22 May 2015: The UN Collaborative Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries (UN-REDD) completed the fourteenth meeting of its Policy Board, reaffirming support for the development of the 2016 – 2020 Strategic Framework and welcoming progress from Chile, Myanmar and Peru.

Overall, the 2016 – 2020 Strategic Framework sets out the elements needed to achieve REDD+ while supporting national sustainable development. These elements include cross-cutting issues such as: stakeholder engagement, forest governance, tenure and gender equality. The Framework also outlines approaches to achieve goals such as reducing the size of the Management Group, delivering country programmes through a single interface and identifying one lead agency for each country.

In reflecting on progress, the meeting noted that the UN-REDD Programme now numbers 60 partner countries of which 28 are actively pursuing or have achieved the REDD+ readiness elements laid out in the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Warsaw REDD+ Framework. Related to this, the meeting welcomed the completion of Ecuador’s national REDD+ programme.

Video presentations from the heads of the UN-REDD Programme Agencies, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), reaffirmed this progress and expressed support for the Strategic Framework. FAO noted a 25% drop in forest-based carbon emissions since 2001 and called for stronger convergence between forest management, climate change and food security. UNDP linked REDD+ to broader sustainable development goals and recognized the importance of UN-REDD as a platform for multi-stakeholder engagement. Finally UNEP emphasized the achievements of the UN-REDD Programme in building a foundation for the implementation of REDD+ commitments and noted the potential of UN-REDD to contribute to the achievement of other environmental benefits while supporting the transition to a green economy.

In addition to official business, information days prior to the meeting facilitated discussions on governance options for the UN-REDD Programme, experiences in applying country approaches to safeguards, and addressing drivers of deforestation and forest degradation. The meeting was co-chaired by Jorge Mario Rodriguez Zuñiga, Executive Director of Costa Rica’s Fondo Nacional de Financiamiento Forestal, and Mette Løyche Wilkie, Director of the UNEP Division of Environmental Policy Implementation (DEPI). The next meeting of the Policy Board will be held in November 2015 in Guatemala. [UN-REDD Press Release] [Website: UN-REDD Programme 14th Policy Board Meeting] [UN-REDD Press Release: 2016 – 2020 Strategic Framework] [UN-REDD Press Release – UN Agency Head Video Statements]