The world is on course to miss the bulk of its 2030 forest commitments after global forest area declined by more than 40 million hectares between 2015 and 2025, with just seven of 26 targets under the United Nations Strategic Plan for Forests broadly achieved and a major financing gap identified as the most pressing obstacle to recovery. That is according to the Global Forest Goals Report 2026, launched by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs at the opening of the 21st session of the UN Forum on Forests at UN Headquarters in New York, which draws on voluntary national reports from 48 countries representing 51 per cent of the global forest area.
Whilst 17 of the 26 targets remain partially on track and two are now off target, the report confirmed that many countries have introduced policy reforms, expanded restoration efforts, strengthened forest governance and increased international cooperation. Recent gains span protected forest areas, long-term management plans and improved forest monitoring systems across the 48 reporting countries.
Pressing the case for forests at the centre of policy and investment decisions, Bjørg Sandkjær, Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination at the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, said the work spans climate, economic and intergenerational benefits. “Investing in forests is investing in climate stability, resilient economies and the well-being of present and future generations,” Sandkjær said.
Despite the policy gains, the report warned that deforestation, climate change, wildfires, pests and illegal activity continue to threaten forests worldwide, with implementation remaining uneven across regions. It outlined pathways to accelerate action, including halting deforestation, restoring degraded lands, expanding protected and sustainably managed forests, strengthening forest-related governance, closing the financing gap, and advancing innovative financing mechanisms.
Juliette Biao, Director of the UN Forum on Forests Secretariat at UN DESA, said meeting the 2030 deadline will hinge on coordinated political will and financing. “Strengthening political commitment, financing and cross-sector coordination will determine whether the Global Forest Goals can be achieved,” Biao said.
Adopted under the UN Strategic Plan for Forests 2017-2030, the six Global Forest Goals are voluntary targets that seek to halt deforestation, restore degraded forests, promote sustainable forest management, and increase global forest area by 3 per cent by 2030. The targets work alongside the UN Sustainable Development Goals as the principal international framework for forest stewardship.
It comes as Wood Central reported on UN DESA’s pre-launch briefing, which flagged critical gaps in finance, governance and data ahead of the 11 May release as the principal obstacles to the 2030 deadline. Two of the 26 targets are now formally off track at the halfway mark of the UN Strategic Plan for Forests 2017-2030, with the Global Forest Goals Report 2026 warning that current trajectories will leave the world short of the roughly 120 million hectares of new forest cover sought by 2030.
