How can REDD+ do better for community rights? An examination of Peru’s interpretation of Indigenous rights in the Cancun safeguards

Key Messages

1. The Cancun safeguards are one of the main mechanisms to prevent potentially harmful impacts from REDD+ and to promote additional social and environmental benefits; however, safeguards lack specific implementation guidelines, rely on self-reporting, and are interpreted by countries according to their laws and policy priorities.
2. Two of the Cancun safeguards directly relate to Indigenous Peoples (IPs) and local communities (LCs): (c) respecting their knowledge and rights, and (d) obtaining their effective participation in REDD+ design and implementation.
3. Peru, a REDD+ “early mover”, has one of the largest relative Indigenous populations globally; a review of its national interpretation of the Cancun safeguards and legal frameworks for Indigenous rights provides lessons on how REDD+ may support the recognition and respect of community rights more widely.
4. Although Peru’s legal frameworks are supportive of Indigenous rights, doing better will require further work on tenure rights for communal land and resources.
5. REDD+ is an opportunity to expand respect for community rights in Peru; to do so, regulations must be issued to address community carbon rights, equitable distribution of REDD+ benefits, and a transparent monitoring system for safeguards.

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