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Key Elements of REDD+
At a UNFCCC meeting held in Warsaw in 2015, it was agreed that developing countries working on REDD+, they prepare four key elements of a National REDD+ Program:
- A national strategy or action plan;
- A national forest reference emission level and/or forest reference level,
- A robust and transparent national forest monitoring system for the monitoring and reporting of REDD+; and
- A system for providing information on how REDD+ safeguards are being addressed and respected throughout the implementation of REDD+, while respecting national legislation and sovereignty.
Work to develop these four key elements in Lao PDR is ongoing.
In addition to these UNFCCC requirements, additional elements are required by the FCPF. The FCPF Readiness grants provide support to develop these elements, which also form part of the national REDD+ Readiness-Package (R-Package). Lao PDR plans to also prepare the following elements:
- a Strategic Environmental and Social Assessment (SESA) of different possible options for the Strategy, and their potential social and environmental impacts;
- an Environmental and Social Management Framework, based on the outcomes of the SESA, which will outline steps to be taken to ensure that safeguards are respected;
- a national carbon registry of REDD+ projects and programs;
- a national (and sub-national) REDD+ funding mechanism, which may include establishment of a REDD+ Fund;
- an agreed Benefit-sharing Mechanisms (BSM);
- a Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM);
- a draft REDD+ Decree; and
- Provincial REDD+ Action Plans (PRAPs) in selected Provinces.
The government has received a grant from the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) Readiness Fund to work on preparation of these elements. Support is also being provided by other development partners.