Self-evaluation workshop of civil society actors and indigenous peoples on REDD+ in DRC

From 2nd to 7th September 2013, Cath Traynor and Lassana Koné from Natural Justice attended as observers, a self evaluation workshop in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The objective of the workshop, sponsored by UNDP and Rainforest Foundation Norway and facilitated by Samuel Nnah Ndobe, consisted in developing a strategy for civil society actors and indigenous peoples in the REDD+ process in DRC.

 The REDD+ mechanism was launched in DRC in January 2009, with the first joint mission carried out by the United Nations for REDD + (UN-REDD) and the Forest Carbon Partnership Funds (FCPF) of the World Bank. With funding from these partners ($7.3 million from UN-REDD and $3.4 million from FCPF), DRC spent three years in the preparation phase for REDD+ after producing a very ambitious Readiness plan (R-PP), which was adopted in March 2010 by the UN-REDD board and the FCPF Participants Committee. The UN-REDD Programme pays special attention to the informed and constructive participation of all stakeholders, including indigenous peoples and other forest-dependent communities, and support them in the implementation of REDD + at the national and international level. 

The implementation of the R-PP was made through a large consultative and participatory process with key stakeholders, including civil society. The Working Group on Climate and REDD (GTCR), is a platform for consultation of NGOs working in the DRC in the Environment sector.

During 6 days, the GTCR was able to engage positively and make a self assessment of their involvement in the REDD+ process in DRC. They also drafted an internal strategic roadmap to move from the preparation phase to the investment phase.  Entering the investment phase, the GTCR will therefore need to prioritise, and take robust internal measures and actions, because the context and the issues are the subject of a new reality. The GTCR must adapt itself to these new terms and engagement approaches to effectively meet the new opportunities offered by the process.

A report on the lessons learned of the civil society engagement in the REDD+ process in DRC is expected by end of October.

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ICCA Consortium Holds Mesoamerican Regional Meeting in Guatemala

Courtesy of Eli Makagon

On March 23, 2013, the ICCA Consortium held a Mesoamerican regional meeting in Totonicapán, Guatemala. The meeting, held from March 23 to March 27, brought together representatives from a range of different organizations and community groups working on ICCAs in the region. Presentations were made on efforts underway in Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama and El Salvador regarding ICCAs. Participants shared experiences regarding successes they have had and challenges they continue to face. In Tarcoles, Costa Rica, for example, a local fishing community has created a marine reserve where decisions are made at the local level, with government oversight, that has helped increase fish stocks in the area. Other ICCAs in the region have had varying levels of success in obtaining recognition and enforcing local rules. The biggest challenges remain government actions without prior consultation of those affected and lack of respect for customary methods of conservation management.

Several other issues were also addressed at the meeting, including the United Nation’s Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) programs, the effects of payments for ecosystem services that governments in the region are increasingly offering, and the selection of an ICCA Consortium coordinator for the Mesoamerican region. Eli Makagon, with the assistance of Joseph Kuper, presented on the international legal landscape surrounding ICCAs, noting that ILO 169 is a particularly effective treaty in the region given that twelve Latin American countries have ratified it. At the close of the meeting a public event was held to share results and ways forward. It is clear from the experiences shared that despite significant challenges, a robust system of ICCAs exists in the Mesoamerica region and that more and more communities are seeking and obtaining recognition of their conserved areas.

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Animated Film on REDD+

The Global Canopy Programme has released an updated version of “An Introduction to REDD”, described as "a short animated film that aims to explain REDD+ to non-expert audiences in a clear and succinct way."

Find out more about the film here, including versions in French, Portuguese and Spanish.

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Panel on COP 18 and Indigenous Peoples' Rights

Analysis of the Current State of COP18 Negotiations and Indigenous Peoples' Demands on the Green Climate Fund from Tebtebba on Vimeo.

Via the Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact (AIPP), a recent panel offered representatives from Indigenous rights organisations a platform to share their analysis of the climate change negotiations on 4 December 2012 in Doha, Qatar, during the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change’s 18th conference of parties (COP 18). The panel was organised by Tebtebba and the Indigenous Peoples’ Partnership on Climate Change and Forests and panelists included Victoria Tauli-Corpuz (Tebtebba), Dennis Mairena (Centro para la Autonomia y Desarollo de los Pueblos Indigenas - Nicaragua), and Stanley Kimaren (Indigenous Livelihoods Enhancement Partners - Kenya). 

