Local communities, including minority groups, to benefit from US$42 million agreement
VIENTIANE, January 27, 2021 – The Lao PDR and the World Bank’s Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) have signed an agreement to provide up to $42 million between now and 2025 to support the country’s efforts to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+). A ceremony today marked the launch of this forest- and climate-focused program.
Under this Emission Reductions Payment Agreement (ERPA), the World Bank commits to making payments to the Lao PDR for verified reductions of up to 8.4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions in northern Laos. The program aims to address the drivers and underlying causes of forest loss in six provinces (Houaphanh, Luang Prabang, Oudomxay, Luang Namtha, Bokeo, Xayabouly), encompassing a third of national territory. The region has been responsible for 40 percent of nationwide deforestation and forest degradation between 2005–15.
“We are committed to improving land use, strengthening forest protection, and enhancing forest restoration in line with the 2019 Forestry Law, the 9th National Socio-Economic Development Plan for 2021-2025, and the National Green Growth Strategy to 2030,” said Thongpath Vongmany, Vice Minister for Agriculture and Forestry. “This is an opportunity to drive economic growth and resilience with more sustainable rural land use based on participatory and integrated planning.”
The geography of northern Laos is distinct, with over 20 ethnic groups calling this mountainous region their home. Limited accessibility and infrastructure in these remote areas play a role in preserving cultural heritage, but also pose challenges for job opportunities, transportation, access to social services, and the promotion of industry and trade.
Working across sectors, the Lao emissions reduction program, entitled “Promoting REDD+ through Governance, Forest Landscapes and Livelihoods — Northern Laos”, supports better forest and land governance, land-use planning, livelihoods development, and sustainable ecosystem management to reduce pressure on forests. It also includes a benefit-sharing arrangement that will encourage communities and other stakeholders to participate.
“This innovative financing is part of World Bank support that helps the Lao PDR manage its landscapes for greener and more resilient economic growth and recovery,” said Nicola Pontara, World Bank Country Manager for Lao PDR. “This results-based funding will reduce emissions while benefiting people who depend on sustainable forests for their livelihoods.”
Lao PDR is the third country in Asia, after Indonesia and Vietnam, and the ninth country worldwide to sign an ERPA with the World Bank’s FCPF. The total value of these nine agreements, which have also been made with Chile, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana and Mozambique, is nearly half a billion US dollars. Several other countries are expected to finalize their emission reductions programs and follow suit with ERPA signings early this year.
The Forest Carbon Partnership Facility is a global partnership of governments, businesses, civil society, and indigenous peoples’ organizations focused on reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, forest carbon stock conservation, sustainable management of forests, and the enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries — activities commonly referred to as REDD+. Launched in 2008, the FCPF has worked with 47 developing countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean, along with 17 donors who have made contributions and commitments totaling $1.3 billion.
Source: https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2021/01/27/lao-pdr-signs-agreement-to-protect-forests-and-reduce-carbon-emissions
Stakeholder Engagement Plan of Lao Landscape and Livelihood project(LLL project)
Environmental and Social Commitment Plan of Lao Landscape and Livelihood(LLL project)
Community Engagement Framework of Lao Landscape and Livelihood(LLL project)
Environmental and Social Management Framework of Lao Landscape and Livelihood(LLL project)
Lao PDR submitted its initial Forest Reference Emission Level/Forest Reference Level (FREL/FRL) on 8 January 2018, and the modified version was submitted in October 2018. The technical assessment completed in January 2019 and all the information are published in the UNFCCC REDD+ web platform 1.
This report presents the REDD+ results achieved by Lao PDR for the period of 2015-2018. The REDD+ results is measured in full consistency with the FREL/FRL in methodology and scope, by using updated data. As a result, the REDD+ results for the period of 2015 2018 is 12,805,253 tCO2e for reduced emissions and 1,873,301 tCO2e for increased removals respectively over 4 years. For the benefit of the readers, comparison of the scope and methodologies between the FREL/FRL and the REDD+ results are summarized in Table 2 below. Where the methodology used for the estimation of REDD+ results was consistent with that of the FREL/FRL, “Same” is injected to indicate methodological consistency.
