SDG 17: Partnership for the goals

Sustainable Development Goal

The SDGs can only be realized with a strong commitment to global partnership and cooperation, especially in a world that is more interconnected than ever before. Inclusive partnerships are needed at the global, regional, national, and local level and need to build upon a shared vision and shared goals that place people and the planet at the centre.

Promoting international trade, and helping developing countries increase their exports, is all part of achieving a universal rules-based and equitable trading system that is fair and open, and benefits all.

Forests and SDG 17

Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development

Partnerships are integral to forest management on all geographic levels, operationally as well as politically.

On an operational level, forest owners and community forest associations share experiences to deliver the highest standards of sustainable silviculture, environmental practice, and workforce safety, and often - more basically - machinery and equipment for forest operations.

On a political level, national and global agendas benefit from the knowledge and priorities of smallholders, workers, women, communities, and indigenous peoples.

Alliances such as ATIBT (Association Technique Internationale des Bois Tropicaux – International Tropical Timber Technical Association), Building and Woodworkers International (BWI), the Center for People and Forests (RECOFTC), European Organisation of Agricultural, Rural and Forestry Contractors (CEETTAR), the International Family Forestry Alliance (IFFA), and the Union of Foresters of Southern Europe (USSE) -  all PEFC international stakeholder members -  work with local stakeholders and make their voice heard at global levels.

How PEFC contributes to SDG 17

PEFC is a partnership for the goals, an association that brings together some fifty national forest certification systems and more than 30 international stakeholders. National certification systems are multi-stakeholder partnerships with the objective of promoting sustainable forest management.

One of the most overlooked benefits of forest certification is the role organizations such as PEFC play as a facilitator. Our standard setting processes have been bringing together tens of thousands of stakeholders from governments, the private sector, and civil society to agree on a common understanding of sustainable forest management at global and national levels. Our bottom-up process ensures that local knowledge and priorities are considered in national standards, which in turn impact on international standard setting processes.  

Furthermore, PEFC sustainable forest management requirements foster dialogue between stakeholders impacted by forest management operations on the ground. They require effective communication and consultation of forest managers with local communities, indigenous peoples, and other stakeholders.

In addition, our group certification mechanism, which enables groups of small forest owners to pool their resources and work together to achieve third-party verified sustainable forest management certification, assists in fostering collaboration among participating smallholders.

Moreover, an important part of PEFC’s work is delivered through projects and initiatives, undertaken in close cooperation with partners around the world. We use projects to build capacity, improve market conditions for certified products to advance equitable trading, and develop solutions to further advance sustainable forest management.

Selected PEFC criteria (abbreviated) and standards

Sustainable Forest Management, PEFC ST 1003

7.3.1 The standard requires that effective communication and consultation with local communities, indigenous peoples and other stakeholders relating to sustainable forest management shall be provided.

8.6.5 The standard requires that the best use shall be made of forest-related experience and traditional knowledge, innovations and practices such as those of forest owners, NGOs, local communities, and indigenous peoples. Equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the utilization of such knowledge shall be encouraged.

PEFC 1001:2017 – Standard setting

PEFC 1001:1018 – Group certification