Forests are well and truly back on the climate change agenda and they will feature prominently in discussions at the 13th Session of the Conference of Parties - COP13 - to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

COP 13 is taking place in Bali, Indonesia, 3-14 December 2007 and is expected to attract 10,000 delegates, many of whom are at the very forefront of global climate change discussions, including representatives from government, industry and community service organizations.

Precisely how these delegates view the role forests will play in any future climate change strategy is still uncertain - which is why the Bali meeting is so important. And which is also why CIFOR, together with other members of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests, is convening the first ever ‘Forest Day’ at COP, to be held on Saturday December 8th. Its theme: Shaping the Global Agenda for Forests and Climate Change. Over 500 participants will attend the meeting, ranging from politicians to climate experts, business leaders to environmental activists. Forest Day will provide a platform for vigorous debate and discussion, and help to inform COP13.

A distinguished panel of experts will introduce key forestry issues at the opening plenary. Among those addressing the plenary will be Wangari Maathai, founder of Kenya’s Green Belt Movement and winner of the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize; Katherine Sierra, chair of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research and vice-president of the World Bank’s Sustainable Development Network; and Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, chair of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. The opening session will be followed by a series of workshops whose findings will be presented at the final plenary to Yvo de Boer, the UNFCCC’s executive secretary.

There will be slide shows, poster displays and booths hosted by members of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests, NGOs and research institutions. Presentations, discussions and debates will cover a broad range of forest-related subjects, from carbon sequestration to payments for environmental services, from livelihoods to governance issues. Forest Day will be stimulating, enlightening and provocative - in short, a day to remember.