Where is the United Nations Forum on Forests going?

Forest-related issues are addressed in several international agreements but the negotiation process that currently focuses solely on forests is the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF). Over the past 10-15 years, political opinions have diverged on whether there should be a binding convention on forests. This matter should inter alia have been decided at UNFF-5 in May 2005. No agreement was, however, reached and decisions about the future were postponed until UNFF-6 in 2006. This paper explores firstly the fact that there appears to be little consensus about why the international forest process is needed, and secondly, what is needed at the global political level and how these needs can be met. Seven options are discussed and the best possibility appears to be a combination of the already existing agreements and organizations. The paper also discusses what can be expected of UNFF-6.