Both forests and mountains played important roles in the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in 1992, resulting in the Forest Principles and Chapter 11 and 13, respectively, of Agenda 21.
Significant progress in international forest policy dialogue has been made since UNCED. Many international initiatives in support of sustainable forest management have been launched, both outside and within the United Nations system. The main focus of the work of the United Nations has been to facilitate the development of coherent policies to promote the management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests. The Intergovernmental Panel on Forests (IPF) and the Intergovernmental Forum on Forests (IFF), both under the auspices of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development, were the main intergovernmental fora for international forest policy development from 1995 until 2000.
