28 October 2014: Transparency International has conducted an assessment on the level of accountability of the UN Collaborative Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation (UN-REDD). The assessment reveals that UN-REDD has achieved some best practices in transparency although there is some room for improvement when considering criteria for accountability at the senior policy level.

The publication, titled ‘Protecting Climate Finance – An Anti-Corruption assessment of the UN-REDD Programme,’ highlights UN-REDD successes in civil society participation, accountability within the Secretariat and UN organizations, and the provision of training and setting of standards among individuals administering UN-REDD projects and programmes.

The assessment also makes suggestions for improvement, emphasizing the need to adopt a zero-tolerance approach to corruption. The report calls for better downstream accountability among contractors and sub-contractors and for improved standards governing the behavior of the Policy Board and its members. Overall, the assessment lauds the level of transparency within the UN-REDD Programme, but calls for the formalization of institutional information sharing policies and procedures.

The report by Transparency International is part of a series of anti-corruption assessment reports analyzing the policies and procedures of seven multilateral climate funds and programmes. [UN-REDD Press Release] [Publication: Protecting Climate Finance – An Anti-Corruption Assessment of the UN-REDD Programme]