12 countries from around the world will come together in Glasgow today (2 November) to pledge unprecedented levels of public finance for the protection, restoration and sustainable management of forests.

The comprehensive package of funding will help countries to deliver commitments under the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forest and Land Use, also announced today, through which over 100 leaders have committed to halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030.

The Global Forest Finance Pledge (GFFP) will support ambitious partnerships in developing countries that tackle the causes of deforestation. It will also scale up sustainable economic opportunities for many of the world’s poorest and most climate-vulnerable communities.

The $12 billion of climate finance will support activities including strengthening forest governance, supporting smallholder farmers to restore degraded land, strengthening land tenure systems, and mobilising private sector investment.

The UK will commit £1.5 billion over five years to support the forests pledge, including £350 million for tropical forests in Indonesia, £200 million for the LEAF Coalition, and up to £300 million intended for the Amazon.

Forests currently absorb around one-third of the global CO2 released from burning fossil fuels every year but we are losing them at an alarming rate – the equivalent to 27 football pitches every minute.

In addition to this donor support, the event will highlight action on three critical shifts – in flows of private finance away from activities linked to deforestation; in the sustainable trade of forest and agricultural commodities; and in empowering Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities.

Lord Zac Goldsmith, International Environment Minister, UK said:

Our global forests are absolutely fundamental if we are to limit global temperature rise to 1.5ºC, which is why this huge public finance commitment by the UK and our donor partners is so important.

The $12 billion commitment – the largest ever public climate finance pledge of its kind – will protect, restore and deliver sustainable management for forests, addressing the climate and biodiversity crises, providing targeted support for the regions like the Congo Basin and advancing and protecting the rights of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities as forest guardians. It is a critical part of a broad and ambitious package of actions and commitments we are delivering at COP26 for the world’s forests.

Jonas Gahr Støre, Prime Minister of Norway said:

We must work for an improved global framework for climate investments. To ‘keep 1.5 degrees alive’ we have to halt forest loss this decade. Tropical forest countries need more international support and incentives to transform their land use policies. Norway will continue and further develop its International Climate and Forest Initiative at high levels until 2030, and we’re excited to be part of a growing coalition of donors and companies mobilizing to reduce deforestation and enable a just rural transition. I am particularly pleased that we are joining forces to secure indigenous peoples’ rights and increase the recognition of their role as forest guardians.

Alexander De Croo, Prime Minister of Belgium, said:

Belgium has pledged to be a leader for Nature and is proud to demonstrate its commitment here by joining the Global Forest Finance Pledge. Finding the best, sustainable solutions for the conservation and protection of forests is crucial to tackle climate change and biodiversity loss and to foster human wellbeing, creating jobs and welfare, increasing resilience of vulnerable communities.

Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, said:

Today’s €1 billion pledge is a clear sign of the EU’s commitment to lead global change to protect our planet, in line with the European Green Deal ambitions. Forests are the green lungs of the earth, protecting them is key in our fight against climate change and the biodiversity crisis. Together we can succeed in fighting forest loss and climate change to deliver a resilient and inclusive post-COVID-19 world.

Meanwhile 11 donor countries and the Bezos Earth Fund will launch a Joint Statement on supporting the Congo Basin forests including an initial pledge of at least $1.5 billion (£1.1 billion) of financial support to ambitious efforts in the region.

The Congo Basin is home to the world’s second-largest tropical rainforest and the world’s largest carbon sink, providing half of all rainfall across Africa. Threats to the forests mean risks to food and water security, undermining the livelihoods of the 80 million people who live in and around the region.

The support announced today, in partnership with Congo Basin countries, will support initiatives such as the Central African Forest Initiative, funding climate mitigation and adaptation and addressing the drivers of forest loss.

Felix-Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, said:

There is no need to remind anyone here of the strategic role that the Congo Basin plays in maintaining the world’s ecological balance and in the development of our societies.

