained in using the platform. Fostering collaboration between FAO and the Government of Indonesia The new platform was officially launched at a high-level event in Bandung, Indonesia, alongside senior government officials, reflecting the strong collaboration between FAO and the Government of Indonesia on Open Foris over many years through solutions such as SEPAL, Arena, and now Open Foris WHISP. The launch is part of the workshop to integrate Indonesia’s National Forest Monitoring System – called Simontana – with Open Foris WHISP. This simple and intuitive solution helps small holders, farmers and vulnerable stakeholders continue to supply their commodities onto regulated markets, enabling compliance and reducing deforestation while leaving no one behind. The redesign of Open Foris, and the collaboration with the Government of Indonesia is supported through the Accelerating Innovative Monitoring for Forests Program – a partnership between FAO and the United Kingdom on forest monitoring.

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