 It's been quite a day thanks to all of you who participated in today's sessions and have stuck it out to the bitter end as About five o'clock. We had one thousand and sixty four people through the doors Participants about evenly divided between developed and developing countries including more than 200 UNFCCC delegates and 57 representatives of the media Not bad We pioneered a new element of Forest Day this year with the issues marketplace as I wandered through I saw lots of small groups huddled together in discussions and business cards being exchanged And if we could only extract a small tax on every one of those intellectual transactions We wouldn't be rich, but we'd be really smart Now raise your hands and do the wave if you think the issues marketplace was a successful experiment and Experience to build on in future forest days. All right Well, the rest of you can just take a longer lunch break Okay, now I'm not going to try to attempt a comprehensive summary of what happened today We've had video cameras rapper turds bloggers voting tallies and reporters from the IISD Documenting service documenting what happened for the website and for posterity But I do want to share just a few highlights in part for the benefit of miss Cristina Figueres Who has joined us here from the UNFCCC secretariat to give her something to respond to so in brief Having this 17th cop and Forest Day here in Durban has given us a particular opportunity to focus on the specific opportunities and challenges here in Africa and Appropriately we ended the opening plenary with a really moving video tribute to Wangari Mathai Many spokeers and speakers invoked her name her words and her legacy That action is more important than just talk and then it's not just about planting trees, but about protecting forests as well Minister Tina Joannette Peterson the South African Minister of Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries Started us off by reminding us that climate change threatens to undermine many of the development objectives of countries in Africa And in the rest of the developing world in particular in the areas of water energy health agriculture and forestry Both of our keynote speakers stressed what's important and what's different about the relationship between forests and climate change in Africa With a particular focus on the dry forests and the connections to agriculture and to adaptation Helen Geco he said the disappearing forests the overgrazed range lands and conversion to crop agriculture of grasslands and wetlands That had served as drought refugia have all diminished the resilience of the system Her message was echoed by her fellow keynote speaker Bob Skolls who said the next major wave of deforestation is already Happening and it's happening in Africa He described the typical forest for deforestation and degradation here different from the conversion patterns in other regions With first the valuable timber being removed then the charcoal manufacturers remove a large portion of the remaining trees and then low input low output agricultural arrives after which a few cycles Leaves the land degraded So what to do in plenaries and in discussion forums a number of promising ways forward were identified as well as Barriers that need to be removed. I'm going to tick through just a few of these because she's going to have to leave in About 10 minutes. I don't want to take her time Red plus is seen as the greatest opportunity But is accompanied by a large number of challenges and the discussion forum on red plus on the ground voted on the relative priority of Those challenges and I encourage you to go to the website later to see those results that very interesting One of the biggest challenges identified by everybody is financing where it will come from how it will reach the people who need it And in fact those voters in the discussion forum on red on the ground said that The most important action that could be taken by the international community on red plus was Accelerate agreement on a financing mechanism for red plus in the UN FCCC Another challenging area safeguards at the discussion forum on biodiversity safeguards I'm told there was consensus about the close synergies between the CBD processes and the UN FCCC Much more much closer than has been explicitly acknowledged and that there is a close alignment being established between the program of work on biodiversity at the CBD and the UN FCCC red plus mechanism Identification of capacity building needs suggest that there's a concern about social safeguards For example in the red plus on the ground session They talked about actually the capacity building needs were more important related to governance and legal issues and local indigenous understanding of red more than purely technical capacities And Tony the beanie who facilitates some of the red plus negotiations in the cops suggested that the delay on getting Specific on what information is needed on safeguards implementation might actually be a good thing Saying that and I quote it's better for us to have some experience on the ground first about what information is needed For reporting before we give detailed descriptions Talk about MRV and reference levels Tony described the substance agreement on reference levels as a breakthrough which Forest Day participants agreed 93% of the voters said that Reference levels are agreed or strongly disagreed that reference levels are essential