New Report From Accra Caucus Shows Reality of REDD Schemes In Five Countries
As part of its ongoing work bringing the voices of forest communities and southern NGOs to national and international decision-makers, Rainforest Foundation UK has supported the publication of a report bringing together the experience of five countries engaged in a global scheme to reduce emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD).
This new report, 'Is REDD-Readiness Taking Us In The Right Direction?', by the Accra Caucus shows how the implementation of REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) is focusing much more strongly on attracting carbon income rather than on protecting the environment or the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities. Five new case studies show that in spite of the safeguards agreed upon in Cancun providing for the full and effective participation of all relevant stakeholders, the experience to date is discouraging.
REDD+ readiness policies in Ghana and the Central African Republic illustrate how civil society is being excluded from the consultation process. Experiences in Papua New Guinea and Nepal have demonstrated that close government surveillance is crucial on issues such as land tenure and benefit distribution. In its turn, the situation in the Republic of Congo shows the problem experienced in many countries where "carbon" projects are already underway, outside UN and the World Bank framework and disregarding the social and environmental safeguards upheld by these organisations.
A common theme to these cases is the need for comprehensive governance reform, which must be a critical component of readiness processes. Key issues in this context include effective participation in decision making, enforcement of indigenous peoples' right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), land tenure reform and adequate benefit-sharing mechanisms.
The Accra Caucus on Forests and Climate Change is a network representing around 100 civil society and Indigenous Peoples' organizations from 38 countries, formed at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) meeting in Accra, Ghana in 2008. The Caucus works to place the rights of indigenous and forest communities at the centre of negotiations on REDD, and to ensure that efforts to reduce deforestation promote good governance and are not a substitute for emission reductions. This publication follows the report Realising Rights, Protecting Forests: An Alternative Vision for Reducing Deforestation, the first series of case studies by the Accra Caucus, released in June 2010.
› Download the Accra Caucus REDD Readiness Report (English)
