11 August 2011: The UN-REDD Programme has reported on the release of the first evaluation of deliverables of the Indonesia-Norway partnership on REDD+ (reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries, as well as conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of carbon stock), which was established in May 2010.

The independent review, carried out by Gaia Consulting Ltd, indicates that the process of implementing the Letter of Intent in Indonesia has brought to the fore many questions about Indonesia’s forest sector that need to be answered for REDD+ to work. It calls for defining functions for a national REDD+ agency that can attract enough support for it to be constituted in law, and highlights the complexity of building consensus regarding its mandate, the development of a national REDD+ strategy, and the formulation of a legal instrument to place a moratorium on forest and peatland conversions. The review notes that effective access to information held by the Ministry of Forestry remains an issue, amplifying debate on forest sector reform. It also underlines that the deadline to put in place a national REDD+ strategy has not been met, but that the process by which the strategy has been developed has broadly followed the specified requirements.

The evaluation recommends, inter alia, more active engagement with Indonesia’s House of Representatives, and clarifying the location, condition and ownership status of degraded lands, underlining that this issue is key to the rational use of territory in low-carbon development outcomes. It concludes that sufficient progress has been made, that financial support should continue to be provided over the coming year, and that it may be appropriate to extend the start-up phase given the extra time needed to build consensus around complex issues. [Publication: Indonesia-Norway REDD+ Partnership: First Evaluation of Deliverables]