REDD Pilot's Messages for Durban
Submitted by Website Officer on 28 November 2011 - 4:03pm
Tanzanian civil society organizations piloting REDD (reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation) have endorsed key messages for COP 17 in Durban, calling for fair, equitable and environmentally sound outcomes in Durban.
The nine CSOs are encouraging international decision-makers to consider key messages that the project’s feel are important to “make REDD work.” The messages call for adequate finance and strong social and environmental safeguards. Further, the NGOs state that REDD, if done right, can bring positive benefits.
“It’s always important for those who are working on the ground, to share messages about what they’re learning and what they know with the national and international community,” explains George Jambiya, an adviser on environmental governance. “This will help shape policies so that they work and are equitable.”
All of the CSOs are working directly with communities, mostly using participatory forest management approaches for forest conservation and the implementation of REDD. Some of the CSOs have even been implementing REDD since 2009.
Based on this hands-on experience, the NGOs have realized that without adequate financing and the delivery of direct benefits, REDD runs the risk of being unfair and not effective. Therefore, the CSOs encourage the international community to urgently come to an agreement on, and support implementation of, REDD financing mechanisms.
Additionally, REDD brings real risks to the environment and people. The NGOs encourage that strong, effective social and environmental safeguards are in place to help ensure that these risks are minimized. They believe the international community should require participating countries to adopt a robust mechanism for reporting on performance against environmental and social safeguards.
Finally, despite the risks, REDD can bring good, and the CSOs believe that is an important message to share with decision makers and the international community in Durban.
“It's exciting to see all of these organizations join together to advocate for fair, equitable and environmentally sound outcomes in Durban,” says Carol Sorensen, Coordinator of the Tanzania Natural Resource Forum. “Being the people that are working on the ground to implement REDD projects, they truly are the experts and I hope their messages are heard.”
Representatives from the CSOs will be in Durban, sharing these messages and lessons from Tanzania.
Read the key messages here.
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