The United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF)

 

An Overview of UNFF

• The United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF) is a functional commission that operates under the directive of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
• The commission was established in the year 2000, courtesy of ECOSOC Resolution 2000/35.
• UNFF is situated in New York, United States, within the UN Headquarters.
• The key objective of UNFF is to propagate globally the management, conservation, and sustainable development of all types of forests. 
• Besides, the UNFF works to strengthen longterm political commitment to forests and supports the implementation of several forestryrelated global protocols, including Agenda 21, Rio Forest Principles, and global forest goals.

 

The Functions and Operations of UNFF

• The UNFF oversees coordinate forest policy across all UN member states.
• The commission is tasked with the implementation of the UN Strategic Plan for Forests (20172030).
• It encourages global cooperation to put a stop to deforestation and forest degradation.
• The commission organizes biennial sessions. In odd years, the sessions focus on technical exchange and implementation reviews, while even years dedicate to policy development and decisionmaking.

 

India's Participation in UNFF

• Recently, India has actively engaged in the UNFF (UNFF20) held at the UN Headquarters in New York.
• During the forum, India highlighted the country’s commitment to Voluntary National Contributions (VNCs) under the UN Strategic Plan for Forests 2017–2030.
• India also reported that the country's forest and tree cover has increased substantially, to cover 25.17% of the geographical area.

 

Outcome of India's Participation at UNFF

• Significant national achievements related to sustainable forest management were shared, including:
• The successful restoration of Aravalli through the Green Wall Project.
• The rise in the country’s mangrove cover by 7.86% over the last ten years.
• The afforestation of 1.55 lakh hectares under the Green India Mission.
• The plantation of 1.4 billion seedlings through the nationwide campaign Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam.

 

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Rising North East Investors Summit 2025

 

Introduction

• The Rising North East Investors Summit 2025 has been inaugurated by the Prime Minister, which is aimed at promoting the North East Region (NER) as a fertile ground for investment.
• The goal is to position the region as a portal of opportunities for both local and international investors in a diverse range of industries.

 

Summit Overview

• The Summit focuses on key sectors such as Tourism & Hospitality, AgroFood Processing, Textiles, Handloom & Handicrafts, Healthcare, Education & Skills, IT & ITES, Infrastructure & Logistics, Energy, Entertainment & Sports.
• The vision for the North East strongly highlights the region's core role in achieving a Developed India.
• The acronym EAST stands for: Empower, Act, Strengthen and Transform, embodying the essence of the summit's objective.

 

Sectoral Opportunities and Infrastructure Development

• Investors are encouraged to explore investment opportunities in sectors such as Energy, Semiconductors, Ecotourism, Bamboo and bioeconomy.
• NER is deemed a complete tourism package, making it suitable for global conferences, destination weddings, and concerts.
• Massive investments have been initiated in infrastructure developments with projects like the Sela Tunnel (Arunachal Pradesh), Bhupen Hazarika Bridge (Assam), new highways, expansion of railways and airports, development of waterways on Brahmaputra and Barak rivers, the Northeast Gas Grid, and improved mobile connectivity.

 

About North Eastern Region (NER)

• The North Eastern Region consists of eight distinctive states: Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura.
• This region is culturally rich, housing more than 200 ethnic groups, each with unique languages, dialects and sociocultural identities.
• Despite covering only 7.97% of India's geographical area and hosting 3.78% of its population, the region is strategically important with a total of 5,484 km of international border with Bangladesh, Myanmar, China, Bhutan and Nepal.

 

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78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGC)

 

Introduction and About

• The 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGC) was conducted recently.
• The occasion witnessed the External Affairs Minister of India in a meeting with counterparts from Brazil, Bahrain, and South Africa.
• The session ran from 5th September to 23rd September 2023, hosted at New York City, United States.
• The highlevel General Debate of this session commenced on the 19th of September 2023.
• The theme of the event was “Rebuilding trust and reigniting global solidarity: Accelerating action on the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals towards peace, prosperity, progress and the sustainability for all."

 

Highlights of the Event

• The event showcased twelve high impact initiatives, led by UNsystem entities, designed to support Member States' efforts towards just development transitions and Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) achievement. One noteworthy initiative was the Nature Driving Economic Transformation.
• The event was part of the SDG Action Weekend of the SDG Summit.
• A Highlevel Dialogue on Financing for Development was conducted. It provided a platform to follow up on the implementation of the Addis Ababa Action Agenda – a framework adopted in 2015 to fund sustainable development in line with economic, social, and environmental priorities.
• A Climate Ambition Summit took place aiming to speed up actions by governments, business, finance, local authorities and civil society, focusing on a renewableenergy based, climateresilient global economy.
• A Highlevel Meeting on Universal Health Coverage was held to accelerate progress towards achieving health for all. It underlined the importance of executing policies for strengthening future health systems based on the 2019 Political Declaration.
• Lastly, a Highlevel Meeting on Tuberculosis was organised to review the progress made towards the goals outlined in the 2018 Political Declaration, identifying gaps and solutions to end the tuberculosis epidemic by 2030.

