Reply from Norwegian government to NGO statement on Paris-Oslo process

On 12 April 2010, a group of NGOs produced a statement criticising the Paris-Oslo process, criticising the lack of transparency and participation. The Norwegian government has now replied to this statement.

A “core group” of 29 “facilitating countries” has created a REDD+ partnership document, that is open to comments from all countries and the general public for two weeks, from 28 April to 12 May.

In addition, the Norwegian government has set up a website about the conference that will take place in Oslo on 27 May 2010.

In its information about the Oslo conference, the Norwegian government emphasises that the Oslo-Paris process is not supposed to be competing with the UN process on REDD. In a video on the conference website, Norway’s Prime Minister, Jens Stoltenberg, explains that “This partnership must supplement and inspire, not compete with, the UN negotiations.” However, the fact remains that this is one more REDD process running in parallel with the UNFCCC negotiations on REDD. It is one more process that already overstretched NGOs and Indigenous Peoples and their representatives have to attempt to monitor and influence.

More importantly, the Paris-Oslo process is part of a battle for control of REDD that has been going on since the UN meeting in Bali in 2007. Competing agents include the World Bank (through its Forest Carbon Partnership Facility and Forest Investment Program); UNDP, UNEP and FAO (through the UN-REDD Programme) and the Global Environment Facility’s (GEF) Sustainable Forest Management Programme. Then there are various bilateral governmental initiatives including those of Australia, the UK, Germany, the USA and Norway and regional initiatives such as the Amazon Fund and the Congo Basin Forest Fund.

Here, then, is the letter from the Norwegian government in response to the NGO statement, the Norwegian government’s FAQs about the conference and the REDD+ partnership document.

Fra: Brattskar Hans
Sendt: 30. april 2010 14:09
Til:
Emne:

Dear representatives of indigenous peoples and civil society,

Thank you for raising important issues and questions through your statement of April 12. Even though the statement was addressed to all countries involved in the process to establish an interim REDD+ Partnership at the Oslo Climate and Forest Conference, the Government of Norway, as host to the Oslo conference and facilitator of the core group driving the process forward, is writing to you in an attempt to respond to the main concerns that were raised in this statement.

We also hope that this will help clarify some key issues about the purpose of the Interim REDD+ Partnership and the process leading up to it. You may find that many of the responses overlap with the questions and answers in our “Frequently Asked Questions” sheet (attached), which was developed partly in response to your statement.

First, we are delighted to inform you that we have expanded the number of representatives of indigenous peoples and civil society invited to attend the conference in Oslo on May 27. All civil society representatives on the UN REDD Policy Board are invited, along with three additional indigenous peoples representatives (to be selected among regional representatives in the UN REDD Policy Board as well as the IIPFCC). Furthermore we have invited one representative from Global Gender and Climate Alliance and three representatives from the private sector, which was previously not represented.

A total of 25 indigenous peoples and civil society representatives have been invited to the conference in Oslo. Note that this conference is a high-level political meeting, which means that participation both from countries and from multilateral organizations is strictly limited.

As for the process leading up to the conference in Oslo, countries in the “core group of facilitating countries” (open to any country for participation) will engage actively with civil society in their respective countries. They have also agreed to the following process towards Oslo:

• Going forward, we will send regular e-mail updates, and post more information on our website (www.oslocfc2010.no). To register for these updates please send an e-mail to kse@md.dep.no .

• Norway as host and facilitator will continue to host conference calls on a regular basis with civil society. These are open for participation, where we inform about the general progress of the Partnership process and exchange ideas with the participants. While conference calls are clearly not a substitute for true in-person consultations, they provide a useful means to keep the NGO community informed of the latest developments, and to get some feedback on a regular basis.

• A draft version of the partnership document has been published on our website (www.oslocfc2010.no) and sent in parallel to countries for comments, it will be open for comments for a period of two weeks (until May 12, 2010).

• All comments on the partnership document will be posted on the website, except from those explicitly having requested anonymity.

• Translations in French and Spanish have been provided for the draft going out for consultations and the final partnership document.

In the process after Oslo:

• The Partnership should seek to actively engage indigenous peoples’ groups, civil society and the private sector. They should also be invited to attend partnership meetings.

