Overview
The United Nations Collaborative Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries (UN-REDD Programme) was created in September 2008 to assist developing countries to build capacity to reduce emissions and to participate in a future REDD+ mechanism. The UN-REDD Programme builds on the convening role and technical expertise of its three participating UN organizations: the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
Through its partnership with 46 countries in Africa, Asia-Pacific and Latin America and the Caribbean, and related global activities, the UN-REDD Programme is supporting governments to prepare national REDD+ strategies, build monitoring systems, engage stakeholders and assess the multiple benefits of REDD+. Building on the lessons learned and feedback from countries and other partners, the Programme has increased its funding base and the number of participating countries. The Programme is responsive to country needs, and is prepared to support transformations in the forest sector and other sectors that impact land use in developing country economies needed to achieve readiness for REDD+. The Programme is also responsive to the REDD+ decision at the UNFCCC COP16 on policy approaches and positive incentives on issues relating to REDD+ and stands ready to support, upon demand by countries, the implementation of the COP16 agreement on REDD+.
The UN-REDD Programme works in close partnership with other REDD+ initiatives, especially those operated by the World Bank, and supports the implementation of UNFCCC decisions. In addition, the UN-REDD Programme Team (UN-REDD PT), together with the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility Management Team (FCPF FMT), is providing secretariat services to the REDD+ Partnership established by countries in May 2010 in Oslo, Norway to scale up REDD+ actions and finance. As a multilateral, country demand-driven initiative, the UN-REDD Programme has a critical role to play both to support the emerging interim arrangements for REDD+ financing and coordination, and to support the incorporation of an effective REDD+ mechanism within a post-2012 climate change agreement.
Read the UN-REDD Programme Strategy (2011-2015) in English, French, Spanish
Read the UN-REDD 2011 "Year in Review" Report in English, French, Spanish
Assistance Strategy
At the global level, the UN-REDD Programme has identified seven integrated work areas as priorities to support the national readiness process and the development and implementation of national REDD+ strategies. These work areas represent identified country priorities, while also reflecting core technical, implementation and capacity-building competencies within the three UN-REDD Programme agencies and responding to the agreed policy approaches and positive incentives on issues relating to REDD+.
The Programme's seven work areas are:
Improving Guidance on MRV and Monitoring
Increasing Engagement of Stakeholders in the REDD+ Agenda
Increasing Transparency and Effectiveness in National REDD+ Governance
Strengthening National Systems for Managing REDD+ Funding
Promoting the Multiple Benefits of Forests and REDD+
Catalyzing Shifts to a Green Economy
Sharing Knowledge to support REDD+ efforts at all levels
These seven work areas enable the UN-REDD Programme to provide targeted, in-depth and strategic support to partner countries in one or more of the defined work areas. Among other advantages, this allow the UN-REDD Programme to continue to provide relevant support to countries far later within the REDD+ 'life cycle'. The number of countries ultimately receiving support will depend on demand as well as on availability of funding, criteria that the Policy Board adopts and standards and guidance developed by the UN-REDD Programme. Key partners of the UN-REDD Programme include the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF), the Forest Investment Program (FIP), the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the UNFCCC and the REDD+ Partnership.
Governance
The UN-REDD Programme is intended to facilitate and streamline the provision of donor resources to UN Joint Programmes to implement REDD activities at country level.
The UN-REDD Programme Policy Board provides overall leadership and sets the strategic direction of the UN-REDD Programme. It decides on Programme financial allocations, in line with the budget parameters set out in the UN-REDD Programme Strategy, and develops monitoring mechanisms, with a view to ensuring Fund-wide success. The UN-REDD Programme Policy Board will ensure coordination with REDD+ actors at a global scale, such as the World Bank’s FCPF participants’ committee. It includes UNEP, UNDP, FAO, three UN-REDD Fund donors, nine REDD+ countries, the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (representing Indigenous People) and a civil society representative. Observers are also invited to participate including the FCPF Management Team, the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Global Environment Facility Secretariat, indigenous peoples and civil society.
The Policy Board approved the Participating UN Organizations’ Coordination Group (CG) consisting of representatives of the three UN agencies that will have the main function to ensure active, participatory and well-coordinated engagement by the agencies to implement the goals and objectives of the Programme. The CG will provide oversight of the Secretariat consistent with the strategic directions and decisions provided by the Policy Board.
