Global Landscapes Forum: Best of 2017

The year 2017 launched a new and expanded phase of the Global Landscapes Forum. Led by CIFOR and the other core partners – UN Environment, The World Bank, and the Government of Germany – the GLF is embarking on a new chapter in landscapes.  Its mission is to fully realize the inclusive development envisioned by Agenda 2030, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris agreement. The GLF is putting people first, prioritizing dialogue, building consensus and forging evidence-based solutions to real-world problems.

“You cannot bore people into action. They need to be excited and inspired to take action and change their behaviour”  Erik Solheim – Executive Director, UN Environment

“We are all stakeholders in the problems we address”   Robert Nasi – Director General, CIFOR

The GLF Bonn 2017 event officially announced the launch of a five-year partnership with the German Government, the World Bank and UN Environment, launching the beginning of a new global movement around sustainable development.  More than 1000 people from 103 countries attended the event, nearly 40 million engaged across social media networks, while 51,000 connected remotely from 114 different countries. The GLF shares a positive vision of what the world’s diverse landscapes – from the Andean Mountains to the peatlands of the Democratic Republic of Congo to the everyday places where we live, work and raise our children – can look like if we all work together.

The year 2017 was a landmark year for the GLF. It marks the establishment of the first global platform dedicated to sparking a movement of 1 billion people around sustainable landscapes. The GLF is much more than a sum of its events. And we have only just begun.

The Global Landscapes Forum brought together 84 organizations, connecting 52,000 people online and in person to launch a global movement dedicated to delivering change through partnerships. The latest 2017 GLF event in Bonn attracted world media coverage in multiple languages, spreading our message and mandate across the globe.