Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR)

CIFOR is a leading international forestry research organisation established in 1993 in response to global concerns about the social, environmental, and economic consequences of forest loss and degradation.
    CIFOR is dedicated to developing policies and technologies for sustainable use and management of forests, and for enhancing the well-being of people in developing countries who rely on tropical forests for their livelihoods.
    CIFOR is one of the 15 centres of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). With headquarters in Bogor, Indonesia, CIFOR has offices in Brazil, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ethiopia, India, Zambia and Zimbabwe, and it works in over 30 other countries around the world.

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

FAO was founded in 1945 with a mandate to raise levels of nutrition and standards of living, to improve agricultural productivity, and to better the condition of rural populations. 
    Today, FAO is one of the largest specialized agencies in the United Nations system and the lead agency for agriculture, forestry, fisheries and rural development. An intergovernmental organization, FAO has 183 member countries plus one member organization, the European Community.

International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO)

ITTO was established under the provisions of the International Tropical Timber Agreement (ITTA), 1983 in late 1986 in Yokohama, Japan . The principal purpose of ITTO is to promote international trade in tropical timber, the sustainable management of tropical forests and the development of forest industries through international consultation and cooperation, policy work and project activities.  

World Conservation Union (IUCN)

IUCN was founded in 1948, brings together States, government agencies and a diverse range of non-governmental organizations in a unique world partnership: over 980 members in all, spread across some 140 countries. IUCN's mission is to influence, encourage and assist societies throughout the world to conserve the integrity and diversity of nature and to ensure that any use of natural resources is equitable and ecologically sustainable. 
    Forests are an important ecosystem treated within the mission of the IUCN and it has identified itself as a collaborating agency on issues such as forest conservation and rehabilitation.

International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO)

IUFRO is a non-profit, non-governmental international network of forest scientists. Its objectives are to promote international cooperation in forestry and forest products research. IUFRO's activities are organized primarily through its 274 specialized Units in 8 technical Divisions. 
    IUFRO's mission is to promote the coordination of and the international cooperation in scientific studies embracing the whole field of research related to forests and trees.

Global Environment Facility (GEF)

The Global Environment Facility (GEF), established in 1991, helps developing countries fund projects and programs that protect the global environment. GEF grants support projects related to biodiversity, climate change, international waters, land degradation, the ozone layer, and persistent organic pollutants.
    GEF is an independent financial organization that provides grants to developing countries for projects that benefit the global environment and promote sustainable livelihoods in local communities.

Secretariat of the Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD)

CBD is the global, legally binding agreement on the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity, opened for signature at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1992. Biological diversity - or biodiversity - means the variability among living organisms from all sources and includes diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems.     
    The CBD has three main goals: the conservation of biological diversity; the sustainable use of its components; and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits from the use of genetic resources.

The United Nations Forum on Forests Secretariat (UNFF)

The issue of forests has been a priority on the international policy and political agendas for the past 15 years. At the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) the forest issue was among the most controversial, polarizing developing and developed countries. After the Rio Summit in 1992, the Intergovernmental Panel on Forests (IPF), from 1995 - 1997, and the Intergovernmental Forum on Forests (IFF) from 1997 - 2000, both under the auspices of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development, were the main intergovernmental fora for international forest policy development in the eight years.

World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF)

ICRAF is one of the 15 centres of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) located throughout the developing world. The mission of ICRAF is to improve human welfare by reducing poverty, improving food and nutritional security, and enhancing environmental resilience in the tropics. 

World Bank

Founded in 1944, the World Bank is one of the world's largest sources of development assistance. The Bank, which provided US$19.5 billion in loans to its client countries in fiscal year 2002, is now working in more than 100 developing economies, bringing a mix of finance and ideas to improve living standards and eliminate the worst forms of poverty.     

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

UNEP's mission is to provide leadership and encourage partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of the future generations.
     Its present priorities include: Environmental information, assessment and research, including environmental emergency response capacity and strengthening of early warning and assessment functions; Enhanced coordination of environmental conventions and development of policy instruments; Fresh water; Technology transfer and industry; and Support to Africa.

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

UNDP is the UN's global development network, advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. Present on the ground in 166 countries, UNDP works to help local partners develop solutions to global and national development challenges through development of local capacity. World leaders have pledged to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, including the overarching goal of cutting poverty in half by 2015. UNDP focus has been helping countries build and share solutions to the challenges of:

• Democratic Governance;
• Poverty Reduction;
• Crisis Prevention and Recovery;
• Energy and Environment;
• Information and Communications Technology;
• HIV/AIDS.

UNDP helps developing countries attract and use aid effectively. In all its activities, it encourages the protection of human rights and the impowerment of women.
    Given important role forests play in poverty reduction and the environment, the UNDP has dedicated itself to the issue of promoting national public participation within the UNFF process, serving as the CPF focal agency on this topic.

Secretariat of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)

The objective of the UNCCD is to combat desertification and mitigate the effects of drought through National Action Programmes, which are long-term policy guidelines in this regard formulated by affected countries. It entered into force in 1996 and its guiding principles are participation, partnership and decentralization. The participatory, bottom-up approach has ensured enduring and effective changes on the ground. By combating desertification, the Convention also aims to tackle poverty in and prevent forced migration from dryland rural areas. Desertification is a global problem that threatens the livelihood of over 1.2 billion people and affects more than 110 countries worldwide.
    The preservation of forests is a crucial component of the Convention, as they are critical in preserving soil from wind and water erosion - which are among the primary causes of desertification. Afforestation and reforestation as means to rehabilitate degraded lands are an integral part of the work of the UNCCD. The UNCCD has therefore strengthened collaboration and coordination with UNFF and other CPF members.
    UNCCD serves as focal agency, along with FAO and ICRAF, for rehabilitation and restoration of degraded lands, and promotion of natural and planted forests.


The Polish Government and the State Forests

The State Forests National Forest Holding (State Forests NFH) supervises forests owned by the State Treasury in Poland. The overall goal of the Sate Forests is to conduct forest management according to the principles of widespread preservation of forests, durability of their maintenance, continuity and balanced use of all the forest functions and expansion of the forest resources. The above purposes are fulfilled by permanently balanced, multifunctional forest management,  conducted in accordance with the 10 years’ long forest management plans prepared for each forest inspectorate. 
    The State Forests National Forest Holding is headed by the Director General of the State Forests NFH, assisted by the General Directorate of the State Forests and the Directors of 17 Regional Directorates. Forest Inspectorates constitute the basic State Forests NFH organisational units, headed by Forest Inspectors.