The UN-REDD Programme Secretariat is located in Geneva, Switzerland and is an inter-agency unit of the three UN-REDD Programme Organizations. Among other things, the Secretariat supports the Policy Board by organizing meetings, producing reports and monitoring implementation of Policy Board decisions. It ensures policies and strategies decided by the Policy Board are implemented and adhered to. It is a central point of contact for the UN-REDD Programme and liaises with other REDD+ initiatives. This includes liaising with existing and potential donors in order to mobilize funds. The Secretariat provides leadership in strategic planning, and the development and management of reporting, monitoring and evaluation frameworks for the Programme, raising awareness of, and championing the UN-REDD Programme and providing vital information to external partners. The Secretariat also facilitates interagency collaboration and communication, to ensure the Programme is implemented effectively. The Secretariat activities are more specifically described in its Terms of Reference, as amended from time to time.
The UNDP MPTF Office is the Administrative Agent of the Fund. The MTPF Office manages the distribution of resources and oversees the work of UNDP Country offices that may be involved in the provision of Administrative Agent function at the country level. The MPTF Office as AA will is responsible for:
- Receipt, administration and management of contributions from donors;
- Disbursement of funds to the Participating UN Organization, in accordance with the instructions of the UN-REDD Programme Policy Board;
- Provide support to the UN-REDD Programme in their reporting functions;
- Compilation of consolidated narrative and financial reports to the Policy Board through the REDD Secretariat, national steering committees and to donors. Participating UN Organizations are responsible for preparing and submitting the reports based on the UNDG standard narrative reports and financial reports to the Administrative Agent in accordance with the reporting schedule noted below.
The Administrative Agent will charge a one time fee of 1 per cent for fund administration and fiduciary responsibilities which will be provided in advance on the basis of Programme Documents budgets approved by the Policy Board.
Each Participating UN Organization shall assume full programmatic and financial accountability for the funds disbursed to it by the Administrative Agent. Each Participating UN Organization shall establish a separate ledger account for the receipt and administration of the funds disbursed to it by the Administrative Agent. The Participating UN Organizations participate in the design, ongoing programmatic implementation and oversight of the National Programmes. Participating UN Organizations shall be entitled to deduct their indirect costs on contributions received according to their own regulations and rules, taking into account the size and complexity of the particular programme.
The Participating UN Organizations’ UN-REDD teams, regional advisors and country offices will be supported by UN Resident Coordinators in their strategic leadership of the UN Country Team and relationships with national authorities. The UN Resident Coordinator will provide ongoing coordination of the National Programmes, ensuring the Participating UN Organizations are meeting their obligations. The Resident Coordinator is entrusted with supporting the overall National Programme design under the government’s leadership, ongoing programmatic oversight of the National Programme activities, UN coordination with the National REDD Office where such exist, and the consolidation of National Programme reports. Progress reports and monitoring results are transmitted to the UN-REDD focal points in each Participating UN Organization for quality assurance and transmission to the UN-REDD Secretariat.
Involvement of the Government in the deliberations concerning the Fund-related activities in the country is crucial. The UN-REDD Programme also looks to Resident Coordinators to reach out to NGOs, CSOs, national governments and non-resident UN agencies, where appropriate.
Activities supported by UN-REDD National Programmes are expected to take the form of Joint UN Programmes whereby multiple UN organizations collaborate around a common programmatic goal. Funds will be channelled to individual organizations to meet their commitments to the Joint Programme, through the Administrative Agent.
[i] (The Framework Document was the initial programmatic framework that established the UN-REDD Programme Fund. It has been replaced by the UN-REDD Programme Strategy 2011-2015 endorsed by the UN-REDD Policy Board on 5 November 2010).
Decision Making Process
The REDD+ technical and policy advisors of the Participating UN Organizations will support the development of National Programme documents at the country level. The draft National Programme document will be submitted to the UN-REDD Programme Secretariat on behalf of the national government by the Resident Coordinator, once cleared by the UN-REDD focal points in each Participating UN Organization. The UN-REDD Programme Secretariat will review the document with a view to ensuring consistency in design standards. The Secretariat may also seek technical comments on the draft document from recognized experts in the field.
The draft National Programme will then be presented to the UN-REDD Programme Policy Board for funding allocation and budget approval. On receipt of the Policy Board’s budget approval, the Participating UN Organizations will proceed to assist the national government counterpart to finalise the National Programme document, complete the quality assurance requirements of the Participating UN Organizations and respond to comments set out in the Policy Board Submission Form. The UN-REDD Programme Secretariat will review the final National Programme document to ensure it is in accordance with the Submission Form requirements.
On receipt of a copy of the signed National Programme document and the signed Submission Form, the Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office will release funds to the Participating UN Organization(s). Periodic reviews of programme management and finances will be undertaken jointly by the Participating UN Organizations in accordance with their quality assurance requirements.