for moving forward with red plus Another big theme of discussion the forest agriculture nexus and the need for a more integrated approach Caroline Spellman talked about how all of these issues are integrated Speaking that saying that climate smart agriculture is not a panacea But can help us address adaptation and mitigation and food security lots of issues related specifically to dry lands Characterized as a dry run for climate change success being possible at reasonable cost with trees and landscapes and on-farm Drought proofing of livelihoods in a landscape based approach Perhaps something of a selection bias reflected here But 79% of the participants in the discussion forum on landscape approaches thought that substantial red funds should be invested in agroforestry F-forestation and reforestation and the greatest barrier identified being that the exclusion of agriculture from the CDM and red plus Okay special session on on on Rio plus 20 and an opportunity to merge the agriculture and forestry agenda more there But also apparently Hems Bratskara was quoted as characterizing red plus as the ultimate challenge for Rio plus trend 20 With the potential to establish a pillar of global sustainability as well as an example of global partnerships So with that I am now going to introduce Christiana Figuez executive secretary of the UN FCCC were delighted that she was able to step away from her primary obligations of supporting the negotiations to be here to listen to those highlights and Give us her reflections on the way forward on the forest and climate change agenda and any reaction to what she's heard from us This be gets Thank you very much. Jane appreciate the opportunity and the invitation. I must say I was You can't see it, but there's two screens here, and I was watching Jane I thought you know, I'm gonna get up there and speak. I have never spoken with such a beautiful backdrop Why don't we have this at the UN FCCC? Yeah, I want to be very I would be very nice So thank you very much It's a wonderful to to see friendly faces in the audience and I must say for those of you who have been with such perseverance Working on this agenda item. I'm sure cop 17 feels like How many more cops are we doing until we get all the decisions that we want? So I wanted to share it with you Just two or three days ago. I was dashing from one meeting to another and And I heard this wonderful gentleman standing up perched against one of the columns over there Speaking looking very important into a cell phone, and he says no, I'm sorry. I don't have time. I'm very very busy I'm here in Durban at cop 71 So I'm sure this feels like cop 71 to you Because you have been so patiently working with us on all of your decisions But but but I do I Do actually rejoice that it is not cop 71 that it is only cop 17 And that we we are actually able to take on some very important decisions I thought I you might profit from a very quick overview of What's going on over there because this week has been incredibly productive? And I am really very heartened about the fact that governments have arrived here with a very serious commitment to Not just put forward their national positions all of which we know all of which each of them can speak for each other They can just you know move to each other's flag and and put out the speech so That is not what they're doing They're actually really beginning to listen to each other and to begin to bridge the differences So where are we well? The subsidiary bodies which are two of the six bodies that are meeting finished last night very very late But they finished they concluded with some very important conclusions and decisions that they're putting forward to the conference of the parties much of it has to do with the adaptation package which we are very very delighted about because there are several decisions in adaptation and We knew that adaptation is not just important in and of itself But it is politically absolutely crucial for a cop that occurs on African soil And so we are very delighted that that whole package which is actually a package of four different decisions is Moving forward one is a little bit stuck but down but we're confident that we can move it next week So well, we're very happy about that. We're also very happy About the fact that under the long-term Corporate of action under the LCA track the chair put out a draft text now the Negotiators don't accept it as a draft text so it is the proposal. No, it's wait a minute. It's the amalgamation of a Possible draft text for a possible negotiating text Or something like that ie This has no legal standing. Don't worry about the legal standing of this text just get into the issues and work on them So that was a very refreshing approach And and and also the fact that that we have that out on Saturday morning It went out yesterday morning so that negotiators have actually been reading and I've met with quite a few of them during today And they are really doing their homework over the weekend and looking at that In order to get ready for killing the text tomorrow morning So we're we're certainly ready for that one, too and under the Kyoto protocol quite wonderful because I must say Countries have up until recently been discussing whether there is going to be a second commitment period and here in Durban It is very clear that that discourse has changed not to about whether there's going to be a second commitment period but