Report from FCPF Meeting in Guyana

The Forest Carbon Partnership Facility’s (FCPF) sixth Participants Committee meeting, which took place in Georgetown, Guyana at the end of June, reviewed and assessed the Readiness Preparation Proposals (R-PPs) of Argentina, Costa Rica, Kenya, Nepal and the Republic of Congo, and allocated $17.2 million to assist them in executing the contents of their R-PPs and to prepare for REDD+.

More than 120 participants representing governments, Indigenous Peoples’ organizations, international and non-governmental organizations and the private sector participated in the Participants Committee (PC) meeting. Dr. Yemi Katerere, Head of the UN-REDD Programme Secretariat, and Tim Clairs of UNDP were there to represent the UN-REDD Programme.

Some key issues discussed as part of the agenda were:
Enhancing REDD+ cooperation among the UN-REDD Programme, the Forest Investment Program (FIP) and the FCPF. The Facility Management Team (FMT) was authorized by the PC to provide secretariat services to this new REDD+ Partnership, together with the UN-REDD Programme team.
Overall progress of the FCPF Readiness Fund and the design of the FCPF Carbon Fund
Options for expanding the number of delivery partners under the Readiness Fund (beyond the World Bank), analyzed by a working group in order to optimize the Fund’s operations
The possible need to tweak the R-PP template as the FCPF matures and more R-PPs are submitted by countries. Feedback on such possible changes is being received and a new R-PP template will be circulated at the end of July.

“It is crucial to emphasize the importance of the R-PP development process itself… (it) allows a country to then be better prepared for the implementation of REDD+. It is also an experience that can be shared with other countries that are getting ready for REDD+, helping to improve the quality of proposed R-PPs over time,” said Leandro Fernandez, Biologist and National REDD+ Coordinator at the Ministry of Environment in Argentina.

In addition, Peru and Tanzania also reported on progress in the formulation of their R-PPs and received feedback on their drafts from ad hoc Technical Advisory Panels and the PC. Two countries, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Ghana, are currently undertaking their Strategic Environmental and Social Assessments (SESA) for REDD+ and they briefed the PC on their progress. The UN-REDD Programme offered to provide additional support to continue the consultation process in the Republic of Congo. Also, several countries, including Tanzania, requested increased clarity on the issue of consultation and participation - what it means, how much consultation is expected during the formulation phase, and what do the countries consult on. The PC requested the FMT to present on this topic at the next meeting.

Increased funding
The Facility Management Team reported an increase in the Readiness Fund, which allowed the PC to authorize the allocation of R-PP formulation grants and associated country implementation support to all REDD country participants who apply and who do not yet have access to such funding through the FCPF or another donor(s).  These grants of $200,000 per country can be accessed provided that a country’s grant agreement is signed by December 31, 2011. Also, the PC was pleased to hear Japan announce that it would make US$4 million available for the Readiness Fund this year.

Gracious Host
Guyana’s Minister of Agriculture Robert Persaud opened the PC meeting and the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) organized an evening of cultural events with impressive dancers and musicians representing different ethnicities of the country. His Excellency Bharat Jagdeo, President of the Republic of Guyana, attended this event and spoke passionately about his country’s REDD+ strategy in the context of the national Low Carbon Development Strategy. Furthermore, the GFC organized field trips, which provided the meeting participants with a glimpse of Guyana’s natural beauty at Kaieteur Falls, and a tour of a mine and logging station, allowing for a discussion of the challenges in the design and implementation of REDD+ strategies.

Upcoming meetings
The third meeting of the Participants Assembly (PA3) and the seventh meeting of the Participants Committee (PC7), will be held on 1-4 November, 2010 at the World Bank in Washington, D.C. The UN-REDD Programme will hold its fifth Policy Board meeting on 4-5 November in the same building. A joint session among UN-REDD, FIP and FCPF will be organized for 6 November, also in Washington D.C.

“The increased collaboration among the three initiatives which relies on a robust partnership between the UN-REDD and the FCPF, was widely acknowledged at the PC6. We will continue to build on this going forward, both at the global and the country level”, said Benoit Bosquet, Team Leader, FCPF.

All background materials, presentations, resolutions and additional decisions have been posted on the FCPF website.

For more info, contact the Facility Management Team at fcpfsecretariat@worldbank.org or Isabel Hagbrink, Senior Communications Officer, Carbon Finance Unit at ihagbrink@worldbank.org