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Statement

by the Delegation of Ukraine at the 20th session of UN Forum on Forests

(6 May 2025, New York)

Mr. Chairman,

Ukraine places significant importance on the UN Forum on Forests as the primary UN platform for discussing issues related to sustainable forest management and the achievement of the Global Forest Goals, to which Ukraine is fully committed.

Our country is actively taking necessary steps to protect its forests and to increase forest cover, notably through voluntary contributions to the UN Strategic Plan for Forests.

Despite the challenges we face, under the President of Ukraine's program "Green Country", a total of more than 800 million trees have been planted.

Since the onset of the full-scale invasion in February 2022, nearly 30% of Ukraine’s forests have been damaged. The Russian military aggression has led to a reduction in forest cover, as well as the destruction and pollution of ecosystems. Ukrainian foresters work under tremendous risk to their lives, often facing danger of injury or death while extinguishing forest fires caused by shelling, or due to landmines and unexploded ordnance. Nevertheless, the State Forest Resources Agency of Ukraine continues to monitor emergencies – such as fires, shelling, and landmines—and diligently document the damage.

I would like to highlight that, as of today, approximately one million hectares of forests are located in temporarily occupied territories or areas where hostilities are ongoing. Furthermore, our foresters are cut off from managing forestlands along 2,100 kilometers of Ukraine’s borders with Belarus and Russia.

In response, Ukraine is undertaking a profound transformation of its forest policy, particularly in the Carpathians. Our efforts include:

– Restoring and expanding forests through afforestation and reforestation initiatives

– Moving away from clear-cutting practices toward more selective cutting methods

– Promoting mixed and uneven-aged forests better adapted to future risks

– Improving forest infrastructure, protecting river zones, and applying close-to-nature forest management practices.

These measures are not solely environmental; they are acts of resilience and commitment to sustainable development and SDG implementation, including in the context of the Goals under review by the High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development.

Ukraine is ready to further cooperate with the UN Forum on Forests Secretariat in addressing mentioned and other challenges and in developing dedicated support programs for sustainable forest management.

We look forward to working together to build resilient and sustainable forest ecosystems for present and future generations.

The full version of my remarks has been sent to the Secretariat.

Thank you.