29 June 2012: The UN-REDD Programme has issued a call for comments on the report of a global workshop on country needs assessment (CNA) for readiness for REDD+ (reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries, as well as conservation, sustainable management of forests, and enhancement of carbon stocks).

The workshop took place in Santa Marta, Columbia, on 6 June 2012, and was hosted by the UN-REDD Programme and the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF).

The report, titled “A Country Needs Assessment on REDD+ Readiness among UN-REDD and FCPF Countries,” presents the results of a literature review and desk assessments of countries’ needs for support, and in-depth CNAs in six partner countries (the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, Cambodia, Papua New Guinea, Ecuador and Colombia). The report states that countries still need governance support, in particular for their national coordination structures, and cross-sector engagement and agreement on national REDD+ policies and policy frameworks. Countries also requested financial and technical support to deal with benefit sharing, REDD+ strategy development, safeguards and reference levels, as well as, inter alia, further resources to initiate and support REDD+ pilot projects.

Comments are to be sent to the UN-REDD Programme Secretariat at helena.eriksson@un-redd.org, by 6 July 2012. [Publication: A Country Needs Assessment on REDD+ Readiness among UN-REDD and FCPF Countries]