8 February 2013: The UN Collaborative Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries (UN-REDD) convened a regional workshop on participation, advice and consent of stakeholders for REDD+ and a regional forum on preventing corruption in REDD+ for eight countries from Latin America.

The workshop brought together participants from Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay and Peru to discuss ways and means to prevent the risks of corrupt practices in REDD+ and to ensure the participation of key stakeholders.

Main issues addressed at the meetings included: the importance of governance; financing for REDD+; anti-corruption measures and tools to prevent corruption risks; public information on accountability; the implications of joint work with social actors; and conflict management. Participants also identified the importance of exploring synergies between forest management and climate change adaptation and mitigation, as well as the need to address broader issues on land tenure, land management and forestry. They also considered the importance of cross-sectoral collaboration. [UN-REDD Press Release]