• At the national level, it is critical that indigenous groups, civil society and the private sector take active part in the design and implementation of REDD+.

The purpose of the Interim REDD+ Partnership is not to establish a parallel negotiating track.

The Interim REDD+ Partnership is firmly positioned within decisions under the UNFCCC, notably the Bali Action Plan of 2007 and the decision on methodologies for REDD+ at COP-15 in Copenhagen. The partnership will focus on “no-regret” actions that can be implemented now in preparation for the REDD+ mechanism to be adopted by the Conference of the Parties. As such, the latest negotiation text from the REDD+ negotiations under the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long Term Cooperative Action (AWG-LCA) in Copenhagen gives an indication of where REDD+ is going, and can guide actions also in the near term. In addition, the Copenhagen Accord calls for “the immediate establishment of a mechanism including REDD+”.

The Interim REDD+ Partnership is auxiliary to the UNFCCC process, and will be guided by decisions made within the UNFCCC framework. Negotiations on outstanding issues will be left to the UNFCCC process.

May 27 will hopefully be the beginning of a process to enhance coordination, transparency and efficiency.

Despite the urgent need for scaled up REDD+ actions, no holistic mechanism currently exists to support developing countries to reduce emissions.

Some 40 developing countries are currently preparing for REDD+. The USD 30 billion promised in “fast-start” climate financing in 2010-12 – which is critical to build trust in the UNFCCC negotiations – will for the most part need to go through interim channels.

Actions on REDD+ will be scaled up. The REDD+ partnership will help ensure that it is done in a more transparent, coordinated, effective, efficient and equitable manner possible under given circumstances. The real alternative to an Interim REDD+ Partnership is a less coordinated set of actions and financing, duplication of efforts, less transparency about financing, actions and results, less generation of lessons learned to make REDD+ effective and feed back to the negotiations, fewer opportunities for civil society to engage and ultimately less effective REDD+ implementation

The Oslo Climate and Forest Conference aims to set up a voluntary partnership for developed and developing countries to come together in a coordinated and transparent manner to support REDD+ efforts with fast-start finance. The main goal of the Interim REDD+ Partnership is to ensure effective and sustainable REDD+ actions over the next few years. This could imply:

• Recognition that REDD+ must be placed within a framework of sustainable development, which includes poverty reduction, biodiversity and the rights and livelihoods of indigenous peoples and local communities.

• Identification of shared goals.

• Pledges for ambitious actions from developing countries and scaled-up finance from developed countries. Agreement that actions, results and finance go together and will have to increase over time if the required REDD+ results are to be achieved.

• Increased transparency around fast-start REDD+ actions and financing. A REDD+ database of actions, funding and results could serve this purpose.

• Create a forum for the partnership, including all interested countries, where bilateral and multilateral initiatives, and issues relevant for REDD+ can be discussed in an open spirit.

• Commit to learning by doing, generating and sharing of best-practices.

• Coordination of the various ongoing and emerging bilateral and multilateral REDD+ initiatives.

Social and environmental safeguards as well as fiduciary standards will be critical for REDD+ to be effective. Safeguards are currently under negotiations under the LCA. The Interim REDD+ Partnership will not prejudge the outcomes of those negotiations. That being said, the Interim REDD+ Partnership can seek to create a spirit of openness around all finance, actions and results, including on the operationalization of safeguards. A reference to the draft LCA text could guide countries’ efforts until a final text has been agreed. This final text would then provide guidance to the Interim REDD+ Partnership. When a UNFCCC mechanism on REDD+ is established, it would replace or subsume the Partnership. Safeguards promoted through already existing REDD+ initiatives will not be affected by the partnership. The Partnership attempts to build on and to improve existing safeguards applied in their multilateral efforts in line with any COP decision to be taken on that matter.

The Interim REDD+ Partnership will not attempt to create a new dedicated financing mechanism or a governing body with authority over all the pledged resources. Neither will it attempt to re-negotiate the aspects left “on the table” after Copenhagen. It will be action-oriented, focusing above all on transparency and coordination. The ultimate goal of global REDD+ efforts is to help facilitate an effective REDD+ mechanism under the UNFCCC.

The Oslo Climate and Forest Conference will launch the Interim REDD+ Partnership through the adoption of a voluntary non-legally binding Partnership Document. The conference will bring together all interested countries to establish the framework required for securing effective and sustainable implementation of REDD+ over the next few years.