14 bilateral and philanthropic donors, including the Ford Foundation and members of the Protecting our Planet Challenge, will also announce a Joint Statement on advancing Indigenous Peoples’ and local communities’ tenure rights and forest guardianship, with an initial pledge of at least $1.7 billion (£1.2 billion).

Forests lived in and looked after by Indigenous Peoples and local communities contain almost a quarter of the carbon stored in the world’s tropical forests. Deforestation rates are much lower on land under their control. However, while one third of the world’s land is thought to be held and managed by these people, they have secure land rights on only 10% of this land.

The pledge will channel support to Indigenous Peoples and local communities to build their capacity to protect forests, and activities that secure their land and resource rights. It will include a commitment to promote the effective participation and inclusion of Indigenous Peoples and local communities in decision-making on forests.

Darren Walker, President of the Ford Foundation said:

There is no viable solution to the climate crisis without forest and land management by Indigenous Peoples and local communities who have proven that they are the best guardians of the world’s forests. This historic $1.7 billion pledge is a challenge to all funders to do far more to support and partner with Indigenous Peoples and local communities who hold a key solution to climate change, and have them lead the way.

Andrew Steer, President & CEO, Bezos Earth Fund, on behalf of the Protecting our Planet Challenge, said:

Indigenous Peoples and local communities depend on nature and have been stewards on land and sea for centuries. Securing their territorial rights is one of most important and effective ways to ensure the protection of 30% of the planet by 2030. The Bezos Earth Fund is pleased to join forces with eight other private donors through the Protecting Our Planet Challenge. Collectively, we plan to invest $1 billion over the next decade to support territorial rights and the capacity of indigenous people and local communities to manage their territories to protect nature and support their well-being and culture.

Tuntiak Katan, Coordinator of the Global Alliance of Territorial Communities, representing communities from the rain forests of Africa, Latin America and Indonesia, said:

We welcome the announcement at COP of the Joint Statement on Advancing Support for Indigenous Peoples and local communities that has raised to an unprecedented level their visibility as a climate solution.

At the same time, we will be looking for concrete evidence of a transformation in the way funds are invested. If 80 percent of what is proposed is directed to supporting land rights and the proposals of Indigenous and local communities, we will see a dramatic reversal in the current trend that is destroying our natural resources.

Global Forest Finance Pledge

The $12 billion GFFP – online here will help forest countries tackle systemic drivers of forest loss and help to enable the conservation, restoration and sustainable management of forests through measures such as results-based payments, improvements to forest and land governance, support for community stewardship of forests by indigenous peoples, and the promotion of deforestation-free supply chains.

Donor countries and forest countries will work together to ensure the funding is effective and efficient, ensuring that investment is supported by leadership and ambition by forest countries, such as abolishing perverse subsidies and promoting domestic policies to protect forests and reduce deforestation.

Full list of donors is: the United Kingdom, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, South Korea, the United States, and the European Commission on behalf of the European Union

Congo Basin statement and investment

The Congo Basin statement, supported by at least $1.5 billion in ring-fenced investment, represents a collective international donor commitment to work in partnership with Central African countries (including DRC, Gabon, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon and Central African Republic) to protect and maintain the Congo Basin tropical forests and peatland areas.

The statement is intended as a clarion call for greatly enhanced international focus on these forests. This is important because the Congo Basin forests:

• are globally the second largest tropical rainforests, while the area’s peatlands are the world’s largest tropical carbon sink and the largest carbon sink;
• are critical for biodiversity and stability of the global climate;
• supply half of all rainfall across Africa, on which many millions depend for food and water.
• support the livelihoods of 80m – including around 1m indigenous people – who live in the region;
• are critical to the long-term economic development of the region; and
• are threatened by deforestation and degradation and remain underfunded compared to other globally important biomes.

