TFD Strategic Plan 2011-2015

The Forests Dialogue stimulates multi-stakeholder platforms for discussion, reflection and the promotion of collaborative solutions to difficult issues facing forests and people. Since its establishment in 2000, TFD has engaged more than 2500 key stakeholders from civil society organisations, the private sector, and governments from all over the world in some
40 international dialogues. TFD is a small but ambitious organisation, with a reach via our governing Steering Committee
and Dialogue participants into institutions and organisations that are central to the future of forests and trees in landscapes. We seek to engage stakeholders from diverse backgrounds, to explore vital but contentious issues – ‘fracture lines’ in forest uses, demands and decisionmaking, and to change thinking and outcomes for the better. We have, for example, provided a vehicle for concerted stakeholder inputs to Forest Law Enforcement and Governance processes in Europe and North Asia, and have spread recognition of the scale of changes required to make REDD work in the tropics. TFD work has also spawned local organisations in a range of countries determined to extend and deepen regional dialogue initiatives.
Over the next five years, from 2011 to 2015, TFD seeks to run up to four concurrent dialogue initiatives involving up to 40 dialogues. In 2011 these initiatives are: REDD readiness; Free, Prior and Informed Consent; Investing in locally controlled forestry; and the ‘4F dialogues – changing outlooks on food, fuel, fibre and forests. A fifth dialogue on the potential role of GM trees within intensively managed planted forests will also be scoped. To maximise the effectiveness of these dialogue streams, we will sharpen our communication and knowledge management processes over the same period, coordinating the use of information before, during and post-dialogue and targeting materials to key stakeholders.
Drawing on our Steering Committee’s expertise, we will implement a realistic, but aspirational fundraising strategy to expand our business operations and to ensure that TFD’s capacity can meet the growing demand for our approach and activities. In implementing this strategic plan we will aim for best practice in managing risk and in monitoring and evaluating the work of TFD.