It should be emphasized that Oslo is the beginning of a process, not the end. Many substantial issues will be dealt with as the partnership becomes operational and lessons are learned. All relevant actors, including countries, indigenous peoples groups, civil society and the private sector, should come together to fill the partnership with further content, once it has been established.

We hope that you have found this clarifying and that your questions and concerns have been addressed.

We appreciate your comments and hope that you will be able to engage actively in this process both leading up to Oslo and beyond.

Best regards,

Hans Brattskar
Ambassador
Director, the Government of Norway’s
Climate and Forest Initiative

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Prepared by the Government of Norway

1. What is “REDD+”?

REDD is an acronym for “reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation” REDD also covers sustainable management of forest, conservation and enhancement of forest carbon stocks. REDD seeks to reduce emissions from the forest sector in developing countries.

REDD+ was formally introduced in Bali Action Plan where it was agreed that the international process of mitigating climate change must include the development of ‘Policy approaches and positive incentives on issues relating to reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries; and the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries.’ (2/CP.13)

2. Why REDD+?

Forest and land-use emissions accounts for some 17% of global greenhouse gas emissions, more than the entire global transport sector put together. Without REDD+, the goal of limiting the rise in global temperatures to two degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels will be difficult, if not impossible, to achieve. REDD+ could contribute with up to 30% of the cost-effective mitigation potential globally by 2020.

With REDD+, we may significantly reduce, remove and avoid global emissions at a reasonable cost, while also taking due account of the rights and livelihoods of indigenous peoples and local communities, protecting biodiversity, rainfall patterns and soil quality, and helping developing forest countries adapt to climate change.

3. Why an Interim REDD+ Partnership?

Despite the urgent need for scaled up REDD+ actions, no holistic mechanism currently exists to support developing countries to reduce emissions. However, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is in the process of establishing an international REDD+ mechanism.

At the UNFCCC COP-15 in Copenhagen, countries were close to a consensus on the process of setting up such a REDD+ mechanism under the UNFCCC. A decision was made on methodologies; however, decisions on the mechanism itself will have to wait for COP-16 in Cancun.

Meanwhile, the Copenhagen Accord called for the “immediate establishment of a mechanism including REDD+”, and six donors pledged a total of USD 3.5 billion for REDD+ in 2010-12. In Paris on March 11 ministers agreed to the need to set up an Interim REDD+ Partnership.

Some 40 developing countries are currently preparing for REDD+. Among other things, they are formulating national strategies for how to address the direct and underlying drivers of deforestation and forest degradation, deliberating how to set up systems for the monitoring, reporting and verification of forest emissions that will be needed to qualify for large-scale results-based payments in the future, undertaking consultations, learning about the REDD+ concept, and setting up institutional frameworks to implement REDD+, including multi-stakeholder and inter-sectoral decision bodies.

Even if an agreement was reached on REDD+ in Copenhagen, no financing or institutional set-up would enable fast-start implementation in the next few years. Hence, there is a need for an interim system, building on what we have, to scale up actions in the near term. The USD 30 billion promised in “fast-start” climate financing in 2010-12 – which is critical to build trust in the UNFCCC negotiations – will for the most part need to go through interim channels.

The Oslo Climate and Forest Conference aims to set up a voluntary partnership for developed and developing countries to come together in a coordinated and transparent manner to support REDD+ efforts with fast-start finance. This would be the first large-scale, sector-wide climate change mitigation partnership bringing all committed developed and developing countries together.

4. What are the goals of the Interim REDD+Partnership?

The main goal of the Interim REDD+ Partnership is to ensure effective and sustainable REDD+ actions over the next few years. It is an initiative to provide finance for REDD+ actions. This could imply:

• Recognition that REDD+ must be placed within a framework of sustainable development, which includes poverty reduction, biodiversity and the rights and livelihoods of indigenous peoples and local communities.

• Identification of shared goals, including a substantial reduction in deforestation,

• Pledges for ambitious actions from developing countries and scaled-up finance from developed countries. Agreement that actions, results and finance go together and will have to increase over time if the required REDD+ results are to be achieved.

• Increased transparency around fast-start REDD+ actions and financing. A REDD+ database of actions, funding and results could serve this purpose.

