The Global Forest Coalition (GFC) is an international coalition of NGOs and Indigenous Peoples’ Organizations defending social justice and the rights of forest peoples in forest policies.

The GFC was founded in 2000 by 19 NGOs and Indigenous Peoples’ Organizations (IPOs) from all over the world. It is a successor to the NGO Forest Working Group, which was originally established in 1995.

GFC  participates in international forest policy meetings and organizes joint advocacy campaigns on issues like Indigenous Peoples’ rights, the need for socially-just forest policy and the need to address the underlying causes of forest loss.

They are grateful to the following donors who have provided support to their work in 2015:
The International Climate Initiative (IKI) of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB), the Siemenpuu Foundation, the Christensen Fund, Natural Justice, Misereor, Swedish Society for Nature Conservation (SSNC), Women in Europe for a Common Future and the Women’s Environment and Development Organisation, and The European Commission’s Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development (DG DEVCO) for 2014-2016.

They wholeheartedly thank all who have generously contributed their time and resources to supporting their campaigns and activities.

The opinions expressed in their publications are not necessarily those of their donors.

History

The Global Forest Coalition was founded in the year 2000 by 19 NGOs and Indigenous Peoples’ Organizations (IPOs) from all over the world. It is a successor to the NGO Forest Working Group, which was originally established in 1995. In 1997, the NGO Forest Working Group took the lead in the multi-stakeholder initiative to address the underlying causes of deforestation and forest degradation (co-coordinated by the Netherlands Committee for IUCN and the World Rainforest Movement). This initiative published 40 case studies and 20 in-depth studies on the underlying causes of forest loss and organized nine regional and global workshops.

Recognizing the importance of NGOs and IPOs from developing countries participating in international forest policy processes, the members of the NGO Forest Working Group decided to establish the Global Forest Coalition as an inclusive, informal alliance of Southern and Northern NGOs and IPOs.

Until 2005, the Global Forest Coalition was formally hosted by the World Rainforest Movement. In November 2005, the Global Forest Coalition was registered as an independent foundation in the Netherlands.