21 July 2008: Fourteen
developing countries – Bolivia, Costa Rica, the Democratic Republic of Congo,
Gabon, Ghana, Guyana, Kenya, Lao PDR, Liberia, Madagascar Mexico, Nepal,
Panama, and Vietnam – will be beneficiaries of funding from the Forest Carbon
Partnership Facility (FCPF), launched at the Bali climate negotiations. The
FCPF partners donor countries, the World Bank, and developing countries in an
effort to build capacity for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest
degradation.

Donor countries
include Australia, Finland, France (the French Development Agency), Japan,
Norway, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States, which
collectively committed US$82 million for this first round of funds. Recipient
countries were chosen during a two-day meeting of the FCPF Steering Committee,
with assistance from a Technical Advisory Panel of experts. The funds will be
aimed at monitoring, establishment of baselines, and adoption of REDD efforts.
[World
Bank Press Release] [Carbon Finance]