The statement responds to calls from the region (including via the COMIFAC Declaration) for greater support and cooperation. The pledge will support initiatives such as CAFI and fund climate mitigation and adaptation, address the drivers of forest loss, and enable the protection and restoration of the Congo Basin. Each participating donor will deliver their own package of support.

Joint statement and investment in support of indigenous peoples and local communities

This is a collective pledge by public and private donors to advance Indigenous Peoples’ and local communities’ forest tenure rights and support greater recognition for their role as guardians of forests and nature. The pledge is a collective commitment by 14 bilateral and philanthropic donors, including the Ford Foundation and the Protecting our Planet Challenge, to commit $1.7 billion of confirmed financing from 2021 to 2025.

This is important because:

• Indigenous Peoples’ and local communities’ land contain almost a quarter of the carbon stored in the world’s tropical forests;
• where Indigenous Peoples and local communities hold secure rights to forests, communities provide better protection and management than even legally protected areas, and carbon storage can be increased; and
• around one third of the world’s land is estimated to be held by Indigenous Peoples and other local communities but they have secure tenure rights on only 10% of this land.

The $1.7 billion will channel support to indigenous peoples and local communities through capacity building and financial support for group activities, as well as support to secure, strengthen and protect land and resource rights. This commitment responds to calls from Indigenous Peoples and local communities and signals a commitment to work in partnership with governments, communities and other stakeholders to enable them to maintain and safeguard the vital ecosystem services they provide to the whole planet.

Additional quotes

Steven Guilbeault, Canada’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change, said:

Forests act as the lungs of the earth and are essential to help the world tackle the interconnected crises of climate change and biodiversity loss. Trees are a nature-based solution to address climate change as they absorb carbon.

As a major forest country, Canada is proud to sign on and contribute to the Global Forest Finance Pledge to help unleash the potential of tropical forests and sustainable land use, and to halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030.

Embracing the power of nature is a critical part of Canada’s plan to address climate change, which is why we recently doubled our climate finance commitment to $5.3 billion to help support nature-based solutions abroad. We are also planting two billion trees, conserving and restoring forests, wetlands, peatlands and grasslands here at home.

Jochen Flasbarth, Germany’s State Secretary at the Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, said:

Forests around the world are of central importance not only for the mitigation of climate change and the adaption to global warming but also for the protection of biodiversity. We continue to be a reliable partner for forest countries in the global south in their efforts to end deforestation by 2030 and fully support the Global Forest Finance Pledge. The pledge provides an offer to ambitious international partnerships to jointly make deforestation history.

Mina Setra, Deputy to the Secretary General of AMAN, said:

The commitment announced today to halt forest loss and protect Indigenous Peoples’ rights is long overdue. We applaud the governments and donors involved for taking this step to protect our rights and the global climate. However, we urge them to work directly with us to deliver these funds at the local level. Furthermore, this pledge must not replace the fundamental actions they must take to stop their companies’ from bulldozing our ancestral forests. To fulfil their mission and avoid a climate catastrophe, they must stop all deforestation on the lands of Indigenous Peoples and local communities and work with us to protect the world’s last remaining tropical forests.

In the biggest step forward in protecting the world’s forests in a generation, more than 100 leaders will commit to halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030 at an event convened by the Prime Minister at COP26 today. The pledge is backed by almost £14 billion ($19.2 billion) in public and private funding.

Countries spanning from the northern forests of Canada and Russia to the tropical rainforests of Brazil, Colombia, Indonesia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo will endorse the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forest and Land Use. Together, they contain 85% of the world’s forests, an area of over 13 million square miles.

Forests are the lungs of our planet, absorbing around one-third of the global CO2 released from burning fossil fuels every year, but we are losing them at an alarming rate. An area of forest the size of 27 football pitches is lost every minute.

The commitment will be supported by a pledge to provide £8.75bn ($12bn) of public finance from 12 countries, including the UK, from 2021 – 2025. This will support activities in developing countries, including restoring degraded land, tackling wildfires and supporting the rights of indigenous communities.

