The Forests Dialogue (TFD)
The Forests Dialogue (TFD) is a platform and process for multi-stakeholder discussion and collaboration on the most pressing local and global issues facing forests and people. TFD is governed by a steering committee composed of a diverse group of individuals representing key stakeholder perspectives from around the world.
Key outcomes and lessons learned
Since 2000, The Forests Dialogue has developed 20 different initiatives, convened more than 75 dialogues and engaged more than 3000 participants.
More information
To learn more about The Forest Dialogue's projects and initiatives, please consult theforestsdialogue.org.
Summary
In 2000, The Forests Dialogue (TFD) was created to provide stakeholders in the forest sector with an ongoing, multi-stakeholder dialogue platform and process focused on: developing mutual trust, a shared understanding and collaborative solutions to challenges in achieving sustainable forest management and forest conservation around the world. TFD uses results-driven, field-based stakeholder engagement processes to map out feasible impact pathways and collaborations toward tangible agreed upon change.
Initiative
TFD develops and facilitates multi-stakeholder dialogue-based initiatives on issues key to the forest sector, by building a dynamic, bottom-up form of dialogue to ensure that stakeholders’ concerns are well represented. TFD uses techniques that range from intimate, small-group dialogues to large forums involving hundreds of participants.
Consistent with established principles of successful multi-stakeholder dialogue processes, and based on its decade of experience, TFD pursues its mission by following a structured, phased approach to each of its initiative topics:
- TFD first ENGAGES a diversity of interests to foster relationships and build trust around contentious forest
- issues, or ‘fracture lines’;
- TFD then EXPLORES the issues at hand and craft a shared understanding of the objectives, challenges and opportunities ahead;
- TFD ultimately seeks CHANGE through consensus-based collaboration aimed at immediate action and long-term progress.
Direct engagement with issues on the ground at field sites is an important component of many dialogue processes. At the conclusion of each dialogue and initiative, TFD produces summary publications, forms coalitions among key actors, and meets with decision-makers to move from ideas to action.