• Create a forum for the partnership, including all interested countries, where bilateral and multilateral initiatives can be discussed openly and issues relevant for REDD+

• Commit to learning by doing, generating and sharing of best-practices

• Coordination of the various ongoing and emerging bilateral and multilateral REDD+ initiatives.

• At the international level, bilateral and multilateral initiatives could be discussed to exchange experiences and generate best practices. The partnership would not have authority over bilateral funding decisions, but allow for open discussions and feedback to improve effectiveness. This, combined with the REDD+ database, could identify funding gaps to be filled and parallel initiatives and processes to be avoided or streamlined.

• At the national level, all initiatives could come together in one national REDD+ framework to enhance effectiveness.

5. What is the goal of the Oslo Climate and Forest Conference?

The Oslo Climate and Forest Conference will launch the Interim REDD+ Partnership through the adoption of a voluntary non-legally binding Partnership Document. The conference will bring together all interested countries to establish the framework required for securing effective and sustainable implementation of REDD+ over the next few years.

It should be emphasized that Oslo is the beginning of a process, not the end. The importance of the Interim REDD+ Partnership is to establish the framework within which the partnership can be developed. Many substantial issues will be dealt with as the partnership becomes operational and lessons are learned. All relevant actors, including countries, indigenous peoples groups, civil society and the private sector, should come together to fill the partnership with content.

6. What will happen after the Oslo Climate and Forest Conference?

After Oslo, the implementation of the Partnership efforts will begin. The partnership will feed back into the UNFCCC process, and facilitate agreement on a REDD+ mechanism at COP-16 in Cancun.

The ongoing data collection work initiated by Australia, France and PNG on finance, actions and results in April 2010 must continue, and results made public. Bilateral and multilateral initiatives should then be brought into the partnership forum for discussions.

7. Why can we not wait for the UNFCCC COP-16 meeting in Cancun?

One aim of the partnership is to facilitate agreement at COP-16 in Cancun. However, it is important to bear in mind that even if the draft negotiation text under the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long Term Cooperative Action (LCA) had been adopted at Copenhagen, there would be no financing or institutional delivery structure in place to deliver fast-start finance. Also, even if the current draft text is finalized and agreed in Cancun, an institutional and financial mechanism for REDD+ would still need to be negotiated, (and set up),which is why an interim process is necessary.

Whatever the outcome of Cancun, there is a need for an interim system, built on experience, to scale up financing and actions in the near term. The USD 30 billion promised in “fast-start” climate financing in 2010-12 – critical to build trust in the UNFCCC negotiations – will for the most part need to go through already existing channels.

Six countries made substantial REDD+ pledges in Copenhagen, and further funding was indicated in Paris on March 11, 2010. The pledged financing will be spent on REDD+ activities in 2010-2012 even without our partnership efforts. What the partnership attempts to do is to make sure this financing is delivered in a manner as effective, transparent, coordinated and sustainable as possible.

There is political momentum to get REDD+ moving. If we wait, we risk to (i) lose political momentum in developing countries where politicians are “going out on a limb” and facing up to vested interest to prove that REDD+ can offer an alternative and more sustainable development path; (ii) lose political momentum in developed countries (pledges); (iii) lose invaluable time needed to generate lessons and best practices that will make REDD+ more effective in the future; (iv) lose an opportunity to contribute to sustainable development, including; poverty reduction; support livelihoods (including for indigenous peoples and local communities), the preservation of biodiversity and climate adaptation; and (v) miss out on large emission reduction opportunities.

Actions on REDD+ will be scaled up. The REDD+ partnership will help ensure that this is done in a more transparent, coordinated, effective, efficient and equitable manner possible. The alternative to an Interim REDD+ Partnership is a less coordinated set of actions and financing; duplication of efforts; reduced transparency related to financing, actions and results; fewer lessons learned to make REDD+ effective and lost opportunity to feed back to the negotiations; fewer opportunities for civil society to engage, and ultimately less effective REDD+ implementation.

8. Is this a French-Norwegian initiative?

No. The Interim REDD+ Partnership is neither a French-Norwegian nor a Norwegian initiative. Norway, through this conference, is merely the host of a truly multilateral process. All countries wanting to contribute to the process, are given the opportunity to do so, and all countries endorsing the Interim Partnership are welcome to Oslo.

