Hosted in Bonn, Germany, and online, the GLF Forests 2025 Hybrid Conference: Defining the Next Decade of Action united over 3,000 participants from 145 countries, along with 105 speakers and over 50 global and local partner organizations to lay the foundations for a resilient, productive and just future for forests on the road from Baku to Belém.

1. REALIZING FOREST COMMITMENTS:
April 24, 2025

2. Agenda
1 Welcome & introduction
2 The urgency & opportunities of 2025
3 Priority actions for governments
4 Q&A

3. Objective of this consultation
• Gather feedback to refine & prioritize the priority actions in the draft
2025 Agenda, which has been open for feedback.
• Feedback gathered today will guide decisions on what to include – and what
to leave out – of the final 2025 Agenda document.
• Our goal is to focus on short-term, tangible actions – rather than an
exhaustive list of all ideal actions.

4. There has been a catastrophic
73%
decline in the average size of
monitored wildlife populations in
just 50 years (1970-2020)
WWF Living Planet Report: Global Living Planet Index

5. 5
WWF Living Planet Report:
The Amazon tipping point
• WHAT’S AT STAKE: The Amazon holds more
than 10% of Earth’s terrestrial biodiversity,
stores 250–300 billion tons of carbon and is
home to over 47 million people
• RISK: As climate change and deforestation lead
to reduced rainfall, conditions could become
unsuitable for tropical forest, triggering an
irreversible change
• IMPACT: Losses of biodiversity and cultural
value; changes to weather patterns affecting
agriculture and food supplies; acceleration of
global climate change making the 1.5°C goal
impossible to achieve
• HOW CLOSE ARE WE? A tipping point is on
the horizon if 20–25% of the rainforest is
destroyed - around 14–17% has already
been deforested. Current rates of
deforestation could lead to a tipping point
within a decade
• WHAT’S HAPPENING NOW? Highest
number of fire outbreaks in 16 years in
September 24

6. 2025: A milestone year for ending deforestation by 2030
● A year of political ownership through
updating and enhancing of national
biodiversity strategies (NBSAPs) and
climate strategies (NDCs)
● The Global Stocktake (UNFCCC COP
28) is the compass for course
correction through NDCs 3.0 – nature
& forests at the heart
● UNFCCC COP 30 Presidency critical
to champion the role of forests and
halting deforestation to achieve Paris
Agreement temperature goal

7. Audience input:
What’s the most important driver of positive change
for forests in your region?

8. • CSO Action Agenda for
Governments
• Initiated by WWF, University of
Swansea, and Climate Focus
• Coordinated by the Forest
Declaration Assessment (as
convened by Climate Focus)
Priority Actions for
Governments in 2025

9. Priority Action #1
Rally around forest
goals with renewed
ambition, integrating
them in national climate
and biodiversity plans
and in upcoming
conference outcomes.
• LEVERAGE SUMMITS: Reaffirm a commitment to
phase-out deforestation, forest degradation, and
ecosystem conversion in the formal outcomes of
COP30, and highlight forests' role in climate-resilient
agricultural systems in the G20 Summit outcomes
• ALIGN NATIONAL PLANS: Ensure NDCs,
NBSAPs and NAPs reflect the Glasgow Leaders'
Declaration, and language on deforestation and
degradation in the Global Stocktake.
• DEVELOP IMPLEMENTATION
ROADMAPS: Create or update national strategies
with time-bound targets based on inclusive
multi-stakeholder processes.

