The first session of the platform focused on REDD+ safeguards in Peru, including experiences from research, design and implementation. Speakers presented different takes on their institutions’ work to contribute to the first proposed topic. The event was well attended by government and civil society actors, and the format allowed for participants to share their perspectives and ask questions to the presenters.
We had presentations from CIFOR scientists who discussed work-in-progress findings from research on REDD+ safeguards in Peru. The remaining presentations discussed different perspectives on safeguards, and were delivered by representatives from two government agencies (the Ministry of Environment’s Directorate for Climate Change Mitigation and the National Protected Areas Service), a national indigenous organization (ANECAP, representing the indigenous co-management organizations for Communal Reserves) and an NGO implementing an early REDD+ initiative (Conservation International). The event was organized and facilitated to allow ample time for open discussion, given the representation of different organizations brought together a combination of research, policy and implementation work regarding REDD+. This sort of combination, which is uncommon in Peru, was appreciated by participants in the event evaluations.
In terms of lessons learned, we noted several issues GCS REDD+ could help document and inform in Peru. These include the interplay between national strategies and internationally recognized safeguard standards, the place of gender and intercultural considerations in institutional provisions for safeguards, and the relationship between safeguards and benefit sharing. Regarding subsequent steps, in the next session, scheduled for April 2022, we will work on the development of scenarios to support the design of interventions to reduce deforestation and forest degradation in Peru.
A blog on the event (in Spanish) written by Deborah Delgado and Juan-Pablo Sarmiento:
Perú: Una plataforma científico-política para un REDD+ eficaz, eficiente y equitativo
La primera reunión de la Plataforma de Ciencia y Políticas Públicas del GCS REDD+ y el camino a seguir