9. Who is part of the Interim REDD+ Partnership?

The Partnership is country-driven and includes countries that have already pledged funding for REDD+ and developing forest countries prepared to initiate and implement ambitious national REDD+ strategies.

After a meeting held in Paris on March 11, 2010 it was decided to set up a “core group of facilitating countries” to drive the process towards Oslo. This group is open to all countries interested in participating on a more frequent basis in the deliberations. As of April 15, the core group consisted of 29 countries, including 16 developing countries and 13 developed countries.

• Developing countries: Argentina, Brazil, Cambodia, Cameroon, Colombia, Costa Rica, DRC, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guyana, Indonesia, Mexico, PNG, Suriname and Vietnam.

• Developed countries: Australia, Canada, Denmark, European Commission, Finland, France, Germany, Japan, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK and USA.

10. Who will attend the Oslo CFC 2010?

Political leaders from all countries endorsing the Interim REDD+ Partnership are welcome to the Oslo Climate and Forest Conference. In addition, the Oslo CFC has invited heads of relevant multilateral agencies, private sector participants, and a representative group of delegates from indigenous peoples and civil society.

Further information regarding who will be attending the Oslo CFC will be made public closer to the date of the conference.

11. Is the Interim REDD+ Partnership pre-judging the UNFCCC negotiations

No. The purpose of the Interim REDD+ Partnership is not to establish a parallel negotiating track. The Interim REDD+ Partnership is firmly positioned within decisions of the UNFCCC, notably the Bali Action Plan of 2007 and the decision that was made regarding methodologies for REDD+ at COP-15 in Copenhagen. The partnership will focus on “no-regret” actions that can be implemented now, before a REDD+ mechanism under the UNFCCC is adopted and operational.

The Interim REDD+ Partnership is auxiliary to the UNFCCC process, incorporating decisions made within the UNFCCC framework. As such, the latest negotiation text from the REDD+ negotiations under the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long Term Cooperative Action (AWG-LCA) in Copenhagen give an indication of where REDD+ is going, and can guide the Partnership actions in the near term.

12. What about safeguards?

Social and environmental safeguards as well as fiduciary standards will be critical for REDD+ to be effective. Safeguards are currently under negotiations under the LCA, and the partners aim to agree on a text in Cancun. The Interim REDD+ Partnership will not prejudge the outcomes of those negotiations.

That being said, the Interim REDD+ Partnership will seek to create an open discussion regarding all issues relating to finance, actions and results; including on the operationalization of safeguards. A reference to the draft LCA text could guide countries’ efforts until a final decision has been agreed under the Conference of the Parties. Safeguards promoted through already existing REDD+ initiatives will not be affected by the partnership. The Partnership attempts to build on and to improve existing safeguards applied in their multilateral efforts in line with any forthcoming COP decision to be taken on the matter.

13. What is the process leading up to the Oslo CFC 2010?

The “core group of facilitating countries” convened in Bonn on April 12-13, 2010, to discuss what elements to include in the Partnership Document.

We will submit a draft partnership document for the public to comment during a period of 14 days in late April/early May, in order to receive comments from countries not in the “core group” (which is open to participation) as well as indigenous peoples, civil society and others. The draft document will not be a consensus document among the core group countries, but a representative draft consisting of consensus views that provides a concrete and meaningful basis on which to comment.

A final Partnership Document will be produced taking into account received inputs, and made available well in advance of Oslo CFC, to ensure that all countries have sufficient time to deliberate and determine whether to endorse the partnership.

14. How can civil society contribute to the Interim REDD+ Partnership process?

Inputs from civil society are important in the process of establishing the Interim REDD+ Partnership, both before Oslo and after, as we get nearer implementation of a REDD+ framework. A representative group of indigenous peoples and civil society has been invited to attend the Oslo Climate and Forest Conference (see list of invited initiatives and networks on our website). Unfortunately, due to limited capacity we will not be able to extend further invitations at this stage. Participation both from countries and from multilateral organizations, too, will be strictly limited.

The Fourth Rights and Resources (RRI) Dialogue on Forests, Governance and Climate Change, which was in London on April 6, 2010, provided an excellent opportunity to engage with a broad group of indigenous peoples and civil society stakeholders. Such dialogues will be critical to make the Partnership a success.

