Members of the REDD+ Social and Environmental Safeguards (SES) Technical Working Groups (TWGs) met in Thalad, Vientiane province from 21-22 December 2016, to discuss and finalize the key environmental and socials issues related to the National REDD+ Program in Lao PDR. The objective of the meeting was for teams involved to reach an agreement on the issues that they will propose for National REDD+ Strategy, which will compile results from all six REDD+ TWGs.

The REDD+ technical advisors on safeguards presented their proposals and methodology for key environmental and socials issues. After that, members of the TWG then commented and made suggestions before final agreements could be reached. A lot of effort was put in to get every member to agree on the proper terms and the translation of certain terms from English to Lao language.

After a long discussion and reaching agreement, the “way forward” steps will include mapping and analysis, and provincial and community consultations in selected “hotspots”, or areas of significant deforestation.