The panelists analysed texts from the Subsidiary Body on Implementation and the Subsidiary Body on Scientific and Technological Advice and noted the extremely slow pace in negotiations in the Long Term Cooperative Action and Kyoto Protocol working groups. They also discussed the importance in protecting gains made by Indigenous peoples in the next climate change agreement, including the recognition of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, recognition of the traditional knowledge of Indigenous peoples, and the requirements for full and effective participation in climate change programmes. On the Green Climate Fund, the panelists called for full and effective participation of Indigenous peoples, with separate representation from civil society.

Also relevant to climate change negotiations, Simone Lovera (Global Forest Coalition) recently drafted an article, posted on REDD-Monitor, on how the form of Measuring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) systems being developed to track the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) programme may be a ‘trojan horse’ for carbon markets that have yet to demonstrate results. 

Video from the panel can be accessed here. Simone Lovera’s article can be found here.

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UNFCCC COP 18

Via unfccc.int

The 18th session of the Conference of Parties (COP 18) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is taking place from 26 November to 7 December, 2012 in Doha, Qatar. 

On Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+), COP 18 will consider financing options for results-based REDD+ activities, seek to clarify the links between REDD+ and climate change mitigation actions, consider the timing and frequency of summary information that REDD+ countries will provide on how REDD+ safeguards are being addressed and respected, provide guidance on national forest monitoring systems, offer guidance on establishing forest reference emission levels, and open discussions around land use, land use change and forestry and the impact upon REDD+. 

Find out more about COP 18, including schedules, reports and decisions, here. Live webcasts from COP 18 can be accessed here. The International Institute for Sustainable Development's daily coverage of COP 18 can be found here. 

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Critical REDD Documentary from The Mending News

The Mending News, a news source that seeks to 'mend' current issues, has released a scathing critique of Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) entitled "Exposing REDD: The False Climate Solution.” The documentary seeks to highlight the risk that REDD will not reduce deforestation and will merely enable more pollution while decreasing the land tenure security of communities in the 'global south', especially Indigenous communities. 

The documentary includes an interview with Tom Goldtooth of the Indigenous Environmental Network. Mr Goldtooth argues in the film that the issue with carbon trading is that "(b)efore you can trade anything, and treat anything as a commodity, you have to determine who owns that. So who owns the carbon, the air, whether it’s in the trees, in the soil, in the plants, in the air? Whose property right is that? As Indigenous Peoples you know we, many of us embrace the cosmo-vision, the spirituality, the sacred relationship that we hold dear to who we are, especially our relationship to the sacredness of Mother Earth."

The film can be accessed here. A transcript of the film can be found here. Natural Justice is currently exploring with a range of partners how to ensure the REDD-related funds and mechanisms can support Indigenous peoples' and local communities' ongoing efforts to protect and conserve their forests according to their own terms, plans and priorities. Natural Justice's e-module for communities potentially affected by REDD can be accessed here. 

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REDD+ Day at COP 11

On 16 October 2012, Laureen Manuel of Natural Justice attended REDD+ Day, hosted by the UN-REDD Programme and other partners at the 11th Conference of the Parties (COP 11) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The meeting, which was divided into five sessions, included the launch of the Little Forest Finance Book, drafted by the Global Canopy Programme, and the UN-REDD Policy Brief on Multiple Benefits, the third part of the UN-REDD Policy Brief series. 

Each session included a team of panelists who presented on their work and areas of expertise. The event was well attended by various stakeholders including policy makers, academics and forest officers. Among the topics debated were discussions on the importance of safeguards for the implementation of REDD+, best practices in governance and safeguarding biodiversity, REDD+ and the Green Economy, as well as the key findings of the new Global Forest Expert Panel (GFEP), an initiative of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF).

Find the Little Forest Finance Book here. Download the UN-REDD Policy Brief on Multiple Benefits here.