Norway’s Minister of Environment and Development Cooperation, along with representatives of the Norwegian Climate and Forest Initiative, will also attend a side-event at the UN Permanent Forum for Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) in New York on April 26, 2010,titled “Interim REDD + Partnership Arrangement: The roles of indigenous peoples, local communities and civil society”.

Countries in the “core group” (open to participation) have agreed to engage actively with civil society in their respective countries. They have also agreed to the following process towards Oslo:

• Going forward, we will send regular e-mail updates, and post more information on this website, including timelines

• Norway as host and facilitator will continue to host conference calls with civil society on a regular basis,, where we inform about the general progress of the Partnership and exchange ideas with the participants. While conference calls are clearly not a substitute for true in-person consultations, it provides a useful means to keep the NGO community informed of the latest developments, and to receive feedback on a regular basis. These conference calls are open for participation. Please let us know should you wish to participate.

• A draft version of the partnership document will be published on our website (www.oslocfc2010.no) in parallel with it being sent to countries for comments. We welcome and encourage comments from civil society and indigenous peoples. Further information will follow on our website.

• Comments on the partnership document will be posted on the website, except from those explicitly having requested anonymity.

• Translations documents in French and Spanish will be provided for the formal hearing draft and the final partnership document.

REDD+ Partnership
Adopted, xx.yy.2010

This document expresses the intent of the governments present at the Oslo Climate and Forest Conference on 27 May 2010¹ to provide a voluntary, non-legally binding framework for the interim REDD+ Partnership², within which the Partners may develop and undertake collaborative REDD+ efforts. Any country wanting to contribute REDD+ actions or support is welcome to join our Partnership.

1. Background

Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) in developing countries plays a crucial role in pursuing the ultimate objective of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and in holding the increase in global temperature rise below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

Considerable progress was made on these issues prior to and at COP 15, including the Copenhagen Accord and Decision 4/CP.15 on methodologies for REDD+, the work of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-term Cooperative Action on REDD+, as well as through Decisions 1/CP.13 (Bali Action Plan) and 2/CP.13. At a ministerial meeting in Paris in March 2010, further political momentum was gained when about fifty countries called for a REDD+ partnership to be formalized at the Oslo Climate and Forest Conference.

The work of the Partnership will not prejudge but support and contribute to the UNFCCC process. The Partnership would be replaced or subsumed by a future UNFCCC mechanism including REDD+. The Partners reaffirm their collective intent to help establish such a mechanism and to enable the mobilization of financial and technical resources from developed countries in order to scale up the implementation of REDD+ actions. The partners underline the importance of the efforts of the High Level Advisory Group on Climate Finance of the Secretary-General of the United Nations in this context.

2. Objective

The core objective of the partnership is to serve as an interim platform for the Partners to scale up REDD+ actions and finance, and to that end to take immediate action, including improving the effectiveness, transparency and coordination of existing initiatives and financial instruments to increase knowledge transfer and enhance capacity.

3. Partner Contributions

We recognize the critical need to work productively together to achieve our shared objective under the Partnership. Accordingly, we are determined to build sustainable and robust REDD+ capacity in developing forest countries by effectively channeling financial and technical support to effective REDD+ actions and results in accordance with the Partnership principles. We recognize the short, medium and long-term need to provide positive incentives to REDD+ actions.

The developed country Partners among us intend to provide scaled up funding for readiness and capacity strengthening as well as for supporting implementation of REDD+ plans and actions, demonstration activities and payments for results. A pledge was made by six donor countries on the margins of COP 15 in Copenhagen to dedicate a total amount of about USD 3.5 billion as initial public finance over the 2010 to 2012 period to initiate an effort of slowing, halting and eventually reversing deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries, also expressing their willingness to scale up financing for REDD+ thereafter, as appropriate, in line with opportunities and the delivery of results.

Since then, further pledges of support have been made, including at the ministerial meeting on REDD+ in Paris in March 2010 and at the Oslo Climate and Forest conference in May 2010. The total pledges on 27 May 2010 stand at [xxx] billion USD.³

The developing country Partners among us are already planning and undertaking REDD+ actions. Developing country Partners now intend, supported by appropriate and scaled up financial and technical support, to develop REDD+ strategies, build the required capacity and create the enabling environment for REDD+, prepare and implement REDD+ actions and demonstration activities, and provide for the full and effective participation of relevant stakeholders, including indigenous peoples, local communities and civil society, in the design and implementation of REDD+, taking into account national circumstances.

