UNFCCC Meetings & Event on REDD Safeguards

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) recently held parallel meetings in Bonn, Germany. The 34th sessions of the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI) and the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) took place from 6-16 June. The second part of the fourteenth session of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-term Cooperative Action (AWG-LCA) and the second part of the sixteenth session of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Kyoto Protocol (AWG-KP) took place from 7-17 June.

On 7 June, Ecuador and the United Nations Collaborative Programme on Reducing Emission from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (UN-REDD) held a joint side event about some of the key concepts and tools being developed to address safeguards in REDD+ implementation. An press release on the side event states, "The Agreement on REDD+ now recognizes the need to 'promote and support' safeguards and requests parties to develop a 'system for providing information on how safeguards are being addressed and respected'. Safeguards include critical issues such as forest governance, respect for the knowledge and rights of Indigenous Peoples and members of local communities and actions that are consistent with conservation of natural forests and biological diversity." Presentations at the side event included the UN-REDD Programme on its approaches and various sets of guidelines; the Climate Community and Biodiversity Alliance (CCBA) on its Social and Environmental Standards Initiative; TEBTEBBA on the importance of addressing Indigenous peoples' land tenure; and Ecuador and Vietnam on their experiences with addressing safeguards in their respective national contexts.

More information about the side event and its presentations can be accessed here. Daily reports and analysis of the UNFCCC negotations are provided by IISD Reporting Services.