6 November 2014: The UNFCCC Secretariat has compiled submissions received from developing country Parties on their views regarding information systems to track the implementation of safeguards for REDD+ (Decision 1/CP.16, Appendix I). The Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) asked parties to comment on their experiences, lessons learned and challenges in developing such systems.

In response to SBSTA’s request, six submissions were received from: Bolivia; Chad on behalf of Burundi, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Rwanda, and Sao Tome and Principe; Ecuador; Indonesia on behalf of Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam; Malaysia; and Mexico.

Some parties noted the lack of guidance on what information should be included in reporting on safeguards and how the requirements of transparency, consistency, effectiveness and comprehensiveness can be met. Others noted that national circumstances for addressing and respecting REDD+ safeguards may vary from country to country. Such challenges as cost, engaging the relevant stakeholders and linking sub-national with national systems were mentioned by Indonesia and Malaysia. [UNFCCC Publication Webpage] [Publication: Views on experiences and lessons learned from the development of systems for providing information on how all the safeguards are being addressed and respected and the challenges faced in developing such systems]