6 November 2013: The Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) has released its sixty-sixth information brief, which focuses on removing verification obstacles to the successful negotiation of an international REDD+ mechanism.

The brief examines the history of REDD+ negotiations, focusing on REDD+ finance and international REDD+ verification. In doing so, the publication considers the challenges of having adequate verification in place to generate sufficient confidence for results-based financing while meeting the financing needs associated with REDD+ activities, which may not be captured under current results-based monitoring.

The brief argues that verification is not well-defined in REDD+ negotiations. It also notes that there is a lack of clarity with regard to how verification could apply to policies and measures often associated with REDD+ readiness as well as, inter alia, direct forest-related activities concerning stakeholder participation and multiple benefits.

Overall, the brief suggests that current international agreements related to verification are vague and that it will be important to examine practical experiences over the coming years before adopting final rules. In the meantime, the brief states that a lack of a clear definition of verification has led to significant delays in international negotiations that could be avoided if REDD+ is better placed within long-term policies and finance.

CIFOR is a member of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). [Publication: Verification vs. Finance? Removing the Negotiation Roadblocks for Results-based REDD+ activities]