The objective of Grant is to assist the Reciptient to carry out the REDD+ Readiness Preparation Activities which consist of the following parts: i) Readiness Process Management and Stakeholder Consultation. a) Establishment of operational Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (“REDD+”) offices at the national levels and in selected provinces and development of protocols for coordination amount these offices; b) Assessment and alignment of REDD+ strategy and activities with the national policy, legal and regulatory framework; c) Establishment of a stakeholder participation working group, updating of the stakeholder participation and consultation plan acceptable to the World Bank, and development of an effective communication and outreach strategy, to ensure and facilitate participation of relevant stakeholder in REDD+ Readiness Preparation Activities. ii) REDD+ Strategy Development a) Carrying out of an assessment of the existing policy and regulatory framework to further develop and finalize the REDD+ strategy; b) Carrying out of analytical studies on land and natural resources tenure, right, access and use, and development of participatory land use plaining and REDD+ strategy options; c) Carrying out of the Strategic Envionmental and Social Assessment (“SESA”) and development of the Environmental and Social Management Framework (“ESMF”), both in compliance with World Bank Safeguard Policies. iii) Implementation Arrangements a) Establishment of the necessary institutional, regulatory, and financial arragements for supporting the REDD+ preparatory process; b) Carrying out analytical studies on revenue management and benefit sharing mechanisms, establishment of a benefit sharing working group, and development of benefit sharing arrangements acceptable to the World Bank; c) Conduct of an assessment of existing feedbank and grievance redress mechanisms, and reinforcement and/or development, as appropriate, such mechanisms to address the needs of relevant REDD+ stakeholders; d) Assessment of the needs and development of options to build capacity in information and knowledge management of relevant institutions for the REDD+ preparation process. iv) Reference Emission Level and Monitoring Systems a) Development of reference emission levels aligned with REDD+ strategy; b) Design of a system to monitor, report and verify the forest carbon stock and co-benefits of REDD+; c) Establishment of a carbon registry, which can be used for both carbon and non carbon requirements of REDD+. Implementing agency is Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Department of Forestry (DOF).