15 April 2015: Demonstrating a shift from planning and preparation to implementation, a number of funding mechanisms, support tools and projects for REDD+ have been launched.

To support a move towards results based payments for REDD+, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) and the Government of Norway have launched an online forest monitoring tool that can be used to assess changes in forest carbon. The tool will be piloted in 13 countries and will make use of satellite imagery and other remote sensing data to run analysis through cloud-based processing.

A fund has also been launched to support REDD+ at the local level. A partnership between the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the UN Collaborative Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries (UN-REDD), the Community-based REDD+ Grants (CBR+) will provide funding of up to US$50,000. The grants are meant to be used by communities to address drivers of deforestation, build capacity for local participation in REDD+ processes, and improve land and use rights, benefit sharing and the application of safeguards.

The CBR+ has already been launched in Cambodia and Sri Lanka and is accepting proposals from organizations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Nigeria, Panama and Paraguay. The pilot phase of the CBR+ will run until 2017.

UN-REDD also re-launched its Online Collaborative Workspace, a forum for the exchange of knowledge and experiences on REDD+. The Workspace provides online learning opportunities, document sharing, forum discussions and video, audio and photo resources.

Finally, the UN-REDD programme was officially launched in Colombia, which over three years and with a US$4 million investment, will build its National REDD+ Strategy and capacity for implementation. [FAO Press Release] [UN-REDD Press Release on CBR+] [UN-REDD Press Release on Community Based REDD+] [UN-REDD Online Collaborative Workspace] [UN in Colombia Press Release (in Spanish)]