This will go alongside at least £5.3 billion ($7.2 billion) of newly-mobilised private sector funding. CEOs from more than 30 financial institutions with over $8.7 trillion of global assets – including Aviva, Schroders and Axa – will also commit to eliminate investment in activities linked to deforestation.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to say at the Forest & Land Use event at COP26 today:

Today, at COP26, leaders have signed a landmark agreement to protect and restore the earth’s forests.

These great teeming ecosystems – these cathedrals of nature – are the lungs of our planet. Forests support communities, livelihoods and food supply, and absorb the carbon we pump into the atmosphere. They are essential to our very survival.

With today’s unprecedented pledges, we will have a chance to end humanity’s long history as nature’s conqueror, and instead become its custodian.

President of Colombia Iván Duque said:

Colombia is proud to endorse the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land Use. The Declaration is a landmark commitment from countries to work together to end deforestation and all land degradation within the next decade.

Never before have so many leaders, from all regions, representing all types of forests, joined forces in this way and Colombia is committed to playing its part. We will enshrine in law a commitment to net-zero deforestation by 2030 – one of the most ambitious commitments in Latin America – and to protecting 30% of our land and ocean resources by 2030.

Now we must all work in partnership with businesses, the finance sector, smallholder farmers, Indigenous Peoples and local communities to create the conditions for forest-positive economies to grow and thrive.

President of Indonesia, Joko Widodo said:

Indonesia is blessed as the most carbon rich country in the world on vast rainforests, mangroves, oceans and peatlands. We are committed to protecting these critical carbon sinks and our natural capital for future generations.

We call on all countries to support sustainable development paths that strengthen the livelihoods of communities – especially indigenous, women and smallholders.

The UK will commit £1.5bn over five years to support the forests pledge, including £350m for tropical forests in Indonesia, and £200m for the LEAF Coalition.

The UK will also contribute £200m, alongside 11 other donors, as part of a new £1.1 billion ($1.5bn) fund to protect the Congo Basin. The area is home to the second-largest tropical rainforest in the world which is threatened by industrial logging, mining and agriculture.

Governments representing 75% of global trade in key commodities that can threaten forests – such as palm oil, cocoa and soya – will also sign up to a new Forests, Agriculture and Commodity Trade (FACT) Statement. The 28 governments are committing to a common set of actions to deliver sustainable trade and reduce pressure on forests, including support for smallholder farmers and improving the transparency of supply chains.

Currently almost a quarter (23%) of global emissions come from land use activity, such as logging, deforestation and farming. Protecting forests and ending damaging land use is one of the most important things the world can do to limit catastrophic global warming, while also protecting the lives and futures of the 1.6 billion people worldwide – nearly 25% of the world’s population – who rely on forests for their livelihoods.

Prime Minister of Norway Jonas Gahr Store said:

We must work for an improved global framework for climate investments. To “keep 1.5 degrees alive” we have to halt forest loss this decade. Tropical forest countries need more international support and incentives to transform their land use policies.

Norway will continue and further develop its International Climate and Forest Initiative at high levels until 2030, and we’re excited to be part of a growing coalition of donors and companies mobilising to reduce deforestation and enable a just rural transition. I am particularly pleased that we are joining forces to secure Indigenous Peoples’ rights and increase the recognition of their role as forest guardians.

Amanda Blanc, Group CEO Aviva plc, said:

Protecting our forests and their biodiversity is fundamental to the fight against climate change. Financial institutions have a pivotal role, using our influence on the companies we invest in to encourage and ensure best practice. Aviva is proud to sign the commitment to end deforestation, helping build a critical mass for change. Together we can reduce risk to the planet and the financial markets, and capitalise on the opportunities that come from more sustainable investment.

