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Workshop outputs also identified the need to address issues of land rights and resolve land conflicts
JAKARTA, 15th July 2013 – During the first meeting of the Tropical Forest Alliance (TFA) 2020, a public-private partnership established by the U.S. Government and The Consumer Goods Forum (CGF), held in Jakarta, June 27-28, the industry’s leading companies pledged their support to the Alliance’s mission to reduce tropical deforestation associated with the production of global agricultural commodities such as palm oil and pulp & paper.
The TFA 2020 workshop was opened by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and attended by 300 people, including representatives from the world’s top palm oil and pulp & paper production companies, major buyers, governments and NGOs from 16 countries.
- Improve commodity yields and production efficiencies while conserving forests and ecosystems in critical partner countries;
- Monitor deforestation and forest health to measure progress;
- Create market signals through procurement and investment and lending programs as incentives for sustainable production, and the promotion of sustainable food production and conservation of forests; and
- Improve governance and enforcement in partner countries as related, for example, to land use planning and forest conservation.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Government of the Republic of Indonesia, in his opening speech said, “We all have a responsibility to do our part, but we cannot do it alone. Partnership is critical. Governments—national and local, private sector and civil society groups need to join hands to prevent deforestation and promote reforestation.”
These sentiments were echoed by Paul Polman, CEO of Unilever and Co-Sponsor of the CGF Sustainability Pillar, who said, “Tackling deforestation is a shared responsibility. It is an issue which will only be solved if we all work together. The Tropical Forest Alliance will attempt to provide a framework within which partnerships can be conceived and formed.”
To this end, the TFA 2020 also announced the addition of the Alliance’s first three NGO members: Conservation International, the Sustainability Initiative (IDH) and the World Resources Institute (WRI).
“We are delighted to welcome our new partners, who bring decades of experience in tropical deforestation and help ensure we have collaboration from the many important actors all across the supply chain,” said Kit Batten, who leads U.S. engagement in TFA 2020 as Global Climate Change Coordinator for the U.S. Agency for International Development, U.S. Government.
The challenge in meeting the Alliance’s goals, however, is being able to respond to rapidly growing demand for commodities and promote sustainable economic growth that benefits people, while preventing further deforestation and degradation of the world’s remaining tropical forests.
One example of how the TFA 2020 will achieve its goals is the Business to Business Partnership between the CGF and the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN). These two entities have agreed on a plan to work together to implement a shared agenda such as applying the CGF’s pulp, paper and packaging sourcing guidelines for the paper sector in Indonesia. This will support the effort to reduce deforestation associated with pulp and paper production, including the implementation of the Asia Pulp and Paper (APP) commitment to stop deforestation in their production chain.
The TFA 2020 workshop also identified the need to build public-private partnerships to more effectively use geospatial technologies to collect data and disseminate information about forest health and forest use. Examples of such partnerships that can contribute to monitoring, analyzing and reporting on deforestation include One Map and Global Forest Watch 2.0.
The TFA 2020 is open to new members, including countries, private sector companies, and civil society organizations that agree to undertake specific actions to address tropical deforestation. For further information on the TFA 2020, visit http://www.usaid.gov/climate/tfa2020.
About The Tropical Forest Alliance 2020
The Alliance was born out of discussions between the U.S. Government and The Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) and seeks to deliver solutions on deforestation that spur economic growth and food security. These goals are aligned with the development and climate change priorities of the Indonesian and United States governments.
TFA 2020 members are committed to reducing tropical deforestation from key commodity supply chains, such as palm oil, pulp & paper, soy and beef. These commodities account for the majority of global deforestation, which represents roughly 15% of the world’s greenhouse gas pollutants that contributes to climate change. Current TFA 2020 members include The Consumer Goods Forum (CGF), the governments of the United States, Norway, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, and NGOs Conservation International, the Sustainability Initiative (IDH) and the World Resources Institute (WRI).
The TFA 2020 will be launching their dedicated website, www.tfa2020.com, mid-July 2013. The US Government made an announcement on major investments to address tropical deforestation: www.usaid.gov/news-information/press-releases/usaid-major-new-investment-and-partnership-tropical-deforestation
About the TFA 2020 Workshop
The goal of the workshop was to build a common understanding and awareness of current initiatives to eliminate tropical deforestation from the palm oil and pulp & paper sectors, highlight existing policy, economic and technical obstacles and seeking solutions that allow industry, government and civil society to work on together toward a common goal.
About The Consumer Goods Forum
The Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) is a global, parity-based industry network, bringing together the CEOs and senior management of over 400 retailers, manufacturers, service providers and other stakeholders across 70 countries. Forum member companies have combined sales of EUR 2.5 trillion. Their retailer and manufacturer members directly employ nearly 10 million people with a further 90 million related jobs estimated along the value chain. In 2010, the CGF made a commitment to help achieve zero-net deforestation by 2020.
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Lee Green
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