The United Nations Forum on Forests
In October 2000, the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations established the United Nations Forum on Forests, a subsidiary body with the main objective to promote “… the management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests and to strengthen long-term political commitment to this end…”based on the Rio Declaration, the Forest Principles, Chapter 11 of Agenda 21 and the outcome of the IPF/IFF Processes and other key milestones of international forest policy. The Forum has universal membership, and is composed of all Member States of the United Nations and specialized agencies.

Convention on Biological Diversity
The Convention on Biological Diversity is one of the most broadly subscribed international environmental treaties in the world. Opened for signature at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro Brazil in 1992, it currently has 187 State parties and the European Community who have committed themselves to its three main goals: the conservation of biodiversity, sustainable use of its components and the equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the use of genetic resources. In April 2002, the Parties to the Convention committed themselves to achieve by 2010 a significant reduction of the current rate of biodiversity loss at the global, regional and national level as a contribution to poverty alleviation and to the benefit of all life on Earth.
This target was subsequently endorsed by the World Summit on Sustainable Development and the United Nations General Assembly and was incorporated as a new target under the Millennium Development Goals.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) was established in December 1950 by the United Nations General Assembly to lead and co-ordinate international action to protect refugees and resolve refugee problems worldwide. The UN refugee agency has pledged to support a major environmental programme by planting and caring for more than 9 million trees this year in areas of human displacement. The gesture is aimed at making up for some of the environmental damage caused by refugees and displaced people around the world and to fight climate change.

UNICEF
UNICEF is the leading advocate for children’s rights and it is the driving force that helps build a world where the rights of every child are realized. UNICEF has pledged to contribute to the planting of million of trees in support of Ethiopia’s plan to plant hundreds of millions of trees as part of Ethiopian Millennium celebrations. UNICEF believes it is helping to achieve its core commitments to children by contributing to environmental protection efforts to ensure a sustainable future.

UN-HABITAT
The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) is the United Nations agency for human settlements which is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all. UN-HABITAT recognizes that good urban governance is characterized by the interdependent principles of sustainability, equity, efficiency, transparency and accountability, security, civic engagement and citizenship. Particularly in the area of environment, UN-HABITAT assists local authorities on Basic Urban Services, such as waste management, water, sanitation; and Sustainable urban mobility and transportation issues; Urban poverty and environment nexus through capacity building, providing technical advise, guidelines, tools.

The World Food Programme
As the food aid arm of the United nations, the World Food Programme (WFP) uses its food to meet emergency needs and to support economic and social development. In addition, the Agency provides the logistics support necessary to get food to the right people at the right time and in the right place. WFP works to put hunger at the centre of the international agenda, promoting policies, strategies and operations that directly benefit the poor and hungry. WFP also assists over 100 projects with a forestry component.

WORLD BANK
The World Bank is a vital source of financial and technical assistance to developing countries around the world. The World Bank views the Billion Tree Campaign initiative as an important contribution to the Millennium Development Goal of Ensuring Environmental Sustainability (MDG 7) in our partner countries. The World Bank is associating itself with the Billion Tree Campaign through various activities in Kenya such as the Kenya Green Belt Movement Reforestation Project, which is partnering with the Green Belt Movement with the aim of reforesting 1,877 hectares in Mt. Kenya and Aberdares region. In March 2007, the World Bank also approved funding a tree planting project in Uganda to help the country control current climate change. Both indigenous and non-indigenous tree species like pine, prunus and Musizi would be planted on 2,000 hectares.