Workshop on the follow-up to UNCED and implementation of the Forest Principles - Report

This document presents a summary of the 1995 Regional Workshop held in Bangkok, jointly organized by FAO and UNEP, which brought together senior forestry officials, NFAP coordinators, and experts from Asia-Pacific countries to assess regional progress and challenges in implementing the Rio Earth Summit’s Agenda 21—particularly Chapter 11, Combating Deforestation—and the Forest Principles. It reviews national forestry strategies, institutional developments, and policy reforms, with emphasis on integrating environmental concerns into forest management and leveraging National Forestry Action Plans as tools for sustainable development. The workshop explored regional efforts to balance economic, environmental, and social goals, highlighted progress in stakeholder participation, reforestation, conservation, and forest-based livelihoods, and identified key systemic constraints such as funding gaps, institutional weaknesses, and political will. The report concludes with consensus-based recommendations to inform the 1995 review by the UN Commission on Sustainable Development, calling for capacity building, policy alignment, international cooperation, and improved coordination.