Forest Positive Coalition Participates in Pre-COP26 Discussion with FACT Dialogue

As the incoming COP26 President, the United Kingdom launched the FACT Dialogue with Indonesia as co-chair. The FACT Dialogue brings together 30 governments as the largest producers and consumers of internationally traded agricultural commodities in order to protect forests and other ecosystems while promoting trade and development.

As an initiative of 20 consumer goods retailers and manufacturers committed to helping drive accelerated change towards a forest positive future, the Forest Positive Coalition welcomed the opportunity to speak with government officials to build a common understanding of both the Coalition and the FACT Dialogue’s ambitions and actions. Additionally, the discussion allowed for both parties to explore public-private collaboration in the development of action plans to progress on their shared, forest positive objectives.

The discussion was convened by the Tropical Forest Alliance (TFA),  one of the Coalition’s key strategic partners and co-chair of the FACT Dialogue Multi-Stakeholder Taskforce. It was facilitated by Justin Adams, Executive Director of the TFA. The Coalition was represented by its co-chairs, Bertrand Swiderski, Chief Sustainability Officer, Carrefour, and Christine Montenegro McGrath, Vice President and Chief of Global Impact, Sustainability, and Well-being, Mondelēz International, along with dozens of other Coalition members.

The Coalition thanks the governments of the United Kingdom and Ghana, the Tropical Forest Alliance, and its Coalition members for their participation and contributions. The Coalition looks forward to continuing these dialogues on the critical issues of deforestation, climate change, and sustainable trade. As COP26 approaches, the Coalition also welcomes additional opportunities to engage with governments and other key stakeholders to continue advancing on its forest positive strategy.

To learn more about the Forest Positive Coalition and its work to remove deforestation, forest conversion and degradation from key commodity supply chains, visit its website.