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ADB Country Safeguard Systems Regional Workshop

NGO role in Strengthening REDD REDD+ Safeguards by Kathryn Michie 19 April 2012

The views in this presentation are the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), or its Board of Governors, or the government they represent. ADB does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this presentation and accepts no responsibility for any consequence of their use. Terminology used may not necessarily be consistent with ADB official terms.

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Overview
Importance of Safeguards for REDD+ WWF Principles for REDD+ R l of NGO Role f NGOs Case study: FPIC in Laos

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What is REDD+
Reducing emissions from deforestation g and forest degradation
Sustainable forest management Enhancement of forest carbon stocks Conservation of forest carbon stocks

What is REDD++
Focus on co-benefits
Social S i l co-benefits eg. Poverty reduction b fit P t d ti Biodiversity co-benefits eg. Habitat conservation

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REDD+ will have an impact on communities and i t iti d the environment

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Why Safeguards are important for REDD+

Ensure that these impacts are positive A id / mitigate any Avoid iti t negative impacts Safeguards create a framework for doing this

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Why Safeguards are important for REDD+

The right thing to do right do. Help avoid and resolve conflicts. Important for projects sustainability projects Improve companies corporate image g Potentially improve return on investment (eg. Biodiversity premiums) )

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Why Social Safeguards are important for y g p REDD+: Examples of risks

Loss of customary land rights / loss of access to forests for subsistence and income generation. U Unequal b l bargaining positions l di t i i iti leading to exploitative carbon contracts Elite capture of REDD+ benefits REDD Lack of formal land rights preventing communities or individuals participating / benefitting from REDD+ f f

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Why Environmental Safeguards are y g important for REDD+: Examples of risks

Conversion of natural forest to plantations especially in those contexts where the formal definition of forest includes plantations. l t ti Displacing deforestation / development to low carbon, low-carbon, but high-biodiversity high biodiversity landscapes Use of non-native species in reforestation Environmental impact of agricultural intensification eg. Pollution from fertilizers

Climate

REDD+ demonstrably contributes to greenhouse gas emission reductions with national goals working toward a global objective

Biodiversity y
REDD+ maintains and/or enhances forest biodiversity and ecosystem services

Over 1000 new species over ten years

Livelihoods
REDD+ contributes to sustainable and equitable development by strengthening the livelihoods of forestdependent communities

Rights
REDD+ recognizes and respects the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities

Fair and effective funding

REDD+ mobilizes immediate, adequate and predictable resources for action in priority forest areas in an equitable, transparent, p p participatory and coordinated manner. p y At the project level, ensure that fair, transparent and effective g place. benefit sharing distribution mechanisms are in p

NGO Roles in Strengthening g g REDD+ Safeguards

Engagement in UNFCCC negotiations Engagement in the development of multilateral safeguard policies Engagement in the development of national REDD+ frameworks Educating communities M it i th i l Monitoring the implementation of safeguards t ti f f d Applying safeguards in NGO demonstration projects Implementation partner for larger projects Ensuring this experience is used to inform policy development

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Engagement in UNFCCC negotiations

REDD REDD+ Safeguards adopted at COP 16, COP Report Appendix 1 (a) actions consistent with national forest programmes and relevant international conventions and agreements; (b) Transparent and effective national forest governance structures; (c) Respect for the knowledge and rights of indigenous peoples and members of local communities noting that the United Nations General Assembly has adopted the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples; (d) The full and effective participation of relevant stakeholders, in particular indigenous peoples and local communities;

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Engagement in UNFCCC negotiations

Continued: (e) That actions are consistent with the conservation of natural forests and biological diversity; are not used for the conversion of natural f t l forests, but are instead used to incentivize th protection t b t i t d dt i ti i the t ti and conservation of natural forests and their ecosystem services, and to enhance other social and environmental benefits; (f) Actions to address the risks of reversals (permanence); (g) Actions to reduce displacement of emissions (leakage = deforestation / degradation shifted else where). d f t ti d d ti hift d l h )

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Engagement in development of g g p multilateral safeguard policies

Engagement in development of national g g p REDD+ frameworks

WWFColombia WWF C l bi Construccin Participativadela estrategiaREDD+ deColombia d l b

Educating and empowering g g communities

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Monitoring implementation of g safeguards

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Applying and testing safeguards y g g g in NGO demonstration projects

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Implementation partner in larger REDD+ p p g projects

Ensuring this experience is used to inform policy development

REDD+ Policy

On-the-ground implementation

Case study
Lao Biodiversity Association (LBA) Piloting f Pil ti of FPIC i in Nam Phui NPA, Sayaboury Province, Laos PDR

If you talk about drivers of deforestation in REDD+, local p p people have to be involved they spend all of their lives y p with the forest.

