EDM 1269: UK aid for global forests and indigenous peoples

That this House expresses deep concern at the threat to UK support for global forests and the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities (IPLCs) as a result of reductions to the Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget; notes that tropical forests are vital to climate regulation, biodiversity, food security and public health, and that halting deforestation could contribute up to 30% of climate change mitigation potential; further notes that forests are home to 1.6 billion people, including 300 million Indigenous Peoples whose knowledge, stewardship and tenure rights are critical to effective forest governance; recognises the positive impact of UK funding in tackling illegal logging and promoting sustainable forest economies through programmes such as Forest Governance Markets and Climate (FGMC2), Investments in Forests and Sustainable Land Use (IFSLU), The Amazon Catalyst for Forest Communities (AMCAT), the Biodiverse Landscapes Fund, and the Congo Basin Forest Action Programme; recalls the UK’s leadership at COP26 through the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land Use and urges the Government to honour this commitment with sustained investment; affirms that private finance initiatives, such as the Tropical Forest Forever Facility, cannot replace the UK’s bilateral support and the impact of direct partnerships with rainforest countries and IPLC-led solutions; and calls on the Government to protect existing forest programmes from aid cuts, restore the aid budget to 0.7% of GNI at the earliest opportunity, and ensure forest protection and Indigenous rights remain central to the UK’s international climate and development strategy ahead of COP30.