4. Principles of the Partnership

In their actions under the Partnership, the efforts of the Partners will:

• Be focused on support for developing countries’ REDD+ efforts

• Be inclusive to all committed countries as well as representatives of relevant stakeholders.

• Provide transparency around REDD+ financing, actions and results.

• Focus on coordinated delivery of scaled up REDD+ financing to seek to close gaps, avoid overlaps and maximize effective delivery of actions and support.

• Consider continuity with medium and long term finance needs and actions by promoting linkages with other relevant processes, including the High Level Advisory Group on Climate Finance.

• Exchange lessons learned and transfer knowledge through discussion and presentation of our REDD+ initiatives.

• Seek to ensure the economic, social and environmental sustainability and integrity of our REDD+ efforts.

• Promote the safeguards provided by the AWG-LCA ́s draft decision text on REDD+, adjusted by any COP decision on this matter.

5. Organization of the Partnership

To work towards achieving its objectives, the partnership will meet regularly, at senior official or political level depending on the issues at hand, with technical level meetings to address specific issues as appropriate. Meetings will be co-chaired by one developing and one developed country representative respectively, both selected for [six month][one year] non-renewable terms through an inclusive and transparent selection process. The co-chairs will report to the partners, and be responsible for soliciting and communicating country views, tasking the secretariat based on guidance from the partnership, and proposing meeting agendas to the partners for approval. When appropriate, co-chairs may draw support from the former and upcoming co-chairs.

We will draw on the knowledge and expertise of The Facility Management Team of the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility and the UN REDD Program Technical Secretariat for the provision of secretariat services for the partnership, under oversight of the co-chairs on behalf of the partner countries. Their tasks will include designing and maintaining the REDD+ coordination database, organizing partnership meetings, and providing on request from the partner countries related analyses, reports and papers, as well as providing logistical support. This service will be independent of the normal functioning of the FCPF and UNREDD programme and of their respective organizations. Additional resources will be provided to them for this purpose. Specific tasks could also be undertaken by particular countries if agreed by the Partnership.

We will promote inclusiveness through the participation of a representative group of stakeholders – including indigenous peoples and local communities – as observers to the Partnership. We will also seek timely and significant feedback on REDD+ financing, actions and results from these groups.

Appendix I: The REDD+ Partner Countries

The REDD+ Partnership is open to any interested developing forest country that wishes to undertake REDD+ actions and any developed country that wishes to contribute financially or technically to the partnership efforts. Interested countries may contact one of the co-chairs to join our partnership.

As of May 27, 2010, the partnership included the following partner countries:
[xx xx xx]

Appendix II: Operational Measures

Consistent with the above, the Partners decide to immediately initiate the following measures:

• [specify or indicate timing and location of next meeting]

• Establish a Voluntary REDD+ Database – covering significant multilateral, bilateral[,national] and other REDD+ financing, actions and results, building on the initial data collection effort launched by Australia, France and PNG – to improve the transparency and coordination of REDD+ actions and support. The Facility Management Team of the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility and the UN REDD Program Technical Secretariat are jointly requested to expeditiously propose a design for the database, in collaboration with partner countries and other stakeholders, for deliberation at our next partnership meeting.

• Determine the modalities for stakeholder participation in our efforts at our next partnership meeting.

• Share lessons, generate and share best practices regarding significant REDD+ actions and financing, and promote cooperation among Partners as well as among multilateral, bilateral and if appropriate national REDD+ initiatives, starting at our next partnership meeting.

• Initiate efforts to identify and analyze gaps and overlaps in financing and take steps to address them. A first report could be represented by Australia, France and PNG at our next partnership meeting.

• Facilitate discussion, starting at our next partnership meeting, on the effectiveness of relevant multilateral, bilateral and other initiatives.

1. The Partners are listed in Appendix 1

2. Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries, as defined in Bali Action Plan (1/CP.13).

3. We will include here in final version developed countries’ contributions in alphabetical order.