The Warsaw decision on coordinating REDD finance is not an agreement to coordinate REDD finance. It’s an agreement to hold a series of meetings, starting in 12 months’ time, about coordinating REDD finance. No institutional arrangements are established under this decision (unless a series of meetings counts as an institutional arrangement).
Negotiators at COP19 in Warsaw last week agreed seven decisions relating to REDD – the “Warsaw Framework for REDD Plus”. You can find each of the decision texts, as they came out of COP19 in Warsaw here.
This post looks at the decision on coordination of REDD finance, or, to give it its full title, the Coordination of support for the implementation of activities in relation to mitigation actions in the forest sector by developing countries, including institutional arrangements (pdf file, 64 KB);
Before looking at the text itself, here’s a summary of the Warsaw decision on REDD Finance:
- In Doha, COP18 asked the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) and the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI) to look at ways of improving coordination of REDD finance.
REDD needs adequate and predictable funding. The funding needs to be effectively and transparently coordinated. Countries can appoint a national entity or focal point to liaise with the UNFCCC and, in the case of developing countries, to receive REDD results-based funding.
The UNFCCC secretariat will organise a meeting (probably in December 2014, during COP20 in Lima) to discuss coordination of REDD funding (if there’s enough money for the meeting). Further meetings will take place each year. The SBI will review the outcomes of the meetings in December 2017, at the latest.
The following is the text of the “Advanced unedited version” of the Warsaw decision on coordination of REDD Finance. After each paragraph are my comments (in bold). Following that are links to the previous decisions referred to in the Warsaw text. (You can find all the decisions reached at each of the COPs, by using the search page on the UNFCCC website.)
The Conference of the Parties,
Recalling decisions 1/CP.16, 2/CP.17 and 1/CP.18,
Every time the UNFCCC takes a decision, it has to remind itself that this isn’t the first time its made decisions relating to this topic.
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1/CP.16 is the 2010, “Cancun Agreements: Outcome of the work of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-term Cooperative Action under the Convention”.
2/CP.17 is the 2011 Durban Decision, “Outcome of the work of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-term Cooperative Action under the Convention”.
1/CP.18 is the 2012 Doha Decision, “Agreed outcome pursuant to the Bali Action Plan”.
Noting the outcomes of the process as referred to in decision 1/CP.18, paragraphs 34 and 35,
SBSTA and SBI carried out a process of looking at ways of improving coordination of REDD finance.
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1/CP.18, paragraph 34 recognises the need to improve coordination of REDD funding.
1/CP.18, paragraph 35 requests SBSTA and SBI to start a process to address the need to improve coordination of REDD funding, considering institutional arrangements such as a board or committee, and to make recommendations at COP19.
Recognizing the need for adequate and predictable support for the implementation of the activities and elements referred to in decision 1/CP.16, paragraphs 70, 71 and 73,
REDD needs adequate and predictable funding.
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1/CP.16, paragraph 70 in the Cancun Agreement describes REDD.
1/CP.16, paragraph 71 sets out what developing countries are supposed to develop under REDD:
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(a) a national strategy or action plan;
(b) a national forest reference emission level (or subnational forest emission levels as an “interim measure”);
(c) a national monitoring system for REDD;
(d) a system for providing information about how safeguards are being addressed and respected;
1/CP.16, paragraph 73 states that REDD will progress in phases, including, “the development of national strategies or action plans, policies and measures, and capacity-building, followed by the implementation of national policies and measures and national strategies or action plans that could involve further capacity-building, technology development and transfer and results-based demonstration activities, and evolving into results-based actions that should be fully measured, reported and verified”.
Also recognizing the need for effective and transparent coordination of support for the implementation of the activities referred to in decision 1/CP.16, paragraph 70,
REDD funding needs to be effectively and transparently coordinated.
1. Invites interested Parties to designate, in accordance with national circumstances and the principles of sovereignty, a national entity or focal point to serve as a liaison with the secretariat and the relevant bodies under the Convention, as appropriate, on the coordination of support for the full implementation of activities and elements referred to in decision 1/CP.16, paragraphs 70, 71 and 73, including different policy approaches, such as joint mitigation and adaptation, and to inform the secretariat accordingly;
Countries can appoint a national entity or focal point to liaise with the UNFCCC secretariat on the coordination of REDD funding.