how the second commitment period will be brought in and That has been done to know no small task through the Very important political bridge that the European Union has put on the table and we thank friends in the European Union For for pushing that forward So now countries are really looking at okay. What is that going to look like? What is the legal nature of that going to be? Will we be able to put? Quell Rose I'm sorry to throw an acronym at you Quantified emission limitation production objectives I eat the same metric that was used under the first commitment period in the Kyoto protocol But the good news is yes They agree that there is going to be a second commitment period Yes, they agree that they don't want allow for a gap, which is very important no policy gap So people can we can celebrate New Year's of December 2012 because we know the next morning There will still be a policy in place. I was getting worried about my New Year's celebration And very importantly very importantly the recognition that the ambition that they have on the table today is Important and completely insufficient that is a very very important political step So they're looking at how do you put a second commitment period in place that will allow to? Up the ante and increase the ambition at some point in time And on top of all of this the canopy of all of this that's sort of all of the trees and the underbrush But the canopy that is being built over all of this is called the endabas Which is in a wonderful South South African or rather broader African tradition of bringing the elders of the community together to collect Wisdom from the elders when there is a difference of opinion About an important issue and then in a collective fashion Find a way forward and that is being done by the South African presidency Of course about the core deal and the core deal is a second commitment period and we're still Supporting that discussion to see what the details of that it's going to be but also how does that bring about then a broader mitigation framework that will certainly not be defined But that will be refined over time not be defined in turbine, but will be refined over time And we hope not over too much time So what is what is all of that mean for you? Well, Tony. I'm Jane tells me that Tony is already giving you the good news that sub stuff Has forwarded a decision on reference levels and safeguards Which are two of the very very important pieces that? Developing countries need in order to approach the implementation of these projects in a safe and also In a safe environmentally and social manner, so we are very very happy about that Still working on the financing Still having quite come out of the out of the forest on the issue about whether forest will be Be able to access the markets or not But but we're in the hands of wonderful chair there Tony Lavinia and he's doing a very good job So staying to stay tuned for that, but bottom line. What is happening here bottom line? The almost 200 governments of the world are doing nothing less than writing a global business plan for the planet Now I get impatient because we're already at 71 And we don't have a global plan And I'm sure you get very impatient because the decisions the specific decisions that you want are not quite there with the Detail that you would want them, but we cannot underestimate what is happening here before our eyes and we can't Really underestimate the privilege that it is for all of us to participate in this process for countries to come together every single country with one voice and Contribute to the writing of a global business plan for the planet for the next 50 years That is a mammoth undertaking and it is particularly mammoth because it is very very clear has been for a while But particularly here in Durban. It is now very clear that this business plan needs to be written With a triple bottom line in mind one mitigation Because we are in the face of runaway emission levels to adaptation Because we're at the point in which every country has to adapt and three Very important bottom line that has been added here in this African cup the reduction of poverty so I Think that we now have at least conceptually in the Mines and the consciousness of governments. We have a very very important tripod that they are using as their compass as their compass With respect to writing this global business plan that is not an easy task if you have to bring down mitigation quickly increase adaptation and resilience quickly and Accept that the existence of poverty around the world is completely Unacceptable in our century and that this agenda can be used to help alleviate that poverty That is actually I would say that is sacred work That is really what we should all be we're working on and I just wanted to point that out to you as Clearly as that because there's no doubt in my mind that that's what red is all about It's about mitigation It's about adaptation and it's about Improving the quality of life in particular of the people who live around the forested areas So you are working on an They call it an agenda item You're working on the core if you will the spiritual core of this global business plan So I thank you for your patience. I know you want to clobber us many times because these decisions don't get Put on the table as quickly and as clearly as you would like But believe me there is a lot of a lot of really not only good intention but commitment