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E-Module on REDD+ for Communities

Human activities are consuming huge amounts of fossil fuels and raw materials that are creating massive amounts of persistent gases that are dramatically changing weather patterns in unpredictable ways. Deforestation contributes an estimated 18-25% of carbon emissions. The idea behind the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries (REDD+) programme is to generate funds to reduce emissions through forest conservation in order to slow the onset of climate change. Since most of the world’s remaining forests are in the ‘developing world’ and most of the world’s emissions are from the ‘developed world’, the majority of funding for REDD+ will be directed from the latter to the former. As REDD+ is implemented, communities will be significantly impacted, often negatively. 

In this context, Natural Justice has prepared a draft e-module on REDD+ for communities. The module seeks to prepare communities, especially communities developing biocultural community protocols, to engage proactively with the international framework of REDD+. It briefly describes the rationale behind and plans for REDD+. It then looks at the key issues that have emerged around REDD+, focusing especially on the concerns with its current status and the safeguards that are being developed to attempt to protect community rights. It closes by looking at the current forms in which REDD+ is being implemented. 

The full e-module can be downloaded here. Other e-modules drafted by Natural Justice can be accessed here. These modules supplement ‘BCPs: A Toolkit for Community Facilitators’, which can be viewed here. The documents are not final and any comments can be directed to Holly Shrumm (holly (at) naturaljustice.org) and Harry Jonas (harry (at) naturaljustice.org).

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REDD+ Readiness Workshop in Sabah

From 31 July to 1 August, Holly Shrumm (Natural Justice) participated in a workshop on Malaysia's emerging national institutional framework for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries (REDD+). The meeting, held in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, was part of a three-year "REDD+ Readiness" joint project between the United Nations Development Programme and the federal Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment (NRE).

The workshop included presentations on the following topics:

• "Introduction to REDD" by Dr. Elizabeth Philip, head of REDD+ Unit, NRE;
• "Sabah REDD+ Preparedness Roadmap" by Fred Kugan, Sabah Forestry Department;
• "Draft Recommendations for Institutional Framework" by Lee Kian Foh, project consultant; and
• "Free, Prior and Informed Consent within REDD+" by Maximilian Conrad, REDD+ Unit, NRE.

The workshop also included breakout groups and subsequent plenary discussions on social and environmental safeguards, financing and sharing of benefits, and measuring, reporting and verification. Natural Justice participated in the safeguards group alongside local organisations such as Partners of Community Organisations (PACOS) Trust and Jaringan Orang Asal SeMalaysia (JOAS), the Indigenous Peoples Network of Malaysia.

More information, news and analysis of REDD+ is available at: www.redd-monitor.org.

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Roundtable on the Green Economy in Africa

On 1 June, Natural Justice participated in a roundtable discussion on the prospects and challenges around an inclusive and pro-poor, natural resource-driven green economy in Africa in Johannesburg, South Africa. The roundtable, organised by the Open Society Initiative for Africa, Heinrich Boell Foundation and One World, brought together policy makers, researchers, civil society and practitioners to contribute to the debate on the green economy, define some of the policy questions and responses needed for the region, and to support key African actors to champion an inclusive, pro-poor green economy. 

Natural Justice presented on its experiences with communities that have interacted with the green economy through mechanisms such as Access and Benefit Sharing and Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD). The presentation emphasised that much can be learned from the traditional stewards of the lands, waters and resources, such as some of the Indigenous communities in Namibia, who have been able to maintain some of the most biodiverse areas in the world. 

Find further information on Natural Justice work on the green economy here.

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FPIC and REDD in the DRC

Gino Cocchiaro of Natural Justice took part in meetings on free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) and Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) hosted by The Forest Dialogue and Forest Peoples Programme from 21-25 May. The meeting consisted of a visit to Luki Biosphere Reserve in the far west of the country to meet with members of the communities of Kiobo and Kifulu who will likely be involved in REDD projects. Participants also dialogued with members of the Ministry of Environment and representatives of industry, civil society and indigenous and local communities. During the dialogue representatives were able to make recommendations and collaboratively plan the implementation of FPIC in REDD to ensure the participation of forest communities in the country’s projects. 

