Yam Malla, Executive Director

1. Yam Malla, Executive Director Chandra Silori, Coordinator, Grassroots Capacity Building for REDD in Asia Regan Suzuki, Coordinator, REDD-net Asia Pacific Nguyen Quang Tan, Country Program Coordinator, Vietnam Asia Regional Workshop on REDD-plus after Cancun: Moving from Negotiation to ImplementationBuilding REDD-plus Policy Capacity for Developing Country Negotiators and Land ManagersIISD, ASB-ICRAF, Norad and MARDHanoi, 18-20 May 2011 RECOFTC - The Center for People and ForestsBangkok, Thailand

2. 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

3. 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

4. Core Functions - Capacity Building Training Action Research Networks Advocacy Advisory Services

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. Training and capacity building activities (2009-10) • 64 trainings delivered • Over 2,000 participants involved (over 800 females) • 20 countries covered 9

10. 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 1: Grassroots capacity building for REDD+ in Asia

11. 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)

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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+

17. 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

18. 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

19. Thank You! Healthy forests… local people hold the key Website:www.recoftc.org