1 February 2013: The UN Collaborative Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries (UN-REDD) has released a report titled “Putting REDD+ Safeguards and Safeguard Information Systems Into Practice,” which highlights policy considerations related to country-level safeguard systems in line with the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Cancun Agreement.

The report considers a number of steps in the development of safeguard systems for REDD+ including: defining social and environmental objectives, assessing potential benefits and risks from REDD+, assessing current safeguard systems, drafting a strategic plan or policy, and establishing a governance system.

The report highlights a case study on approaches to safeguards from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in order to illustrate the two elements of safeguards: safeguard policies, laws and regulations; and safeguard information systems.

The report concludes that while it is important for countries to develop safeguard systems for REDD+ in order to establish links between social, economic and environmental considerations of REDD+, as well as to respond to the requirements outlined in recent UNFCCC agreement, a number of challenges remain. The report provides a generic framework and information on instruments to assist countries in the development of effective and efficient REDD+ safeguards. [Publication: Putting REDD+ Safeguards and Safeguard Information Systems Into Practice] [IISD RS Sources]