Background

In order to achieve effective policy development there is a need to ensure that decision making is well informed with relevant current information and research. There is an increasing awareness among policy makers and scientists that the science-policy interface needs to be strengthened in order to develop long-term sustainable strategies in the forest sector.

This need to bridge the existing gap between science and policy has been recognized by the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF) and other forest related intergovernmental processes and has been emphasized in numerous consultations. As such it has been proposed that a mechanism be established that brings together leading scientists from around the globe to provide, on a regular basis, validated and independent forest-related scientific information to governments, policy makers and stakeholders.

In 2005, an initial proposal for the establishment of such a mechanism was prepared by leading forest scientists as a contribution to the preparations for the sixth session of UNFF, held in 2006. All UNFF member states recognized this initiative by welcoming

"the joint initiative by the International Union of Forest Research Organizations, the Center for International Forestry Research, and the International Center for Research in Agroforestry, in collaboration with other members of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests, on science and technology in support of the United Nations Forum on Forests by assessing available information and producing reports on forest-related issues of high concern to the Forum"

in paragraph 23 of the draft ECOSOC Resolution agreed at UNFF-6 (ECOSOC 2006/49).  Following the political guidance provided by the UNFF, the Joint Initiative on Science and Technology was formally launched on the occasion of the seventh session of the UNFF in April 2007.