The World Future Council: Future Policy Award 2011

Future Policy Award 2011

Celebrating the world's best forest policies

Forests play an important role in the environment, society and economy and are crucial for the well-being of current and future generations. 2011 has been declared the International Year of Forests by the United Nations, with the central theme "Forests for People." The World Future Council chose forests as the topic for the Future Policy Award 2011 to highlight its multiple values and promote awareness of success stories and challenges faced by many of the world’s forests and the people who depend on them. To ensure that forests can still provide their multitude of services in the future, decision-makers urgently need to spread policies for the sustainable management, conservation and sustainable development of forests.

Winning Policies

: _{H.E. James Kimonyo, Ambassador of Rwanda to the US, Carl Lewis, Olympic gold medalist and Goodwill Ambassador of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN, and Hon. Jato S. Sillah, Minister of Forestry and the Environment, The Gambia}

Gold Award 2011
Rwanda - National Forest Policy, initiated in 2004

Silver Award 2011
Gambia - Community Forest Policy, initiated in 1995

USA - Lacey Act with its amendment of 2008

Honourable Mention
Bhutan - The Constitution of the Kingdom of Bhutan, especially Article 5 (Environment) (2008) and forest related policies

Nepal - Community Forestry Programme, initiated in 1993

Switzerland - Federal Act on Forests (1991) and Swiss National Forest Programme 2004-2015

Rwanda - Forests of Hope

Chinese-American film-maker John D. Liu documents the positive effects of the country's award-winning national forest policy. Restoring the degraded land in Rwanda has transformed what were once called the 'forests beyond hope' to the forests of hope.

Background Information

In the International Year of Forests 2011 the World Future Council presented its Future Policy Award to the National Forest Policy of Rwanda. The Future Policy Silver Award was jointly given to the Gambian Community Forestry Policy and the USA Lacey Act with its amendment of 2008. To learn about these awarded policies as well as other exemplary policies that contribute to the conservation and sustainable development of forests, download our brochure 'Future Policy Award 2011 - Celebrating the World's Best Forest Policies' English | Français | Español | 汉语 | العربية

Announcement of Winners

The winning policies were announced at a press conference at UN headquarters in New York.

The Award Ceremony

: _{Jakob von Uexkull, WFC Founder, Alexandra Wandel, WFC Director, Hon. Isatou Njie-Saidy, Vice President of The Gambia and Secretary of State for Women's Affairs}

The winners were presented at a formal ceremony with ministers, decision-makers, media and donors on 21 September 2011 at the Central Park Zoo in New York. Also in attendance to present the awards were Honorary Councillor Dr Ahmed Djoghlaf and Councillor Frances Moore Lappé. The reception was hosted by the World Future Council with the support of the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Secretariat of the UN Forum on Forests, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the Forest Stewardship Council.

Photos

: _{Jakob von Uexkull, Founder of the World Future Council, H.E. James Kimonyo, Ambassador of Rwanda to the US, Hon. Tatsushi Terada, Vice Minister for Global Environmental Affairs, Ministry of Environment, Japan, and Dr. Ahmed Djoghlaf, Executive Secretary, United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity and Honorary World Future Councillor}

: _{Abdoulie Sanneh, Director of the Department of Forestry, The Gambia, Jan McAlpine, Director, UN Forum on Forests, and Hon. Jato S. Sillah, Minister of Forestry and the Environment, The Gambia}

: _{Jakob von Uexkull, Founder of the World Future Council, Charles Barber, Forest Division Chief of the Department of State, U.S., and Daniel Reifsnyder, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Environment and Sustainable Development, U.S.}

: _{Jan McAlpine, Director, UN Forum on Forests, and Carl Lewis, Olympic gold medalist and Goodwill Ambassador of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN}

: _{Dr. Ahmed Djoghlaf, Executive Secretary, United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity and Honorary World Future Councillor}

: _{Frances Moore Lappé, Founder of the Small Planet Institute and World Future Councillor}

: _{Alexandra Wandel, Director of the World Future Council, Yann Arthus-Bertrand, cinematographer and Goodwill Ambassador of the UN Environment Programme, Jan McAlpine, Director, UN Forum on Forests, and Dr. Michael Martin, Director for Forest Economics, Policy and Products, Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN}