Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has recently launched its support to prepare three countries for the Green Climate Fund (GCF) in Equatorial Guinea, the Republic of Congo and the Lao People's Democratic Republic. FAO’s technical assistance programme on GCF readiness aims to strengthen capacities and support stakeholder consultations to increase country access to the GCF while assisting in the identification of mitigation and adaptation funding opportunities in the agriculture, forestry and other land use sectors (AFOLU). Amounting to approximately USD 2 million in technical assistance, these projects will support countries to complete key elements of their REDD+ readiness process and facilitate the countries in accessing new GCF financing opportunities for REDD+ investments. 

Through the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals, the world has formally recognised the value of protecting forests in tackling climate change. Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD+) has evolved as one mechanism to provide financial incentive to countries to maintain and possibly increase, rather than reduce forest cover. There are three REDD+ phases - readiness, implementation and results-based payments – that require significant mobilisation of funding. The Green Climate Fund (GCF) provides support to intensify efforts to implement the early phases of REDD+. It does so in recognition that REDD+ offers a cross‐cutting approach that is able to not only contribute to global efforts towards low‐emission and climate resilient development pathways in developing countries but at the same time to generate local benefits, which in some cases could support adaptation to climate change.

As an accredited entity to the GCF, FAO is launching support to a number of countries to enhance country ownership and access to the Fund through GCF’s Readiness and Preparatory Support programme. A total of ten GCF readiness projects supported by FAO have been approved to date, including four with direct focus on REDD+ and other forestry-related activities. The countries supported are the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, with two projects, as well as the Republic of the Congo and the People’s Republic of Lao. In addition to strengthening capacities to engage effectively with the GCF, the countries will complete key elements of their REDD+ readiness process and open up new GCF financing opportunities for REDD+ investments. 

In Equatorial Guinea, FAO will assist in developing a GCF country programme, identifying key climate change priorities and scoping potential projects that could be translated into bankable projects for the Fund. The project will also support Equatorial Guinea in finalising key elements of its REDD+ readiness process, including the development of a national Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) action plan and a national forest inventory methodology. Maria Ruiz-Villar, a Programme Officer and the focal point for Equatorial Guinea at REDD+/National Forest Monitoring of FAO, commented on the project’s timeliness:

“The approval of the GCF readiness project comes in perfect timing, as Equatorial Guinea is just identifying its key priorities in the upcoming National REDD+ Strategy and Investment Plan, which will soon be released with the support of FAO and the Central Africa Forest Initiative (CAFI).”

FAO’s support to the GCF readiness process in the Republic of Congo will build on the ongoing assistance by UNDP, supporting key studies to identify mitigation and adaptation actions in the AFOLU sector, including reducing pressure on carbon rich forest ecosystems and protected areas through alternative livelihood activities, animal husbandry and sustainable forest management. Philippe Crete, FAO’s REDD+ and Climate Investment Expert and the focal point for the Republic of Congo notes:

”The project will put particular emphasis on strengthening the engagement of private actors from the forestry and agri-business sector in REDD+ notably by adopting practices that reduce carbon emissions in their industry value chains. FAO and GCF are committed to unleash the potential of the private sector in climate change efforts.”

In Lao PDR, the Readiness project mobilises technical assistance from FAO to address two key areas of work: i) agency coordination between key actors from the forestry sector and the Government’s climate change office on climate finance and reporting, as well as on ii) how to further engage the private sector in REDD+. Outputs envisaged as a result of this project include a GCF investment plan for REDD+ and commodity-based models for engaging the private sector in addressing some of the most significant REDD+ drivers – the market for agricultural cash crops. This GCF readiness project will play an important role in ensuring coordination among different players in the country involved in REDD+, towards synergistic investments that can help to fill an existing gap of engagement of the private sector.     

For more information, please contact:

Maria Ruiz Villar

REDD+ mitigation actions team co-leader 

 REDD+/ NFM Cluster, Forestry Department, FAO

[email protected]

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