Yam Malla, Executive DirectorChandra Silori, Coordinator, Grassroots Capacity Building for REDD in Asia
Regan Suzuki, Coordinator, REDD-net Asia PacificNguyen Quang Tan, Country Program Coordinator, Vietnam
Asia Regional Workshop on REDD-plus after Cancun: Moving from Negotiation to Implementation
Building REDD-plus Policy Capacity for Developing Country Negotiators and Land Managers
IISD, ASB-ICRAF, Norad and MARDHanoi, 18-20 May 2011
RECOFTC - The Center for People and ForestsBangkok, Thailand
RECOFTC – The Center for People and Forests
• Independent not-for-profit international organization
• Strategically positioned between organizations that are responsible for field implementation of activities and those responsible for research that generates empirically-based knowledge
Local and indigenous people hold the key to healthier and better management of forests
• VISION: Local communities in the Asia-Pacific region are actively involved in the equitable and ecologically sustainable management of forest landscapes
• MISSION: To enhance capacities at all levels to assist people of the Asia-Pacific region to develop CF and manage forest resources for optimum social, economic and environmental benefits
Target Audience and Approach
• Beneficiaries: local people, esp. poorer households in and around forests
• Strengthening capacities of concerned stakeholders at all levels
• Working with partners and collaborators
• Developing accessible, flexible, dynamic capacity-building tools
• Addressing practical needs• Using local language• Simplifying complex ideas
Geographical and Thematic Focus
Asia-Pacific region (> 20 countries) 6 focal countries
Four thematic areas People, Forest & Climate Change Expanding Community Forestry Livelihoods & Market Access Conflict Management
Three guiding principles Clear and stronger rights Good governance Fair share of benefits
Cross-Cutting Issues Gender and equity Environmental sustainability
People, Forests and Climate ChangeREDD+ Related Initiatives
• Community Forestry—a key strategy for addressing climate change and forest related issues (mitigation & adaptation)
° Analysis of policies and lessons from field implementation° Using the knowledge/information for sharing and discussion at local,
national, international meetings, conferences and workshops° Disseminating knowledge through publications and other channels° Incorporating new knowledge from own and other people’s work in
capacity-building products and services
• REDD+ Initiatives° Grassroots Capacity Building for REDD in Asia-Pacific° REDD-net Asia-Pacific° REDD Learning Network° ASEAN-RECOFTC-Swiss Partnership on SF and CC° ForInfo
Safeguards and Free, Prior and Informed Consent • REDD and other CC-Forest Initiatives
° Whose perspective? Whose agenda?° How do different stakeholders view REDD+ and why?
• What policy implications?° One possible negative outcome is re-centralization of forest management –
thereby undermining: CF’s three decades of achievements Forest rights and benefits
• Safeguards for what? What is FPIC and why? ° Areas with supportive policy framework
Realizing the forest rights and benefits° Areas with no supportive policy framework
Focusing on policy and institutional reforms° Various indigenous groups are proactively developing IP sensitive MRV
processes and safeguards to ensure IP rights are upheld
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Training and capacity building activities (2009-10)
• 64 trainings delivered• Over 2,000 participants involved
(over 800 females)• 20 countries covered
Example 1: Grassroots capacity building for REDD+ in Asia
• Pilot trainings in 5 countries• National programs in 4 countries
– Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos and Nepal
° Training of trainers° Awareness raising° Material development° Engaging local media
• Local language delivery of training programmes
• ToT Manual developed in Nepali, Laotian and Bahasa Indonesia languages
Example 2: Action Research
• Back up theories with practical evidence
• Local-level mitigation and adaptation
• Demonstrate, analyze and synthesize tools
• Forest restoration, data generation, incentives, alternative livelihoods
• 25+ analytical outputs• Policy briefs (6)
• Media briefs (3)
• Resear. article (10+)
• Resear. reports (5)
• Interactive bibliography & blog (1 each)
Example 3: Strengthening Regional NetworksREDD-net Asia-Pacific
• Bridge b/w global and national networks, facilitate constructive dialogue and harness enhanced interest in forest sector
• REDD+ through the civil society lens° Supports Southern civil societies in
promoting the interests of local people in REDD+ dealings
• Knowledge-sharing platform ° Sharing of knowledge, analysis, and tools
to foster a better understanding of how REDD+ initiatives can address local needs
• Regional and global bulletins: Key themes° Equity in REDD+ ° Trust in REDD+° Carbon Rights° Benefit Sharing, Gender, Adaptation,
Conflict, Opportunity costs
Example 4: Strengthening Regional Networks REDD Learning Network
• RECOFTC leads the Network in eight countries as part of our work under the RAFT program
• Key stakeholders are informed on latest REDD+ issues
• Contributes to the development of national REDD+ scheme
° reduce poverty ° strengthen the rights of local
people
• Decoding REDD Workshop Series
Example 4: Strengthening Regional Networks REDD Learning Network (cont…)
• Engaging media - Development of REDD+ Media Pack
° Media brief on an overview of REDD+
° REDD decoding publications ° Carbon, conflict and communities
• Press Conference at the UN Climate Change Talks in Tianjin, China
° Over 20 Chinese and international journalists
• Media Training Workshop° 12 journalists from South and East Asian
countries, including 8 RAFT countries
Example 5: Advisory Services
• Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) in REDD+
• UN-REDD ° FPIC evaluation and verification
toolkit developed with Asia-Pacific IG and FPIC experts for UN-REDD global program
• Evaluation of FPIC processes using toolkit for UN-REDD Vietnam country program
• GIZ – Guidelines for FPIC applications
Way forward … future action research focus
• How social safeguards are defined and applied under different socioeconomic and cultural settings?
• Role of indigenous knowledge° Identify significant opportunities, constraints,
and risks for adaptation and mitigation
• What are risks and opportunities—will REDD-plus escalate conflict in forestry sector?
• How to ensure equitable access to and benefit sharing from carbon trade
• What is the cost of REDD+
Way forward … future policy focus
• Develop policies on safeguards including roles of local communities in the FPIC process
• Review and learn from existing policies on safeguards—FPIC in Philippines, various certification systems
• Create conducive policy environment for good governance and stronger and clear forest rights of local communities
• Mechanism to avoid dilution or misinterpretation of safeguards by participating countries
Conclusion
• Climate change-related forest strategies can succeed when they complement, rather then conflict with, the forest peoples interests
• Community Forestry:
° Offers a basket of robust social safeguards
° Helps building resilience and social and natural capital for local communities
° Ensures both biodiversity conservation and social safeguards • Community Forestry is a robust model to approach the current
question of REDD+ implementation
Website: www.recoftc.org
Thank You!
Healthy forestsHealthy forests……
local people hold the keylocal people hold the key