to do the work I thank you for your perseverance. I thank you for your contributions. I thank you for the innovative thinking that you have brought to this issue And to always be thinking at least three steps ahead of the Negotiators who need some inspiration from all of you. So thank you very much. Please don't give up on the cop I hope we will never celebrate a cop 71 because I'm hoping that we will have solved this by then And I hope that you enjoy the rest of this week and stay tuned for more good news next week. Thanks Okay, well Christiana forget I stayed longer than she said she could so we're very fortunate to have those remarks. Thank you Okay, I Understand that I'm now the second to the last thing standing between you in the cocktail reception and some outstanding Jazz music so I will be brief But I will also be slower than I was in my previous remarks and take less of a slash and burn approach to my text Trying to get through it to give me Christiana's deadline So now it is my duty and my pleasure to recognize the many individuals and organizations that have contributed to today's successful event First our thanks to the South African Department of Agriculture Forestry and fisheries for its generous contributions as co-hosts of Forest Day 5 and the gracious words from the minister this morning We are deeply grateful to your support Second our thanks to the many sponsors who are listed in your program guide Who provided financial support to Forest Day and these include the Norwegian Ministry of Environment and the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs The Australian government's off-aid program the Congo Basin Forest Fund DFID the UK Department of International Development Profor the World Bank's program on forests USA the US agency for international development in southern Africa FFPRI Japan's Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and the Climate and Land Use Alliance or Clua Thanks to all of you Third thanks to the members of the collaborative partnership on forests Who contributed to Forest Day 5? Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations the International Tropical Timber Organization the International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union of Forest Research Organizations the secretariat of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity the United Nations Forum on Forest Secretariat the United Nations Development Program The United Nations Environment Program the World Agroforestry Center and the World Bank All of these members of the collaborative partnership on forests participated in the Forest Day 5 steering committee They helped with communications They hosted the discussion forums as listed in your program and they provided financial support So all the times you heard C4 congratulated during the course of the day today Just do a global delete and replace with C4 and other members of the collaborative partnership on forests And of course thanks are due to the UNFCCC secretariat for contributing the executive secretary to our closing plenary fourth Thanks to all of the speakers and panelists who've given generously of their time and of their expertise in not only Speaking today, but really planning to participate in today's sessions Fifth thanks to the many students from the International Forestry Students Association and gutting in university They were the guys in the blue t-shirts who told you where to go They volunteered their time to help with logistics of today's event Sixth thanks to the conference company for their many professional services in helping to organize and execute this event And finally I must express my deep personal gratitude to my colleagues at C4 Who have done as usual the heavy lifting to organize for us day five staying up all night so I don't have to and Thanks also to those C4 colleagues back at headquarters in Indonesia and in our other offices around the world Who stayed behind to keep the lights on while so many of us get to be here So please join me in a round of applause to recognize all of these contributions as those of you Forest Day veterans who were left standing in the Plenary polling this morning It's been quite a journey since we launched the first Forest Day at COP 13 in Bali We had originally planned on a relatively small science oriented event and then more than 800 people showed up The summary of our discussions on that day has been credited with informing the inclusion of forests in the Bali action plan and specifically the second D in red a year later in Poznan 900 people came together for Forest Day to and in Poznan The emphasis was on the urgency of clothing including forests in the global forest protection the global climate protection regime and the importance of managing forests for livelihoods and biodiversity and not just for carbon storage Some of you may have special memories of the cocktail party and the trays of vodka shots that came around But maybe we can discuss that later At Forest Day 3 in Copenhagen We directed our energies towards ensuring that the design and implementation of the forest related climate change mitigation and adaptation policies were effective efficient and equitable Then at Forest Day 4 in Cancun the theme was time to act kicked off with a great speech by President Calderon I mean I thought I had died and gone to heaven to have a head of state speaking passionately about the underlying drivers of deforestation