Forests are among the world’s most productive land-based ecosystems and are essential to life on Earth

The United Nations Strategic Plan for Forests 2030provides a global framework for action at all levels to sustainably manage all types of forests and trees outside forests, and to halt deforestation and forest degradation. The historic agreement on the Strategic Plan was forged at a special session of the United NationsForum on Forests in January 2017, and subsequently adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in April 2017.At the heart of the Strategic Plan are six Global Forest Goals and 26 associated targets to be achieved by 2030. These goals and targets, set out in this concise publication, fully encompass and build on the solid foundation provided by the four Global Objectives on Forests included in the United Nations Forest Instrument.

The Strategic Plan serves as a reference framework for the forest-related work of the United Nations system and for the fostering of enhanced coherence, collaboration and synergies among United Nations bodies and partners towards the vision and mission (set out below). It also serves as a framework to enhance the coherence of and guide and focus the work of the international arrangement on forests and its components. A shared United Nations visionThe shared United Nations vision is of a world in which all types of forests and trees outside forests are sustainably managed, contribute to sustainable development and provide economic, social, environmental and cultural benefits for present and future generations.A shared United Nations missionThe shared United Nations mission is to promote sustainable forest management and the contribution of forests and trees outside forests to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including by strengthening cooperation, coordination, coherence, synergies and political commitment and action at all levels.