Action
Year
2013-2015
The EU REDD Facility strengthens the capacity and role of REDD+ focal points and supports their activities in promoting synergies between FLEGT and REDD+. This project supports the decentralisation of the REDD+ process in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The aim of this project is to support the decentralisation of the REDD+ process by building the capacity of REDD+ focal points in provinces to promote synergies between FLEGT and REDD+ at provincial level.
REDD+ provincial focal points in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are in a unique position to participate in the rollout and implementation of the National REDD+ Strategy. The focal points play important roles in elaborating provincial strategies for REDD+, coordinating REDD+ projects, disseminating and communicating information, building the capacity of provincial stakeholders and informing national processes of challenges on the ground.
The decentralisation of the REDD+ process by building the capacity of REDD+ focal point in provinces promote synergies between FLEGT and REDD+ at provincial level.
The contract renewals of five REDD+ provincial focal points in 2013 provided an opportunity to adjust their mandate to include promoting synergies between REDD+ and FLEGT. By providing technical input on implementing forest law at provincial level, fostering better forest governance and stemming illegal logging, REDD+ provincial focal points contribute to developing synergies between FLEGT and REDD+. But REDD+ focal points need adequate tools and support to realise those synergies.
With the launch of the Mai Ndombe Emissions Reduction Programme, Africa’s first jurisdictional REDD+ initiative, the Democratic Republic of the Congo moves into the investment phase of REDD+. This means that stakeholders at provincial and local level need to be clear about the institutional arrangements and their involvement. The REDD+ provincial focal points play an important role in preparing stakeholders to take part in the Mai Ndombe Emissions Reduction Programme.
Bandundu (DRC) is a province in which many REDD+ projects are being developed but where local communities, indigenous people and even the provincial administration do not have enough information. Therefore, with financial and technical support from the European Forest Institute (EFI) and technical support from the National REDD+ Coordination, we organised the REDD+ provincial university in Bandundu, the first time such an event has been held in the province. The REDD+ provincial university brought together, directly in the field, all REDD+ project developers in Bandundu, the provincial administration and delegates from all territories in the province, for discussion and to exchange experiences. Among the achievements of this REDD+ provincial university was that REDD+ project developers in Bandundu were able to share information with various REDD+ stakeholders. Delegates of local communities, on their return from the university, held debriefings in village squares in local languages, to provide villagers with information on REDD+ projects and the process itself. In the future, we wish to form community networks to continue to explain REDD+ in villages in local languages. In order to simplify the message about REDD+, it needs to be brought out of air-conditioned offices right into village squares.
Jean-Jacques Bambuta, REDD+ expert in Bandundu, DRC
The objectives of the EU REDD Facility in this project are to support on-the-ground activities to enhance the role and participation of provincial stakeholders and to test policy ideas against field realities. To date this has involved:
Jean-Jacques Bambuta, REDD+ expert in Bandundu, Democratic Republic of the Congo.