How to enhance DRC’s legal framework for greater civil society participation in REDD+
Learn how the legal framework for civil society participation in REDD+ in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) can be strengthened.
Learn how the legal framework for civil society participation in REDD+ in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) can be strengthened.
The Congolese state’s spatial planning strategy is still very centralised and is organised around ministries which have some difficulty in coordinating their reciprocal interventions. In addition, there is a certain disparity in planning tools, the scope of application and linkages of which have not yet been clarified. There is therefore a need to bring together and decompartmentalise approaches in order to promote coordinated regional planning.
Despite decades of efforts, forests are still being lost at an alarming rate, particularly in tropical countries. A civil society approach for contributing to improving forest governance – Independent Monitoring – has earned its stripes over the last decade as a legitimate activity through which non-state actors can influence natural resource governance.
In a new brief, the EU REDD Facility proposes that the application of independent monitoring to deforestation-free commodity production could help open up agricultural and land-use sectors to similar initiatives. Independent monitoring, in which independent civil society organisations assess legal compliance, complements government forest law enforcement activities by generating transparency, objectivity and credibility.
Drawing on experience in Central Africa, the EU REDD Facility has published a policy brief detailing how independent monitoring is gaining traction beyond the assessment of legal compliance in the timber sector. It describes how the method could be applied to assess corporate zero-deforestation commitments in commodity-producing countries, as well as targets to reducing deforestation contained in many national climate plans submitted by countries under the Paris Agreement on climate change.
The brief introduces the concept of independent monitoring, highlighting key strengths, weaknesses and some recent innovations. It also considers possible future applications of the approach, with the intention of inspiring further discussions among practitioners and other stakeholders.
The project supported civil society and indigenous peoples’ organisations in the Republic of the Congo in setting up a platform to coordinate interests in REDD+. The coordination platform enabled members to influence and participate in the national REDD+ process.
The EU REDD Facility supports countries in improving land-use governance as part of their efforts to slow, halt and reverse deforestation. It also supports the overall EU effort to reduce its contribution to deforestation in developing countries. The Facility focuses on countries that are engaged in REDD+, an international mechanism that incentivises developing countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from their forest and land-use sectors. The Facility is hosted by the European Forest Institute and was established in 2010.
This website has been produced with the assistance of the European Union and the Governments Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands. The contents of this site are the sole responsibility of the European Forest Institute’s EU REDD Facility and can under no circumstances be regarded as reflecting the position of funding organisations.
The work of the EU REDD Facility has come to an end. This website was archived on the 31st of October 2023 and is no longer being updated. For more information, please contact ipf.info@efi.int.
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