Tuntiak Katan, Coordinator of the Global Alliance of Territorial Communities, representing communities from the rain forests of Africa, Latin America and Indonesia, said:

We welcome the announcement at COP of the Joint Statement on Advancing Support for Indigenous Peoples and local communities that has raised to an unprecedented level their visibility as a climate solution.

At the same time, we will be looking for concrete evidence of a transformation in the way funds are invested. If 80 percent of what is proposed is directed to supporting land rights and the proposals of Indigenous and local communities, we will see a dramatic reversal in the current trend that is destroying our natural resources.

Today’s event will see world leaders join with representatives of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, civil society, philanthropists, businesses and the financial system.

Among those speaking alongside the Prime Minister Boris Johnson are HRH The Prince of Wales, President Joko Widodo of Indonesia, President Ivan Duque of Colombia, President Joseph R. Biden Jr. of the United States, President Felix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

I’m delighted to have the opportunity to speak to you today in one of my very first engagements as the new minister for Civil Society and Youth. I’m sorry I can’t be with you in person, but I would like to thank the National Youth Agency for making it possible for me to share some thoughts by video.

I’ve seen the impact youth work has across other parts of my ministerial portfolio, particularly in Sport, where I’ve had the opportunity to work with youth groups on a range of projects and initiatives. And of course, as a constituency MP, I’ve seen first hand the difference that youth work can make in turning around young people’s lives.

I’m delighted to be taking on this role as there is huge potential to embed youth across my wider portfolio, from growing the role of volunteering to creating a greater join up between youth and sport. But of course there is also a need to join up more broadly across DCMS, such as in arts and digital.

The Youth sector is a critical part of so much that DCMS and the whole of government is hoping to achieve. The sector has faced significant challenges in response to the pandemic and young people have sacrificed an incredible amount during this difficult time. Thousands of youth workers and volunteers make a tremendous difference to young people’s lives – they build trusted relationships and create opportunities for them to thrive. Youth sector activities provide an essential service for young people and communities, while we all know how transformational youth work can be.

I would like to thank the NYA, who, with the help of the wider sector, stepped up during the pandemic by publishing guidance on activities to ensure the safety of young people, youth leaders and volunteers. Through all the obstacles imposed by covid, the sector has continued to deliver and support young people. We are all very grateful to you for your part in that.

As you are aware, in 2020, the Treasury announced a DCMS-led review of youth services. The aim was to develop a clear direction for our out-of-school youth agenda, and to ensure that our spending and programmes meet the needs of young people as well as our ambitions on ‘levelling up’. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your contribution to that review.

DCMS engaged directly with more than 6000 young people across the country and 175 youth sector organisations. This engagement and the feedback collected will be vital in informing future policy.

Young people deserve an offer that addresses their challenges and I am incredibly proud to say that at last week’s Budget, we secured £560 million of funding to invest in building a new and improved youth offer that reflects young people’s priorities and addresses the inconsistencies in national youth spending, with a firm focus on levelling up.

Accessing youth facilities is not felt equally, with young people in many parts of the country struggling to gain access to them. So we will invest through the Youth Investment Fund, to create and expand youth facilities, levelling up opportunities in left behind areas.

The next three years will see the NCS programme continue, but with a changed delivery model to provide a more cost efficient and year round offer.

The Government is committed to supporting youth workers to develop the skills they need to best support all young people. We are supporting the National Youth Agency to maintain and improve a complete set of national youth work qualifications with a curriculum and workforce strategy, and provide an online non-accredited learning platform.

For the first time there will also be a National Youth Work Register to bolster the professional standing of youth work and give funders, young people and their parents the ability to know who is a qualified practitioner.

As we recover from the pandemic, we face a unique opportunity to build back better. Young people need to be at the heart of those efforts and this government will ensure they remain a priority.

I greatly look forward to meeting with many of you at future events, visits and roundtables. I am keen to hear about your important work and how together, we can achieve our shared objectives, and level up opportunities for young people across the country.

I wish you all the very best and hope that you enjoy the summit.