The United Nations Collaborative Programme on REDD+ (UN-REDD Programme) is a collaborative programme implemented with the partner countries and the UN agencies of FAO, UNDP and UNEP. The UN-REDD Programme of Viet Nam is in its second phase and builds on the convening power of its participating UN agencies, their diverse expertise and networks, and the “Delivering as One” Approach of the United Nations in Viet Nam. Viet Nam was one of the first countries to be supported under the Programme after it was launched in 2009, with the aim of helping national governments to get ready for REDD+, which is part of the international negotiations under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).  REDD+ aims to enhance global efforts to address climate change by providing incentives for developing countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the forest sector. Viet Nam is the first country to advance to a ‘Phase II’ UN-REDD Programme, in which the policies and measures in a national REDD+ strategy are demonstrated on the ground.

FAO, in collaboration with the Viet Nam government forest administration (VNFOREST) and other national institutions, has made significant progress under the UN-REDD Phase II National Programme, including the development of a Forest Reference Level (FRL) and a Geo-portal allowing free, transparent access to information on national forest resources and the impacts of ongoing forestry programmes. The submission of the FRL to the UNFCCC in January 2016 was noted as a crucial milestone towards Viet Nam’s objective of receiving results-based payments under an international mechanism. As the lead agency on a wide range of other areas of work under the UN-REDD Viet Nam Programme, including sub-national planning, forest law enforcement and the National Forest Monitoring System, FAO has developed strong partnerships with national counterparts including the Forest Inventory and Planning Institute (FIPI), Viet Nam Forestry University, the Forest Protection Department of VNFOREST, and the Viet Nam Academy of Forest Science (VAFS). Collaborations with other international development partners, NGOs and projects including JICA, SNV, GIZ, World Bank FCPF, and the FORMIS project supported by the government of Finland, have also enhanced FAO’s importance to the goal of REDD+ readiness in the country.

The Programme was recently extended until 2018 and this will allow FAO to continue its role in supporting the Government in areas of work including REDD+ planning, MRV, strengthening forest law enforcement through capacity building and supporting the establishment and operation of a forest violations database. FAO-supported activities will increasingly focus on the implementation of policies and measures (PaMs) proposed in six Provincial REDD+ Action Plans, which aim to demonstrate how greenhouse gas emission reductions and sequestration targets can actually be achieved through practical interventions and the amendment or extension of national programmes which have impacts on forest cover and biomass. Using lessons from, and in collaboration with, FAO initiatives including EU-FAO-FLEGT, Forest and Farm Facility (FFF), FAO-IKEA partnership and the FAO Technical Cooperation Programme, these interventions will include support for the implementation of sustainable forest management practices by state forest companies and small-scale forest owners and managers. Another critical area of FAO’s work under the Programme framework will address cooperation between governments in the Lower Mekong Sub-Region on reducing illegal logging and trade. This will focus on support for the Viet Nam Timber Legality Assurance Scheme and strengthening commitments by the regional wood processing industry to source legal and sustainably harvested timber.