11 July 2013: The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has launched a newsletter covering its REDD+ activities. The newsletter will be published every month and will cover global, regional and national level activities.

The inaugural edition of the newsletter highlights an IUCN project in Uganda aimed at developing recommendations on REDD+ benefit sharing. Recommendations contained in the article include, among others, the establishment of an autonomous REDD+ unit within the government, capacity building to facilitate stakeholder participation in REDD+ processes, improved clarity of land tenure, and partnerships with village savings and loan associations.

The newsletter also announces the release of a documentary on REDD+ benefit sharing in Ghana. The documentary specifically examines how REDD+ is addressing climate change and associated exposure to weather-related disasters, while also enhancing the contribution of forests to livelihoods.

With regard to upcoming activities, the newsletter reports on a contribution by the German Government to a partnership between IUCN and the Forests Dialogue to facilitate discussions on how REDD+ can be pro-poor. The newsletter also reports on an upcoming IUCN publication, the Forest Conservation Magazine, which will focus on REDD+.

Subscriptions to the e-newsletter can be registered online with additional information available through a newly established twitter feed. [IUCN Press Release] [Publication: REDD+ Roundup – July 2013]