African Forest Forum

Africa Knowledge Exchange on strengthening REDD+ implementation and Learning Lab on social inclusion

The United Nations Collaborative Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries (UN-REDD Programme) in partnership with the African Forest Forum (AFF) and the Nangui Abrogoua University in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, are organizing a dual event from 3-7 June 2024, to support  REDD+ implementation in African Countries. The event involves a Regional Knowledge Exchange on achievements and lessons learned from selected African REDD+ countries; and a Learning Lab on Strengthening Social Inclusion in REDD+ Implementation in Africa.

Knowledge Exchange on “Strengthening REDD+ implementation and integration across sectoral development policies and strategies: taking stock of achievements and lessons learned from selected African countries

Date and time: Monday and Tuesday, 3rd to 4th June 2024, 08:30 – 17:30  (GMT)  

Many African countries have embraced REDD+ (Reduction of Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation, including enhancement of carbon stocks from forests and other land uses) as a key mitigation strategy in the AFOLU (Agriculture, Forestry and other land Use) sector with adaptation benefits as well as result-based payment mechanism. However, their potential to fully tap into the economic and environmental rewards resulting from implementation and investment in REDD+ remains highly unexplored. While some countries have been progressing gradually with a few advancing to phase 3 of the Warsaw Framework, making them eligible for result-based payments, most of them are still at different stages of the readiness phase. Despite these varying performances in REDD+ implementation, African countries have demonstrated distinct experiences, approaches and challenges in their REDD+ journey, especially for the key areas of capacity and knowledge gaps previously identified by the African Forest Forum (AFF) and the UN-REDD Programme. These areas include REDD+ finance, carbon markets, social inclusion, deforestation-free agriculture as well as governance frameworks for sharing REDD+ benefits. 

Objectives 

The objectives of the regional exchange workshop are as follows: 

  • Share, discuss, strengthen and validate findings from national consultations. 

  • Facilitate knowledge exchange among the target audience, including from countries not covered by the national consultations and document best practices, success factors and gaps on REDD+ implementation in Africa. 

  • Co-identify areas for future interventions by AFF and UN-REDD to enhance implementation and investments in REDD+ and other forest-related nature-based solutions in Africa.  

  • Promote stakeholder dialogue, networking, and collaboration. 

Outcomes 

  • Findings from national consultations are shared, strengthened and validated by diverse stakeholder groups with actionable insights. 

  • Key messages, best practices and lessons learned are formulated to guide capacity building for enhanced implementation of REDD+ in Africa.  

  • Networks are strengthened for sustained South-South dialogue on REDD+ implementation in Africa. 

  • Key areas of capacity and knowledge gaps prioritised for future interventions by AFF and UN-REDD 

Learning Lab on Strengthening Social Inclusion in REDD+ Implementation  

Date and time: Wednesday and Friday, 5th to 6th June 2024, 08:30 – 17:30 (GMT)     

Social inclusion is ultimately about the full, meaningful effective engagement of the diverse stakeholders and rightsholders, such as Indigenous People, local communities, women and youth, to forge public policies and field actions. Social inclusion in REDD+ is essential for ensuring the effectiveness, sustainability, and legitimacy of forest conservation and climate mitigation efforts. By involving and empowering local communities and Indigenous Peoples, and marginalized groups, such as women and youth among them, REDD+ initiatives can achieve their environmental objectives while also promoting social equity, gender equality and justice. Hence a socially inclusive and gender-responsive stakeholder engagement approach is required, so that diverse governmental sectors and agencies, civil society actors, Indigenous Peoples, local communities, practitioners, the private sector and development financiers, among others, work together to devise, implement and monitor forest solutions to the climate emergency.  

The main dimensions considered in social inclusion for REDD+ include, but are not limited to:   

  • The full and effective inclusion of historically excluded groups including, women, youth, local communities Indigenous Peoples and ethnic minorities  

  • Benefit sharing mechanism  

  • National REDD+ governance system  

The Learning Lab will feature training sessions to enhance capacity and knowledge of participants to establish social and environmental measures in countries implementing REDD+. Experts in the field of social inclusion and benefit sharing will lead training sessions and provide practical insights for designing effective strategies. The interactive approach of training will also enable peer to peer learning between participants. The discussion with national stakeholders will inform how social inclusion is being addressed in their countries, paying attention on countries’ approaches to promote and implement gender responsive processes, Benefit sharing mechanism, good governance in REDD+, along with the challenges, lessons learnt and potential opportunities for improvement in their different countries in the African REDD+ process, 

Event Objectives  

  • Improve understanding among target stakeholders of importance of social inclusion in REDD+.  

  • Enhance capacity of stakeholders on how to mainstream gender and women’s empowerment concepts into REDD+ policy and actions, ensuring gender-responsive benefit sharing and payment for results mechanisms to make sure those who are helping protect the forests are involved in REDD+ action and compensated for such efforts.  

  • Discuss experiences, best practices and lessons learned in integrating social inclusion and gender approaches into REDD+ national and jurisdictional programmes.   

  • Provide countries with tools for greater inclusion of their revised NDCs   

Expected Outcomes 

  • Improved overall knowledge on social inclusion in REDD+  by African countries;  

  • Enhanced capacity among participants on how to mainstream gender and women’s empowerment concepts into REDD+ policy and actions, ensuring gender-responsive benefit sharing and payment for results mechanisms to ensure those who are helping protect the forests are involved in REDD+ action and compensated for such efforts.  

  • Key strategies, best practices and lessons learned in ensuring social inclusion, gender equality, equitable distribution of benefits and good governance in REDD+ projects are defined and documented.  

  • More opportunities for technical support to countries on promoting social inclusion, gender equality and women’s empowerment in REDD+ initiatives are identified and NDC.  

The dual event will bring together over thirty-five (35) participants including experts, REDD+ focal points and technical staff from more than twelve African countries including Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Republic of Congo, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia,  as well as civil society organizations, academia, private sector groups, and other stakeholders involved in REDD+ implementation in the host country, Côte d’Ivoire.

For more information on the Regional Knowledge Exchange Workshop and Learning Lab, download: