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Harnessing forestsfor economiclivelihoodsHigh-Level Segment of the Summit ofHeads of State and Government of theAmazon, Congo and Borneo-MekongForest BasinsStatement deliveredOn behalf of Mr. Ban Ki-moonUnited Nations Secretary-GeneralBrazzaville, Congo3 June 2011It is my singular honor to represent the Secretary-General of theUnited Nations, Mr. Ban Ki-moon at this Summit of Heads of Stateand Government of the Amazon, Congo and Borneo-Mekong ForestBasins. I bring you his warm regards and best wishes for a successfulSummit.I salute your initiative to hold this Summit as one of the events tomark 2011 as the International Year of Forests proclaimed by the UNGeneral Assembly in 2006. This is indeed a laudable and landmarkevent in the history of forest management the world over, as it willset in motion decisive action to achieve tangible and durable resultsin the near and long-term.Forest goods and services support a significant part of the economiclivelihoods of over 1 billion people in the world. They boost agriculturalproductivity, provide food, water and flood protection amongother services. Moreover, forests are important carbon sinks. Yetthese vital functions of forests are being severely undermined by deforestationand forest degradation resulting in about 20% of annualglobal carbon dioxide emissions. Therefore, we must strengthen ourresolve to take urgent action to arrest forest loss, which globally, remainssignificant.312 Part Five

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