And we'd like to think that it energized him on forestry issues for Mexico's leadership in the cop in bringing red across the finish line And today at Forest Day 5 we've put the nexus of forestry and agriculture firmly on the agenda And we're making the transition from politics to implementation in Tolendivina's words or according to our theme from policy to practice Now you'll forgive me for signaling out as the quote of the day from Odigo Odiga If you didn't come to Forest Day you missed the cop got to love it We now have a tradition in place a formidable alumni network And I think a sense of responsibility for maintaining the momentum on forests and climate change issues from the international year of the forest Onward into Rio plus 20 Now why am I taking this opportunity to recount the history of Forest Day? As some of you may know I recently announced my intention to step down as director general of C4 By the middle of next year And shepherding forest days over these years has been one of the highlights of the position in a role that I will certainly miss So I can only hope that I'll be invited back to participate in future forest days as a civilian Now I'm keenly aware of the business that remains unfinished for the forests and climate change agenda We still got to accelerate political agreement and liberate the flow of financing We still got a more effectively linked science to policy and practice We still got to redress the imbalances and attention given to mitigation versus adaptation and to humid forests versus dry forests And to afford gender issues the attention they deserve to name just a few But take heart as Odigo Dina said we have the opportunity to witness transformational change and if there's any country in the world that gives us hope for the possibility of transformational change It's this one But in the meantime Perhaps another quotation from the sign at the skating rink is in order an Appropriate way to provide encouragement on our common journey to build forests into the climate change agenda is a tip offered to beginners on state on skates Take small steps and always lean forward that I'm told that Eduardo Rojas Briales has a closing message before we formally close for the cocktail reception Delegates their colleagues good evening. I was not planning to intervene but the sad news that Francis shared with us just a few seconds before ask some intervention from my side and The fact that she's living seafloor and as well the leadership of these very impressive five for a stay Devote comments from my side Francis same same or has been an inspiring engine and in some way the mother of the forest day one two three four and five if Woman make the difference in many cases This is the proof Researchers and she comes from the research position Frequently have a tendency to close themselves in ivory towers But this is not the case in the fray case of Francis C. Seymour She has worked very strongly in reaching science and practice in order to achieve That forest issues and especially those who are more burning like the forest station come in the political agenda And there's a triple bridge because she has been as well bringing the Decisive element for getting it happening which is communication. So it has been a triple bridge from strong knowledge of research from Practice and as well from communication her communication skills have a really extraordinary behind huge Moving forwards have been of course strong collective efforts, and it is very impossible to find paternity or maternity behind them and There is frequently especially in the concept of ideological progress high convergence You know from the biological part that there is the term biological conversion vegetation in the dry lands of southern Africa Or Australia or the Mediterranean be it climate in California and Chile or really in the real Mediterranean Show very high similarities regarding coming from different families what we call Biological conversion the reaction you see the leaves the structure They seem very similar regardless they come from different families We have the same when we have peak challenges that people coming from different places Develop a kind of ideological conversion is difficult to say who was the first the important thing that by the team effort It happened. So one of the key figures for sure of red is Francis Simon So I would like on behalf of the 14 CPF members and she quote them I won't repeat them to thank you very expressively for our strong appreciation to what Francis Simon commitment and contribution and wish you all the Private and professional success for the new steps. You're taking over in your home country. Thank you Francis Sit down again. Just like I did this morning So as a wardau knows that my last speech speaking engagement in Beijing a couple of weeks ago I my speech followed a speech by Miss Earth, you know a beauty pageant winner And I'm thinking I'll never compete with that, but ha I've got my you know, okay What can I say you guys are too kind? It's overwhelming. Thank you Eduardo and and to all of you So what can I say? But it's now my pleasure to Officially close for us day five and invite all of us out into the lobby to celebrate our five years of working together And our intellectual convergence. Is that what it was? In making a contribution to forest day and to the forest and climate change agenda tomorrow In the future. Okay. See you out in the lobby