A/RES/79/283 GA

United Nations A/RES/79/283 General Assembly Distr.: General 16 April 2025 25-06209 (E) *2506209* Seventy-ninth session Agenda item 13 Integrated and coordinated implementation of and follow-up to the outcomes of the major United Nations conferences and summits in the economic, social and related fields Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 16 April 2025 [without reference to a Main Committee (A/79/L.64)] 79/283. United Nations Decade for Afforestation and Reforestation in line with Sustainable Forest Management (2027–2036) The General Assembly, Reaffirming its resolution 70/1 of 25 September 2015, entitled “Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”, in which it adopted a comprehensive far-reaching and people-centred set of universal and transformative Sustainable Development Goals and targets, its commitment to working tirelessly for the full implementation of the Agenda by 2030, its recognition that eradicating poverty in all its forms and dimensions, including extreme poverty, is the greatest global challenge and an indispensable requirement for sustainable development, its commitment to achieving sustainable development in its three dimensions – economic, social and environmental – in a balanced and integrated manner, and to building upon the achievements of the Millennium Development Goals and seeking to address their unfinished business, Recalling its resolution 73/284 of 1 March 2019, entitled “United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021–2030)”, adopted with the aim of supporting and scaling up efforts to prevent, halt and reverse the degradation of ecosystems worldwide and raise awareness of the importance of successful ecosystem restoration, Recalling also Economic and Social Council resolutions 1980/67 of 25 July 1980 on international years and anniversaries and 1989/84 of 24 May 1989 on guidelines for international decades in economic and social fields and General Assembly resolutions 53/199 of 15 December 1998 and 61/185 of 20 December 2006 on the proclamation of international years, Recalling further its resolution 78/320 of 13 August 2024 on fostering sustainable forest management, including afforestation and reforestation, in degraded lands, including drylands, as an effective solution to environmental challenges, A/RES/79/283 United Nations Decade for Afforestation and Reforestation in line with Sustainable Forest Management (2027–2036) 25-06209 2/3 Recalling the declaration of the high-level segment of the nineteenth session of the United Nations Forum on Forests,1 Reaffirming the United Nations strategic plan for forests 2017–20302 as a global framework for action at all levels to protect and sustainably manage all types of forests and trees outside forests, to halt deforestation and forest degradation and contribute to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and other international forest-related instruments, processes, commitments and goals, Taking note of relevant regional initiatives, including the launch of an African and Global Decade of Afforestation and Reforestation, Recognizing the multiple values and contributions of forests and sustainable forest management to sustainable development in its three dimensions, as well as the myriad benefits provided by all types of forests and trees outside forests, their wood and non‑wood products, their functions and services to the environment, health and well-being, and to socioeconomic development, poverty eradication, and employment, such as food security, clean water, provision of wood, fuel and fibre, climate change mitigation and adaptation, biodiversity conservation and restoration, prevention of land degradation and floods, and sand and dust storm mitigation, among others, Recalling the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change3 and the Paris Agreement,4 the Convention on Biological Diversity 5 and the Kunming- Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework adopted at the fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention,6 and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa, 7 including the Land Degradation Neutrality Target Setting Programme, as well as the outcomes of the high-level political forum on sustainable development, Expressing deep concerns about the continued global trend in deforestation as well as the mutually reinforcing adverse impacts of climate change, desertification and land degradation, biodiversity loss, pollution and waste, while acknowledging efforts of countries in addressing deforestation, Recalling the six global forest goals and their associated targets of the United Nations strategic plan for forests 2017–2030, including target 1.3 of goal 1, which calls for promoting the implementation of sustainable management of all types of forests, halting deforestation, restoring degraded forests and substantially increasing afforestation and reforestation globally, and emphasizing the need for enhanced cooperation at all levels, including within the United Nations system to this end, Emphasizing that sustainable forest management, including afforestation and reforestation through tree planting, seeding and regeneration in degraded lands, including drylands, can have economic, social and environmental benefits, inter alia, by increasing biodiversity, providing habitat for diverse plant and animal species, protecting against natural hazards and disasters, contributing substantially to climate change mitigation and adaptation, particularly by absorbing and storing carbon dioxide _______________ 1 Economic and Social Council decision 2024/328. 2 See resolution 71/285. 3 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1771, No. 30822. 4 Adopted under the UNFCCC in FCCC/CP/2015/10/Add.1, decision 1/CP.21. 5 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1760, No. 30619. 6 United Nations Environment Programme, document CBD/COP/15/17, decision 15/4, annex. 7 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1954, No. 33480. United Nations Decade for Afforestation and Reforestation in line with Sustainable Forest Management (2027–2036) A/RES/79/283 3/3 25-06209 from the atmosphere, as well as providing opportunities for agroforestry and ecotourism, Noting the many initiatives related to afforestation and reforestation under way around the world, and emphasizing the need to ensure that afforestation and reforestation activities are carried out in line with sustainable forest management, informed by the best available science, and that they do not lead to the degradation of non‑forested natural ecosystems, 1. Decides to proclaim the period 2027–2036 as the United Nations Decade for Afforestation and Reforestation in line with Sustainable Forest Management, within existing structures and available resources, with the objective of raising global awareness, fostering political will, mobilizing action at all levels and strengthening international cooperation and capacity-building to halt and reverse the loss of forest cover worldwide and to support efforts in afforestation and reforestation in line with sustainable forest management, in alignment with relevant global frameworks; 2. Emphasizes the need for full consistency and coordination between the implementation of the Decade and existing global frameworks, including the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021–2030) and the United Nations strategic plan for forests 2017–2030 and its global forest goals, and relevant United Nations major outcome documents and multilateral environmental agreements, ensuring that efforts are mutually reinforcing and contribute to long-term global forest sustainability; 3. Invites the United Nations Environment Programme, the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations and the secretariat of the United Nations Forum on Forests to facilitate the observance of the Decade; 4. Invites the United Nations Forum on Forests, within its existing mandates and resources, to consider, as appropriate, the role and contributions of the United Nations Decade for Afforestation and Reforestation in line with Sustainable Forest Management (2027–2036) in its deliberations; 5. Stresses that the costs of all activities that may arise from the implementation of the present resolution should be met from voluntary contributions, including from the private sector; 6. Invites Governments and other relevant stakeholders, including international and regional organizations, civil society, Indigenous Peoples, local communities, the private sector and academia, to actively support the implementation of the Decade, including through voluntary contributions, as appropriate, and to share best practices and knowledge in this regard. 64th plenary meeting 16 April 2025

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