The Peace Forest Initiative (PFI) is a policy program based on land degradation neutrality (LDN) in fragile and conflict-affected lands, especially in forests, to promote peace between neighboring countries and ethnic groups through trans-boundary environmental cooperation.
The PFI was launched in cooperation between the Korea Forest Service and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, last year at the UNCCD COP 14 and will be as a flagship program that supports UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030. (UNEP & FAO)
The UNCCD secretariat is proposed to play a role in collaboration with other UN entities, since the UNCCD has a mandate in responding to desertification, drought issues, and LDN, all of which are in accordance with the PFI’s main objectives. The Executive Board is comprised of representatives from donor countries, global leaders representing the recipient countries, and non-state actors and is proposed as a decision making process in initial preparation state. A multi-partner trust fund (MPTF) could be explored eventually, in partnership with donors, development partners, etc. Community-based sustainable land management and land restoration projects will be developed with the participation of multiple stakeholders.