Forest-related issues in the G7 Hirosima Summit 2023(June 10, 2023)

The G7 Hirosima Summit 2023, held from May 19 to 21, has concluded and the outcome documents have been released.

G7 Hiroshima Summit　Outcome Documents

G7 Hiroshima Leaders' Communiqué

(Forest-related issues in the main domument G7 Hiroshima Leaders' Communiqué)

The Communiqué is 40 pages, 66 paras spanning 21 sections. Among them, there are two paras (para 1 and para 24) that contain the word "forest" as follows

 para
1		 <Preamble>   We are determined to work together and with others to:
...
deepen cooperation through Just Energy Transition Partnerships (JETPs), the Climate Club and new Country Packages for Forest, Nature and Climate;
 para
24		  <Environment> We reiterate our commitment to halting and reversing forest loss and land degradation by 2030(*A), and are committed to conserving forests and other terrestrial ecosystems and accelerating their restoration, supporting sustainable value and supply chains as well as promoting sustainable forest management and use of wood(*B).

We will work together, with high ambition to deliver integrated solutions to support the protection, conservation and restoration of high-carbon, high-biodiversity ecosystems, including by coordinating our offers through Country Packages on Forests, Nature and Climate(*C), especially in countries which host vital reserves of carbon and biodiversity, with an initial focus on forests.

We commit to continuing our efforts to reduce risk of deforestation and forest and land degradation linked to the production of relevant commodities and enhance cooperation with various 15 stakeholders on this issue.

We will, if appropriate, develop further regulatory frameworks or policies to support this.  

*A our commitment to halting and reversing forest loss and land degradation by 2030

This is an important message of support for developing countries that came from last year's summit - a passage from the Glasgow Summit Declaration on Forests and Land at COP26 (November 2019).

*B. Promotion of wood use is now part of the international agreement in the context of the environment!

Which G7 summit constituent countries are promoting wood use? I don't think there is probably any country other than Japan that has a national law such as the "Act on the Promotion of the Use of Wood in Buildings, etc. to Contribute to the Realization of a Decarbonized Society". I believe that Japan will finally take the lead in promoting sustainable use of timber around the world, and this will be a new development.

*C Country Packages on Forests, Nature and Climate--- How to proceed with this?

I would like to see the Country Packages on Forests, Nature and Climate as an important process to bring the Declaration into a concrete implementation framework. There have been some initiatives such as the "Forests and Climate Leaders' Partnership (FCLP)" at COP27 last year, and it seems that there is a move toward presenting a concrete framework for COP28.

(regime>G7hiroshima)
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