PART II / CHAPTER 4
BIO-CULTURAL COMMUNITY PROTOCOLS AND REDD
Many ILCs have expressed concern regarding the FCPF, citing
approach to consultation and upholds support for important
previous negative experiences with World Bank-initiated forest
international legal frameworks and norms, including UNDRIP,
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development programs. The first major protest occurred
ILO Convention 169, CBD Article 8j, the Millennium Declaration,
outside the side event at COP 13 at which the Facility was
and the UN Charter itself.
launched, and it continues to attract criticism from ILCs. Further
protests have emerged in response to various pilot projects
UN-REDD’s objectives are very similar to those of the FCPF,
that have been initiated, each with the underlying message,
and the two programmes are now working to harmonize
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“No Rights, No REDD”.
document templates and operational guidance in order to
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facilitate countries’ participation in both programs. However,
In September 2008, the FAO, UNEP and UNDP launched “UN-
several substantive differences exist. One of the key distinctions
REDD,” a programme designed to “support countries to develop
is that whereas UN-REDD upholds the principle of free, prior
capacity to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest
and informed consent as stated in the UNDRIP, the FCPF only
degradation and to implement a future REDD mechanism in
requires free, prior and informed consultation, which is a lesser
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a post-2012 climate regime.” UN-REDD also coordinates the
procedural requirement for proponents of REDD-related
numerous international agencies that are relevant to these
policies and projects.
objectives. In June 2009, UN-REDD released the programme’s
“Operational Guidance on the Engagement of Indigenous
Early reports emerging from REDD countries indicate that the
Peoples and Other Forest Dependent Communities,” which is
participation of civil society and ILC organizations has been
meant to inform the design, implementation, monitoring,
constrained by national governments’ lack of willingness to
and evaluation of UN-REDD activities at the global and national
include them in discussions and national REDD programmes.
levels. This document advocates a human rights-based
3. REDD: Potential and Pitfalls
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3.1 Ensured Funding but
Questionable Integrity
provide up to US$30 billion per annum, an unprecedented
level of funding, considering the total spent annually on
international forest assistance has been about US$750
Forest-dependent communities are among the most politically
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million in recent years.
and economically marginalized in their respective countries,
which makes them extremely vulnerable to industrial natural
The anticipated magnitude of this funding has the potential
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resource extraction and other pressures that degrade forests.
to engender as many obstacles as opportunities. It will
There is a desperate need for development funding in these
undoubtedly attract a range of interested parties, including
communities and high hopes have been pegged on REDD to
free-market entrepreneurs who want to profit from the
deliver such benefits. A significant reason for the focus on
mechanism without due consideration for the environmental
REDD is the impressive sums of money it may generate for
or social benefits it is intended to generate.
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forest-related activities. According to UN-REDD, it may
7.
Statement on the Announcement of the World Bank Forest Carbon Partnership Facility made by Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, Chair, UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues,
Bali, Indonesia, 11 December 2007: http://www.tebtebba.org/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=264&Itemid=27.
8. See for example: REDD: Reaping Profits from Evictions, Land Grabs, Deforestation and Destruction of Biodiversity. Indigenous Environmental Network, 2009.
Available at: http://www.ienearth.org/REDD/index.html. Accessed September 28, 2009.
9. See UN-REDD website: http://www.un-redd.org/UNREDDProgramme/tabid/583/language/en-US/Default.aspx
10. Activities include harmonizing the FCPF Readiness Plan and UN- REDD Joint National Program Document; developing a joint Roster of Experts; combined missions in REDD countries.
11. PROFOR. 2008. Poverty and Forests Linkages: A Synthesis and Six Case Studies. World Bank Program on Forests, Washington, D.C.
12. See UN-REDD website: http://www.un-redd.org/AboutREDD/tabid/582/language/en-US/Default.aspx. Accessed 5 September 2009.
1 3 . Rice, R., Sugal, C., Ratay, S., da Fonseca, G. 2001. Sustainable Forest Management: A Review of Conventional Wisdom.
Center for Applied Biodiversity Science, Conservation International.
1 4 . Creagh, S. 2009. Forest-CO2 Scheme Will Draw Organised Crime: Interpol. Thompson Reuters, 1 June 2009.
Available at: http://planetark.org/wen/53152. Accessed 2 June 2009.
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