With reference to the 'New York Declaration on Forests', which of the following statements are correct? 1. It was first endorsed at the United Nations Climate Summit in 2014. 2. It endorses a global timeline to end the loss of forests. 3. It is a legally binding international declaration. 4. It is endorsed by governments, big companies and indigenous communities. 5. India was one of the signatories at its inception. Select the correct answer using the code given below.

Answer: A. Statements 1, 2 and 4 are correct. The NEW YORK DECLARATION ON FORESTS (NYDF) is a non-binding political declaration aimed at halving deforestation by 2020 and ending it by 2030 while restoring degraded landscapes. Statement 1 is CORRECT. The NYDF was FIRST ENDORSED AT THE UN CLIMATE SUMMIT in NEW YORK in SEPTEMBER 2014, convened by then UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon ahead of COP21/Paris. Statement 2 is CORRECT. The NYDF EXPLICITLY SETS A GLOBAL TIMELINE: halve natural forest loss by 2020 and END NATURAL FOREST LOSS BY 2030, plus restore 350 million hectares of degraded landscapes by 2030. These are quantified, time-bound goals. Statement 3 is WRONG. The NYDF is a VOLUNTARY, NON-BINDING DECLARATION — NOT a legally binding international treaty. Endorsement is political; there is no enforcement mechanism. (The 2021 Glasgow Leaders' Declaration on Forests at COP26 is also voluntary.) Statement 4 is CORRECT. The NYDF is ENDORSED by a BROAD COALITION — over 200 endorsers including national and sub-national GOVERNMENTS, MULTINATIONAL CORPORATIONS (commodity producers, retailers), INDIGENOUS PEOPLES' organisations, financial institutions, and civil society organisations. The multi-stakeholder nature is one of its defining features. Statement 5 is WRONG. INDIA WAS NOT AN ORIGINAL SIGNATORY/ENDORSER of the NYDF at its 2014 inception. India did not join the original endorsers along with Brazil, China, Indonesia, Russia (other large forested countries that also stayed out at inception). India later supported the Glasgow Leaders' Declaration on Forests in 2021 with some reservations. Source: NYDF Assessment Reports / UN Climate Summit 2014 outcomes / MoEFCC.