10. Priority Action #2
Partner to promote legal
and deforestation-,
conversion-, and
degradation-free trade
• BUILD TRADE PARTNERSHIPS: Establish
exporting-importing country partnerships in
sectors with mutual interest, prioritizing
information sharing, traceability, and due
diligence.
• STRENGTHEN PROTECTIONS IN TRADE
AGREEMENTS: Include forest conservation
provisions in multilateral and bilateral trade
agreements while ensuring robust law
enforcement cooperation.
• RAISE IMPORT STANDARDS: Importing
countries urgently need to raise the bar for legal
and illegal deforestation-, conversion-, and
degradation-free trade

11. Priority Action #3
Significantly scale up
finance for forests
• GET TFFF OFF THE GROUND: Donor
governments should engage with and support
the development of the TFFF by making
long-term loans as sovereign sponsors. Tropical
forest countries should seek to join the TFFF
and work to meet the eligibility criteria for low or
zero annual deforestation.
• INCREASE FINANCE & INCENTIVES: Scale
up finance & provide an incentive that is
commensurate with the challenge for forest
countries and the cost of inaction
• DELIVER JREDD+ OUTCOMES: Turn
jurisdictional REDD+ strategies into action with
inclusive processes, land tenure clarity, and
strong safeguards.

12. Priority Action #4
Secure the land rights
and support the
self-determination of
Indigenous and Afro-
descendent peoples and
local communities,
including through
scaling up finance
• LAUNCH TENURE PLEDGE 2.0: Mobilize at least $3
billion over five years for IP, ADP, and LC land rights,
ensuring at least 30% is direct funding
• SECURE LAND RIGHTS: Accelerate efforts to
recognize and secure Indigenous and community land
tenure, with special attention to resolving land conflicts.
• SET TARGETS: Establish time-bound national goals
for land rights recognition & track progress
transparently.
• ADVANCE COMMUNITY CONSERVATION: Promote
community-based conservation through implementation
of CBD Article 8(j) and the UNFCCC Local
Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform

13. Priority Action #5
Issue comprehensive
supervisory
expectations for
financial institutions to
address forest risks
• MANDATE TRANSITION PLANS: Establish
time-bound requirements for financial
institutions to develop nature transition plans
• DUE DILIGENCE: Mandate comprehensive
environmental due diligence using double
materiality approaches that address
nature-related risks and impacts.
• ASSESS PORTFOLIOS: Assess portfolio
risks related to deforestation and develop
tools to mitigate these risks in monetary
operations.

14. Priority Action #6
Identify and repurpose
subsidies that harm
forests and ecosystems,
directing them toward a
sustainable food
systems transformation,
a bioeconomy
transition, and
sustainable forest
management
• IDENTIFY HARMFUL SUBSIDIES…: Screen
and evaluate existing subsidies to assess their
links to deforestation, in line with GBF Target 18.
• …AND REDIRECT THEM: Repurpose harmful
subsidies, prioritized based on the magnitude of
the potential environmental harm they cause;
and must take into account trade-offs and seek
compromises between those affected.
• SUPPORT JUST TRANSITIONS: Reinvest
revenues in complementary measures to protect
vulnerable groups through credit access,
ecosystem service payments, and training.

15. Priority Action #7
Strengthen governance
in the land-use sector,
including legal
frameworks, law
enforcement,
transparency, and
accountability
• STRENGTHEN FRAMEWORKS &
ENFORCEMENT: Align laws with global forest
commitments through inclusive and participatory
approaches, and boost enforcement capacities
• ENHANCE TRANSPARENCY: Mandate public
disclosure of land-use policies, contracts, and
revenue flows while developing robust traceability
systems.
• ENSURE JUST ALLOCATION: Guarantee
transparent enforcement of land-use planning
processes with mechanisms for conflict resolution,
FPIC, and recognition of customary rights.

16. • PROVIDE DEBT RELIEF: Address sovereign
debt for nature-rich countries conditional on
meeting ecosystem protection goals.
• VALUE NATURAL CAPITAL: Incorporate
natural assets in debt sustainability
frameworks and as criteria for concessional
finance allocation.
• INCREASE FISCAL FLEXIBILITY: Exercise
greater flexibility to accelerate
transformational forest goals and sustainable
development in the Global South.
Priority Action #8
Address the vicious
cycle of debt and
increase fiscal flexibility
in multilateral
development finance

17. Q&A