Holding the second largest rainforest in the world after the Amazon, 58% of DRC is covered by tropical rainforest. However, it is expected that deforestation will increase substantially to support DRC’s growing infrastructure, farming and mining developments. REDD has now become a major strategic issue in the country with approximately 500 million USD expected to flow into the country. Only a small amount of this amount has been dedicated towards consultation and participation of communities living in and utilizing the forests.

The Forest Dialogue's background paper on FPIC and REDD+ in the DRC can be downloaded here.

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BCPs, REDD+ and CBD Safeguards at COP17

On 1 December at the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Durban, South Africa, Natural Justice co-hosted a panel entitled "Biocultural Protocols: Lessons for REDD+ Safeguards from the CBD Experiences". The event was hosted in collaboration with the Indigenous Peoples of Africa Coordinating Committee (IPACC), the Indigenous Peoples Climate Change Assessment (IPCCA), and the Global Forest Coalition (GFC).

The purpose of the panel was to raise awareness of a number of decisions, tools and guidelines that have been developed under the auspices of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) during its 20-year history and to highlight their usefulness and cross-leverage rights to mitigate risks associated with Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries (REDD+).

Panelists included Johannes Stahl (CBD Secretariat), Simone Lovera (GFC), Kanyinke Sena (IPACC), Alejandro Argumedo and Kaylena Bray (IPCCA), and Kabir Bavikatte (Natural Justice). After highlighting the risks and opportunities of REDD+, panelists mentioned, among other things, the possible value of guidelines developed under the CBD for implementing REDD+, including the Akwé: Kon Guidelines (for the conduct of cultural, environmental and social impact assessments regarding developments proposed to take place on, or which are likely to impact on, sacred sites and on lands and waters traditionally occupied or used by indigenous and local communities) and the Tkarihwaié:ri Code of Ethical Conduct to Ensure Respect for the Cultural and Intellectual Heritage of Indigenous and Local Communities. Another mechanism that was especially highlighted was the use of biocultural community protocols in the context of REDD+.

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African Regional CBD Consultations on REDD+

Kabir Bavikatte and Johanna von Braun (Natural Justice) participated in the African regional consultation and capacity building workshop on reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries (REDD)-plus and biodiversity safeguards. The consultation/workshop was held in Cape Town from 20-23 September and is one of three regional workshops that the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Secretariat was requested to implement by Decision X/33 at the latest CBD Conference of the Parties. Natural Justice also attended the Asia regional consultation held in Singapore in March 2011.

At the workshop, different African countries presented on the status of their World Bank-supported Forest Carbon Partnership Facility  (FCPF) REDD readiness preparation process. The participants were then divided into working groups that were required to provide recommendations on: a) developing advice on the application of relevant REDD-plus safeguards for biodiversity and Indigenous peoples and local communities; and b) identifying indicators to assess the contribution of REDD-plus to achieving the objectives of the CBD.

The participants also discussed the existing REDD-plus safeguards to see if they effectively addressed the concerns raised in the Global Expert Workshop on REDD-plus held in Nairobi from 20-23 September, 2010. These safeguards included the REDD-plus Social and Environmental Standards developed by the Climate, Community and Biodiversity Alliance; the draft UN-REDD Social and Environmental Principles and Criteria; the Cancun Safeguards; and the World Bank Safeguard Policies. The concerns included:

• The conversion of natural forests to plantations and other land uses of low biodiversity value and low resilience, and the introduction of growing of biofuel crops;
• Displacement of deforestation and forest degradation to areas of lower carbon value and high biodiversity value;
• Increased pressure on non-forest ecosystems with high biodiversity value;
• Afforestation in areas of high biodiversity value;
• The loss of traditional territories and restriction of land and natural resource rights of Indigenous peoples and local communities;
• Lack of tangible livelihood benefits to Indigenous peoples and local communities and lack of equitable benefit sharing;
• Exclusion from designing and implementation of policies and measures; and
• Loss of traditional ecological knowledge.

The workshop ended with participants recommending, among other things, that there must be greater harmonization between the development of REDD-plus safeguards and the guidelines and safeguards that have already been developed by the CBD, including the Akwe: Kon Guidelines. Furthermore, the REDD-plus safeguards should seriously consider best practice and innovative tools developed under the CBD process, including community protocols in the context of access and benefit sharing, experiences from community-based natural resource management, biotrade, and payment for ecosystem services.

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