Oupakone Alounsavath, Director of the Planning Division, Lao Department of Forestry

Lao Biodiversity Association (LBA)

Local non-profit organization. p g Created in 2003 with more than 20 members comprising volunteers from different occupations and backgrounds

Mission
Active contribution to the sustainable conservation and development of the biodiversity, and the natural and social environment of Laos Active contribution to the reduction of poverty especially in remote areas among and ethnic minorities Active participation in processes to alleviate climate change and to activate oxygen emission into the atmosphere

CliPAD (Climate Protection through Avoided D f A id d Deforestation) Project t ti ) P j t

Implemented by GIZ National level activities include:
Capacity building, Coordinating a revised national land cover classification system, Introducing possibilities for a national nested approach to REDD+, gp pp , Developing social safeguards based on FPIC (Free, Prior and Informed Consent), Beginning a process to revise national forestry law, Supporting delegates to COP17 COP17.

Also engaging sub-nationally in Nam Phoui and Nam Et Phou Louey NPAs,
Technical feasibility studies completed Assessments of drivers of deforestation for both sites. I In Nam Phui pioneering a PLUP (Participatory Land Use Planning) system.

Piloting FPIC g
Piloting FPIC in 8 villages in 3 districts in and around Nam Phui NPA First in the country to formally give consent on whether or not to participate in a development p j p p p project carried out in their area. LBA provides a team of external facilitators who will conduct consultations in the villages on behalf of CliPAD important CliPAD. that this process is conducted by an independent organisation such as LBA. LBA makes a clear di ti ti b t k l distinction between consent and t d consultation- advocates for consent, not just consultation.

FPIC process p
4 visits to each village:
Stage 1 Meeting with the Village Committee (LBA onl ) 1: ith only) Stage 2: Information sessions for the village population, explaining climate change; REDD+; villagers rights; and how to establish grievance and recourse mechanisms (LBA only) mechanisms. Stage 3: CliPAD staff visit the village to explain details project activities Stage 4: Communities decided whether to give or withhold their consent. If consent is provided, representative of the community is invited to sign a conservation agreement / consent certificate. NOTE: This is only the first level of consent to begin cooperation. Consent at other times in the project will also be needed.

Final Endorsement of Laos FPIC Guidelines

Community Consultation 1

Community Consultation 4 C lt ti

Laos FPIC L Guidelines Development p Process

Community Consultation 2

Community Consultation 3

Important to remember that consent needs to be sought during and at the end of the project planning stage; as well as throughout implementation.

FPIC is a process, not a one-off event process

Lessons learnt Ensuring broad p participation p

In villages with several different ethnic groups and large populations, it i not possible t t lk t every person. l ti is t ibl to talk to
Ensure that facilitators engage with a range of villagers that represent different opinions in the community not just speaking to p g p political committees. representatives such as village development or p

Important to work with village development committees The LBA team is supported by a team of so-called internal community facilitators who are recruited from the villages and can support LBA th t through giving d t il of th i communitys h i i details f their it customs and traditions as well as natural resource use, decision making and grievance mechanisms. Important to ensure that there is a gender balance across the teams of facilitators and the villagers consulted.

In Laos, it is mostly women who collect forest Laos products so they are the ones that will potentially be most affected by REDD+ Also if REDD+. Also, women are involved in FPIC it is more likely to succeed because women are better at disseminating knowledge. Mr Bounthiang, Lao Womens Union

Lessons learnt Resources required

Challenging to access remote and dispersed villages. The LBA team consists of:
2 facilitators 1 assistant 1 independent volunteer facilitator in each village was trained by LBA

This team of internal community facilitators are recruited from the villages and support LBA through g g pp g giving details of their g communitys customs and traditions as well as natural resource use, decision making and grievance mechanisms. It is critical to time and space the village meetings p g g appropriately (seasonal and in between visits should not be more then 2-3 weeks).

Lessons learnt - others

The term FPIC is difficult to translate literally into Lao it might be better to adapt the meaning, but not translate the concept word for word. Complex aspects of REDD+ that are difficult to convey to villagers, for example the idea of carbon emissions. A regulatory framework for FPIC is still missing in Laos. g y g
If FPIC will be carried out at a larger scale in the future, there will be a need for legal reform in this field It is hoped that FPIC will be integrated into existing regulations.

Important to keep government informed they are also concerned about project implementation. FPIC should take place prior to any project activities commencing
Some Participatory Land Use Planning started before the FPIC process commenced. This missed first step created some conflict in the communities in Nam Phui.

FPIC is a new approach for Laos

- Learning by doing
- Sharing experiences Practical methodologies for FPIC are still evolving, evolving and need to be specific to local cultures and contexts.

Thank Th k you! !
Kathryn Michie Regional Forest Carbon Coordinator WWF Greater Mekong Programme Kathryn.michie@wwfgreatermekong.org