 

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SVAMITVA Scheme & World Bank Land Conference 2025 – Pioneering Initiatives in Land Governance 

 

Overview of the SVAMITVA Scheme and World Bank Land Conference 2025 

• At the 2025 edition of the World Bank Land Conference, India highlighted its innovative efforts in land governance. 
• Specifically, the SVAMITVA Scheme and the Gram Manchitra platform were presented during the plenary session devoted to exploring good practices and challenges in land tenure and governance reform. 

 

Insights about the SVAMITVA Scheme

• SVAMITVA, an acronym for Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas, was put into motion by India's Ministry of Panchayati Raj in 2020. 
• This central sector scheme pursues the aim of providing legal ownership of residential properties in rural regions utilising drone and GIS technology. 
• The scheme is primarily committed to creating a Record of Rights for owners of rural properties, with a particular emphasis on abadi areas, which are inhabited regions.
• By April 2025, the SVAMITVA Scheme had dispensed property cards to about 24.4 million households within 1.6 lakh villages, thus unleashing land value measuring approximately USD 1.162 trillion.

 

Introduction to the Gram Manchitra Platform

• Another initiative, the Gram Manchitra Platform, is a GISbased system crafted to bolster rural governance and planning.
• The platform amalgamates geospatial data with existing schemes, thereby offering visual insights that are crucial for effective decisionmaking at the grassroots level. 

 

Understanding the World Bank Land Conference

• The World Bank Land Conference serves as an international forum centred on land governance.
• It brings various stakeholders together to share extensive research, tackle technical challenges, and encourage the adoption of the finest practices in the realm of land management.

 

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The United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF20)

 

 An Introduction to the United Nations Forum on Forests 

• The United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF) is a global platform established by the UN Economic and Social Council in 2000.
• Its main goal is to promote sustainable forest management and conservation across the globe.
• The forum holds technical discussions and policylevel dialogues on an annual and alternating basis at the UN Headquarters.
• All UN Member States, including India, and several specialised forestrelated agencies are part of the UNFF.

 

 Role of India in the UNFF

• India, a founding member of the UNFF, actively shapes global forestrelated policy through its active participation.
• The Indian delegation regularly presents its progress in areas such as forest conservation and sustainable forest management at these forums.
• Recent reports show that the forest and tree cover in India has risen to 25.17% of the nation's entire geographic area.
• India remains committed to the Voluntary National Contributions (VNCs) under the United Nations Strategic Plan for Forests (UNSPF) 2017–2030.

 

 Key National Initiatives by India

• A series of initiatives have been undertaken by India in relation to forest management and conservation.
• This includes the Aravalli Green Wall project, which focuses on land restoration.
• Notably, there has been a 7.86% rise in the country's mangrove cover over the last decade.
• Other initiatives include largescale afforestation under the Green India Mission, and the 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' ('Plant4Mother') campaign that has resulted in the planting of 1.4 billion seedlings.

 

 India's Global Forest Conservation Efforts

• India has extended an invitation to all UN Member States to join the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA). This global platform, initiated by India, aims to safeguard the seven big cat species through research, knowledge exchange, and capacitybuilding.
• Studies on quantifying ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration, water provisioning, and biodiversity conservation are also being conducted, using tools like the System of EnvironmentalEconomic Accounting (SEEA) and the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA).

 

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Inclusive India Summit: A Leap Towards Empowering Persons with Disabilities 

 

Introduction and Overview

• The Inclusive India Summit is a significant initiative organised by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD), which falls under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJE).
• This event was recently organised at the India International Centre in New Delhi, timed to coincide with Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD).
• The objective behind this summit is to promote inclusive development, digital accessibility, and empowerment of Divyangjan, a term used in India referring to persons with disabilities.

 

 Organisers and Supporters 

•  The inclusive summit is not a standalone initiative. It has witnessed collaboration with the SBI Foundation and the National Association for the Blind  Delhi.
•  Moreover, this event also gained support from the Association of People with Disability and Mission Accessibility, further bolstering its cause.

 

Significance of the Event

• The Inclusive India Summit earmarks a profound shift towards empowering persons with disabilities in India.
• Through strategies, deliberations, and discussions, the summit aims at paving the way for a more inclusive and accessible India.

 

Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD)

• Falling on the third Thursday of May each year, GAAD stands as a global initiative geared towards raising awareness about digital accessibility and inclusion for people with disabilities.
• It is a day encouraging dialogue and action about digital inclusion, ensuring that people with disabilities also equally enjoy the benefits of the digital world.

 

 The Role of Digital Accessibility

• Digital accessibility is a key aspect; it refers to the ability of people with disabilities or impairments to engage independently with digital applications and content.
• By addressing digital accessibility, the summit and institutions involved hope to bridge the gap and ensure that India's digital growth is inclusive for everyone, regardless of their physical challenges. 

 

Thus, the Inclusive India Summit is an important stride towards recognising, understanding, and tackling the digital barriers faced by persons with disabilities. By holding deliberate conversations and planning focused actions, the summit aims at ensuring access and equality in the digital sphere for all.

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