28 July 2010: The UN-REDD Programme has released its July Newsletter, which outlines recent activities on reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of carbon stocks (REDD+). Highlighted is a recent meeting of the Interim REDD+ Partnership, which was established in May at the Oslo Climate and Forest conference.

The first expert meeting was held in in Brasilia, Brazil, from 14-15 July 2010. Participants discussed the development of a voluntary REDD+ database to track global activities on financing, actions, results and preliminary gap analysis. Discussions on the Partnership workplan and working modalities will continue at the August Bonn Climate Change Talks.

The Newsletter highlights several other recent meetings, including: a UN-REDD, Forest Carbon Partnership Facility, and the Forest Investment Program meeting to work on a joint paper on enhancing cooperation and coherence among REDD+ institutions; a workshop with indigenous people from Asia and the Pacific on applying the principles of free, prior and informed consent to REDD+ activities; and a meeting in Georgetown, Guyana to evaluate the Readiness Preparation Proposals (R-PPs) of Argentina, Costa Rica, Kenya, Nepal and the Republic of Congo

Commentaries in the Newsletter address REDD+ in Zambia and current issues with measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) of REDD+ implementation. [UN-REDD July Newsletter]