UN
and Norway UNite to Combat Climate Change
from Deforestation
New York, 24 September 2008-Tropical forested
countries are stepping up the fight to combat
climate change via a pioneering new initiative
called the UN-REDD Programme announced today.
The Programme, to be
carried out by three United Nations agencies,
was unveiled by UN Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon and the Prime Minister of Norway
Jens Stoltenberg whose government is financing
this initial phase in the amount of US$35
million.
Nine countries have
already expressed formal interest in receiving
assistance through the UN-REDD Programme-Bolivia,
Democratic Republic of Congo, Indonesia,
Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Tanzania,
Viet Nam, and Zambia.
Some among them like,
Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Democratic
Republic of the Congo, and Tanzania will
"quick start" their efforts through
developing national strategies, establishing
robust systems for monitoring, assessment,
reporting and verification of forest cover
and carbon stocks, and building necessary
capabilities-with support to others to follow
in due course.
In subsequent phases,
pilot projects will be rolled out to test
ways of managing existing forests in order
to maintain their ecosystem services and
maximise their carbon stocks while delivering
community and livelihood benefits.
The UN Reduced Emissions
from Deforestation and Forest Degradation
(REDD) Programme will support these countries
as part of an international move to include
REDD in new and more comprehensive UN climate
change arrangements to kick-in post 2012.
The Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) estimates
that the cutting down of forests is now
contributing close to 20 per cent of the
overall greenhouse gases entering the atmosphere.
The UN-REDD Programme
is aimed at tipping the economic balance
in favour of sustainable management of forests
so that their formidable economic, environmental
and social goods and services benefit countries,communities
and forest users while also contributing
to important reductions in greenhouse gas
emissions.
Mr. Ban said: "The
battle against climate change cannot be
won without the world's forests-this is
now clear. This initiative will not only
demonstrate how forests can have an important
role as part of a post-2012 climate regime,
expected from the December 2009 Copenhagen
climate change conference. It will also
help build much needed confidence that the
world community is ready to support the
implementation of an inclusive, ambitious,
and comprehensive climate regime once it
is ratified".
"This initiative
is also a concrete illustration of the UN
system's commitment to provide coordinated
support to Member States in responding to
their climate change challenges. We appreciate
Norway's partnership in our effort to help
the global community address this shared
challenge."
Mr. Stoltenberg commented:
"We must reduce deforestation if we
are to succeed in fighting climate change".
Through concerted international
efforts we can achieve major reductions
quickly,said Mr. Stoltenberg, underlining
the need to work out international standards
for measuring, reporting and verifying emissions
from deforestation and degradation.
"The UN-REDD initiative
is a quick start action programme that aims
to demonstrate that early results are possible
in some of the major forests of the world.
And to do so through the UN 'delivering
as one': That is why Norway has decided
to finance the UN-REDD Programme,"
he said.
The Norwegian Prime
Minister concluded: "Fighting greenhouse
gas emissions from deforestation and forest
degradation is a priority for Norway now
and also in the years to come. If we are
successful in stage one, Norway will certainly
continue support for the UN-REDD Programme
and on an even more substantial scale".
If REDD gets the green
light in a post-2012 UN climate agreement
it may eventually lead to developed countries
being able to pay developing ones for the
emissions saved. Such an arrangement will
be crucial in the global effort to avoid
catastrophic climate change, and must come
in addition to deep cuts in developed country
emissions.
Developing countries
could receive significant payments that
in turn can be spent on much needed development.
According to one estimate, Indonesia has
the potential to be compensated $1 billion
a year if its deforestation rate was reduced
to one million hectares annually.
The Food and Agricultural
Organization (FAO); the UN Development Programme
(UNDP) and the UN Environment Programme(UNEP)
are to implement the new programme in the
spirit of the UN 'Delivering as One'.
Each agency will bring
unique skills and knowledge to the Programme
in order to maximise its success.
Heads of Agency Quotes
Achim Steiner, UN Under
Secretary-General and UNEP Executive Director,
said: "UNEP, ecologists and the scientific
community have long argued that forests
are worth more alive than dead?that their
ecosystem services and benefits are worth
billions if not trillions of dollars if
only we can capture these in the economic
models".
"REDD offers an
opportunity to begin capturing these real
values and will bring much needed finance
to maintain one of the world's central life
support systems. With any new initiative
there are risks and rewards. REDD must benefit
local communities and indigenous peoples
as much as it benefits national economies
and the global environment. If that is done
the prospects are exciting and potentially
far reaching," he added.
Jacques Diouf, Director-General
of the FAO, said: "Providing adequate
financial resources and relevant capacity-building
to developing countries, in the context
of their development processes with a view
to managing forests and other land use changes;
to preserve the carbon sequestration capacity
of their forests and to improve their knowledge
of the role of forests in climate change
has never been more important".
"In this context,
the spotlight has been turned on the means
and ways to ensure forest monitoring, assessment
and verification in a bid to safeguard forests
and monitor emissions from deforestation.These
will be a key component of the UN-REDD Programme,"
he added.
Kemal Dervis, UNDP Administrator,
said: "The scope of the climate challenge
ahead of us requires that we innovate in
the way we do development. Reducing carbon
emissions by providing countries and local
communities with incentives for not cutting
down forests is emerging as a creative and
effective way to help us address the climate
change challenge, protect vital ecosystems
and support livelihoods. The UN-REDD Programme,
which brings together the skills of FAO,
UNDP and UNEP, with generous assistance
from Norway, sets the stage for this kind
of 'win-win-win' situation."
Notes to Editors
The Programme will assess
a wide range of pressing issues including
how best to counter the forces that are
driving deforestation and how best to ensurethe
needs of local and indigenous peoples are
addressed in a post 2012 climate agreement
that may include payments for standing forests.
Other issues include
rigorous verification systems, some of which
may be addressed by satellite monitoring,
which can demonstrate to the satisfaction
of the international community that a conserved
forest remains that way.
The Programme will also
look at how payments could be structured
under a REDD climate convention instrument
alongside the various financial and insurance
options needed to cover losses from such
projects as a result of events such as fire
and pest attack.
By June next year it is expected that as
a result of the various capacity building
measures, National Readiness Plans will
have been drawn up for participating countries
so that if a formal REDD agreement is made
by nations in Copenhagen, countries will
be 'ready to go'.
The UN-REDD Programme
is also working and cooperating closely
with the World Bank's Forest Carbon Partnership
Facility; the Global Environment Facility's
Tropical Forest Account; and Australia's
International Forest Carbon Initiative.
Some Background
Between 11000 and 2005
the rate of deforestation averaged 13 million
hectares, mostly in the Tropics.
Greenhouse gas emissions
with felling, slash and burn agriculture
and other deforestation effects, account
for around 17 per cent or more of global
emissions-the second largest source after
the energy sector.
By 2100 clearing of
tropical forests could release 87 to 130
Gigatonnes of carbon to the atmosphere.
In 2007 at the 13th
session of the Conference of the Parties
to the United Nations Framework Convention
on Climate Change (UNFCCC) countries agreed
the Bali Action Plan.
It mandates Parties
to negotiate a post-2012 instrument including
possible financial incentives for forest-based
climate change mitigation actions in developing
countries.
The Bali meeting also
adopted a decision on 'Reducing emissions
from deforestation in developing countries"
encouraging parties to explore a range of
actions in this field.
Nick Nuttall, UNEP Spokesperson/Head of
Media, on Mobile in Kenya