Lands Minister urges world leaders to increase forest funding to combat climate change

The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Mr Samuel A. Jinapor, has urged world leaders to increase funding for forest action to tackle the triple planetary crisis of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss.

He made the call at a high-level ministerial segment and forest partnership dialogue during the 19th session of the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF19) on Thursday in New York.

He stated that the capacity of forests in combating the triplet planetary crises calls for an urgent need to re-examine forest financing options to stimulate investment towards achieving the globally agreed goals on forests, climate change and biodiversity.

He bemoaned the continuous destruction of global forests despite the increasing global knowledge and understanding of environmental challenges and the potential of forests to tackle these challenges.

According to the World Resources Institute, tropical primary forest loss in 2023 alone totalled three point seven million hectares (3.7million ha) and accounted for 2.4 gigatons of carbon dioxide emissions (2.4GtCO2e) and it is estimated that some $393 billion is required annually to save the world’s forests.

Citing these figures, Mr Jinapor appealed to global leaders for immediate, collective and cooperative action to protect the world's forests, the planet and the lives and livelihoods of the 1.6 billion people who rely on forest resources.

He noted that developing countries, which host some 45% of global forests, face enormous challenges in protection and conservation, particularly financial challenges.

He said Ghana has had to expend its limited resources on sustainable forest management due to the importance the government attaches to forests.

The Minister said the continuous default by developed countries to honour their pledges to support developing countries in sustainable forest management has manifested in the inconsistency in carbon pricing.

He further called for a comprehensive programme for incentivising local communities that depend on forests to preserve these resources, noting that the world benefits more from forest conservation than the gains to these communities.

The United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF) is a functional commission of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), established in 2000 to promote the management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests and to strengthen long-term political commitment towards this goal. The Forum, which ends on Saturday, 11th May 2024, will adopt a declaration and several resolutions to promote sustainable forest management.