At the recent United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF) session in New York, an encouraging step forward for collaboration took place. Dr Hugh Brown, Co-Chair of the BMRC, held a productive bilateral meeting with the Brazilian delegation, led by Garo Batmanian, Director-General of Brazil’s Forest Service (SFB).
One particularly insightful moment emerged when Dr Brown asked whether Director-General Batmanian was familiar with the BMRC initiative. The response was clear: Brazil has not yet been formally introduced to the Coalition. This opened the door to a valuable exchange and highlighted an important opportunity for engagement.
Dr Brown took the opportunity to outline the BMRC’s work and vision, emphasising its role in supporting sustainable forest management, strengthening forest governance, and fostering international cooperation. The discussion quickly turned to identifying synergies—particularly between the BMRC and the Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF).
Two BMRC founding members, Indonesia and Ghana, are actively engaged in the TFFF—demonstrating how aligned approaches can reinforce shared goals across initiatives.
The exchange at UNFF underscores a simple but powerful point: meaningful progress often begins with conversation. By strengthening connections between initiatives like the BMRC and TFFF, we can accelerate collective action for sustainable forest governance and long-term forest conservation.
We look forward to continuing the dialogue.
