New reports, discussions on market dynamics and update on UNECE budget crisis at the 83rd session of the COFFI

The 83rd session of the Committee on Forests and the Forest Industry (COFFI) took place on 4-6 November 2025 in Geneva. This event was co-hosted, likely for the last time, by the UNECE and FAO. The agenda of this three-day event covered a whole range of topics.

The first day,  the presentations focused mainly on international market dynamics and new innovations in the forest-based bioeconomy. After a panel discussion with representatives from the forest-based industries, the day concluded with revision and finalization of the products market statement. This document gives a detailed overview of forest products markets in the Economic Commission for Europe region for the period of 2024 and the first half of 2025 and an outlook into possible market trends in 2026.

The second day started with matters concerning the UN, UNECE and COFFI. Ms. Paola Deda, Director of the UNECE Forests Land and Housing Division, explained that the UN is experiencing a severe liquidity crisis, which has led to a proposed cut of 28 Regular Budget (RB) posts in UNECE (out of 188 RB staff), including one post in the Forest and Bioeconomy Section. This crisis has also led to the imminent closure of the Joint UNECE/FAO. This meant the cancellation of the Joint UNECE COFFI and FAO EFC Session 2025, and the suspension of the drafting and negotiation of an Integrated UNECE-FAO Programme of Work 2026-2029. Formal cooperation between the  two organizations will from now on be primarily oriented toward joint data-related activities.
The session continued with an update by Forest Europe on the SoEF 2026 report, scheduled to come out in December (now postponed to Q1 2026).
Other report presentations included:

• UNECE study “Boreal forests – A global treasure”
• Report of the Joint ECE/FAO Working Party
• Improved assessment of forest damage in the ECE region

The final day saw discussions on strengthening non-wood forest
product value chains, with a special focus on the Caucasus region.

All documents, including the full agenda, statements and presentations, can be found on the UNECE website.