Secretary to the Ministry of Mahaweli Development and Environment Chairs the Task Force on National Policies and Strategies of the REDD+ Programme.

The UN-REDD Programme is the United Nations collaborative initiative on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD) in developing countries. This global programme was launched in 2008 and builds on the convening role and technical expertise of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). In Sri Lanka too, these UN agencies are currently playing a crucial role in supporting the Government of Sri Lanka to develop a national REDD+ strategy through the Sri Lanka UN-REDD Programme, which operates within the purview of the Forest Department.

The Task Force on National Policies and Strategies of the REDD+ Programme in Sri Lanka met on 3rd November, 2015 to discuss the REDD+ Roadmap and give their comments.

The Sri Lanka UN-REDD PMU Team presented the REDD+ Roadmap to the task force and had a fruitful time of discussion led by Secretary to the Ministry of Mahaweli Development and Environment Udaya Seneviratne.

REDD+ is a global effort to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change by reducing emissions due to deforestation and forest degradation through the auspices of the UNFCC, to which Sri Lanka is a signatory. REDD+ recognises five activities that developing countries can do to earn compensation from developed countries, including: reducing emissions from deforestation; reducing emissions from forest degradation; sustainable management of forests; conservation of forest carbon stocks; and enhancement of forest carbon stocks.