Lao PDR 1st National REDD+ Results Report for REDD+ Results-Based-Payment under UNFCCC
This document presents the Benefit Sharing Plan (BSP) for the implementation of the Emission Reductions (ER) Program titled Governance, Forest Landscapes and Livelihoods – Northern Laos (GFLL) in six northern provinces of Lao PDR approved by the Carbon Fund in 2018. The BSP builds on the indicative benefit sharing arrangements proposed in the Emission Reductions Program Document (ERPD) and is a result of broad stakeholder consultation
Governance, Forest Landscapes and Livelihoods – Northern Laos (GFLL)
Benefit Sharing Plan (Advanced Draft)
ເອກະສານສະບັບນີ້ ສະເຫນີແຜນການແບ່ງປັນຜົນປະໂຫຍດ (ຜບຜ ຫລື BSP) ສໍາລັບ ການຈັດຕັ້ງ ໂຄງການ ຫລຸດຜ່ອນທາດອາຍເຮືອນແກ້ວ (ຫລື ໂຄງການ ER) ຂອງລາວ ຊື່ງມີຊື່ເຕັມວ່າ ໂຄງການ ສ້າງຄວາມເຂັ້ມແຂງໃນວຽກງານປ່າໄມ້, ການຄຸ້ມຄອງປ່າໄມ້ແບບພູມີທັດ ແລະ ສົ່ງເສີມຊີວິດການເປັນຢູ່ (ໂຄງການ ປປພຊ ຫລື GFLL) ຢູ່ 6 ແຂວງພາກເຫນືອຂອງ ສປປ ລາວ ແລະ ໄດ້ຮັບການຮັບຮອງໂດຍ ກອງທຶນກາກບອນ (Carbon Fund) ໃນປີ 2018. ຜບຜ ໄດ້ຖືກສ້າງຂື້ນ ບົນພື້ນຖານ ການກໍານົດກົນໄກການແບ່ງປັນຜົນປະໂຫຍດ ໃນເອກະສານໂຄງການ ERPD ຊື່ງໄດ້ນໍາສະເຫນີ (ໃນປີ 2018) ແລະ ຜົນຈາກການປຶກສາຫາລືກັບພາກສ່ວນກ່ຽວຂ້ອງ ຊື່ງໄດ້ຈັດຕັ້ງຢູ່ໃນຫລາຍລະດັບ ມີຫລາຍຮູບແບບ.
Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF)
ESMF ພາສາລາວ (Executive only/ສັງລວມຫຍໍ້)
Process Framework (PF)
PF ພາສາລາວ (Executive only/ສັງລວມຫຍໍ້)
Resettlement Policy Framework (RPF)
RPF ພາສາລາວ (Executive only/ສັງລວມຫຍໍ້)
Strategic Environmental and Social Assessment (SESA)
SESA ພາສາລາວ (Executive only/ສັງລວມຫຍໍ້)
Ethnic Group Policy Framework (EGPF)
The World Bank FCFP is supporting Lao PDR to prepare REDD+ Readiness and implement the mitigation activities in the six northern provinces from 2020-2025. However, for filling the financial gap, and to be able to implement the mitigation activities under the Provincial REDD+ Action Plans (PRAP), GIZ and DoF/MAF have prepared a funding proposal “Implementation of Lao PDR Emissions Reduction Program through Improved Governance and Sustainable Forest Landscape Management” and submitted it to the Green Climate Fund (GCF). This proposal is going to be considered in the 24th Board Meeting in November 2019 (B24).
As part of the CGF requirements, Environmental and Social Safeguards (ESS) documents including (1) Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA), Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP), (3) Gender Assessment and (4) Gender Action Plan have been developed.
The documents are listed as below:
Environmental and Social Impact Assessment
Environmental and Social Management Plan
Gender Assessment
Gender Action Plan
The AF-SUPSFM would (a) expand the scope of the existing project, and (b) address a cost overrun due to exchange rate loss. By continuing to implement all four existing project components, the AF would maintain and enhance implementation capacity for participatory SFM, forest certification, reforestation, and livelihood development. The AF would also allow the implementation of innovative activities such as chain of custody certification, developing bankable forest landscape investment plans, enable and monitor sustainable private sector participation in the sector (continuing the close cooperation with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) supported project under the Forest Investment Program), strengthen multi-agency forest law enforcement, and institutionalize learning and put existing and new knowledge into use in investment and policy.
The objectives of AF-SUPSFM continue to be linked to REDD+ and climate change mitigation leading to carbon dioxide (CO2) emission reductions and the protection of forest carbon stocks. Its justification is the combating of carbon emissions caused by a decrease in the forest cover. In line with REDD+ objectives, AF-SUPSFM aims to continue and enhance forest landscape management, by promoting the creation of landscape investment plans.
Project Development Objective of AF-SUPSFM is to execute REDD+ activities through participatory sustainable forest management in priority areas and to pilot forest landscape management in four provinces. Key results from the project will include: • Forest area brought under management plans • Forest area brought under forest landscape management • People in forest and adjacent communities with monetary/non-monetary benefit from the intervention • Rate of annual forest cover loss in targeted Production Forest Areas (PFAs) • Enhanced carbon storage from improved forest protection and restoration • Reduced emissions from deforestation and forest degradation.