REDD+ Safeguards: Practical Considerations for Developing a Summary of Information

Summary

This paper has been produced in response to existing agreements under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that request developing countries to periodically submit a summary of information on how safeguards are addressed and respected, throughout the implementation of REDD+ activities, and to receive results-based finance. UNFCCC Conference of the Parties (COP) decisions to date (November 2014, decisions have since been drafted and concluded) do not offer a template or detailed guidance on the content or structuring of the summary. The objective of this paper, therefore, is to offer practical considerations for countries seeking to provide this summary. The intended audiences of the paper are stakeholders— within developing country and donor governments with knowledge of REDD+, UNFCCC decisions, and safeguards applicable to REDD+ activities. The paper responds to, and builds on, agreements already made under the UNFCCC, by presenting a pragmatic approach for countries to consider when preparing and developing the summary to meet UNFCCC requirements.