FAO today launched a new $7.1 million project supported by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) to make forest data more accessible, transparent and available, and, in particular, help developing countries to meet the Paris Climate Agreement's enhanced transparency requirements.

Efficient monitoring of and reporting on forests and land-use change is essential for tracking progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and as countries adopt climate change-mitigation and adaptation measures.

The project is co-funded by GEF ($1.9 million) and FAO ($5.2 million). It is one of only four global projects approved under the GEF's Capacity Building Initiative for Transparency (CBIT) - a new trust fund aimed at supporting countries' implementation of the Paris Agreement.

"Many developing countries lack the capacity to generate reliable forest data to report on their climate achievements. This project will provide an essential platform for more transparent forest-related data, helping countries to compile, analyze and disseminate better data in line with the Paris Agreement's requirements," said Hiroto Mitsugi, FAO Assistant Director-General, Forestry Department.

The project will directly benefit 26 targeted countries across Asia, Africa and Latin America and more broadly some 185 countries and territories that are part of the global network of National Correspondents for the Global Forest Resources Assessment.

The project will be implemented over two years by FAO's Global Forest Resources Assessment  and National Forest Monitoring teams, which already support 70 countries in their forest-monitoring to ensure more sustainable forest management and better reporting.

Keep reading at: http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/1245969/icode/

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