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1/CP.16, paragraph 70 in the Cancun Agreement describes REDD.
1/CP.16, paragraph 71 sets out what developing countries are supposed to develop under REDD (see above)
1/CP.16, paragraph 73 states that REDD will progress in phases (see above).
2. Notes that the national entities or focal points of developing country Parties may, in accordance with national circumstances and the principles of sovereignty, nominate their entities to obtain and receive results-based payments, consistent with any specific operational modalities of the financing entities providing them with support for the full implementation of the activities referred to in decision 1/CP.16, paragraph 70;
Developing countries’ national entities or focal points may receive results-based funding for REDD, consistent with the financing entity’s ways of working.
3. Recognizes that in order to address issues related to the coordination of support for the implementation of the activities and elements referred to in decision 1/CP.16, paragraphs 70, 71 and 73, needs and functions were identified:
(a) Strengthen, consolidate and enhance the sharing of relevant information, knowledge, experiences and good practices, at the international level, taking into account national experiences and, as appropriate, traditional knowledge and practices;
(b) Identify and consider possible needs and gaps in coordination of support, taking into consideration relevant information communicated under the Convention and other multilateral and bilateral arrangements;
(c) Consider and provide opportunities to exchange information between the relevant bodies established under the Convention and other multilateral and bilateral entities financing and funding the activities and elements referred to in decision 1/CP.16, paragraphs 70, 71 and 73, related to actions and support provided and received for these activities;
(d) Provide information and any recommendations, as appropriate, considering the elements contained in paragraph 3(a–c) above, to improve the effectiveness of finance, including results-based finance, technology and capacity-building for developing country Parties when implementing the activities and elements referred to in decision 1/CP.16, paragraphs 70, 71 and 73, to the Conference of the Parties;
(e) Provide information and recommendations, as appropriate, on improving the effectiveness of finance to entities including bilateral, multilateral and private sector entities that finance and implement the activities and elements referred to in decision 1/CP.16, paragraphs 70, 71 and 73, and on how these activities, including results-based actions, can be more effectively supported;
(f) Encourage other entities providing support for the activities and elements referred to in decision 1/CP.16, paragraphs 70, 71 and 73, to enhance efficiency and coordination and to seek consistency with the operating entities of the financial mechanism
of the Convention, as appropriate;
(g) Exchange information on the development of different approaches, including joint mitigation and adaptation approaches for the integral and sustainable management of forests;
Coordination of REDD funding needs lots of things like sharing of information, identifying gaps, providing opportunities to share information, providing recommendations on improving the effectiveness of REDD finance (to countries on the receiving end and to financing entities), and exchange of information on different approaches.
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1/CP.16, paragraph 70 in the Cancun Agreement describes REDD.
1/CP.16, paragraph 71 sets out what developing countries are supposed to develop under REDD (see above).
1/CP.16, paragraph 73 states that REDD will progress in phases (see above).
4. Encourages national entities or focal points, Parties and relevant entities financing the activities referred to in decision 1/CP. 16, paragraph 70, to meet on a voluntary basis, in conjunction with the first sessional period meetings of the subsidiary bodies, in order to discuss the needs and functions identified in paragraph 3 above;
Let’s have a meeting to talk about this. No one will be forced to attend.
5. Also encourages these national entities or focal points, Parties and relevant entities referred to in paragraph 4 above to hold their first meeting in conjunction with the second sessional period meetings of the subsidiary bodies in 2014 and thereafter annually in conjunction with the first sessional period meetings of the subsidiary bodies;
The first meeting could be held in Lima during COP20, in December 2014. And then each year in Bonn, Germany during the SBSTA and SBI meetings.
6. Requests the secretariat to facilitate the organization of the meetings referred to in paragraphs 4 and 5 above, beginning, if possible, in conjunction with the forty-first sessions of the subsidiary bodies (December 2014);
COP19 asks the UNFCCC secretariat to organise the first meeting in December 2014.
7. Encourages national entities or focal points, Parties and relevant entities financing the activities referred to in paragraph 4 above at their first meeting to consider procedural matters to facilitate the discussions;
COP19 thinks that one of the items on the agenda at the first meeting should be “procedural matters”.
8. Decides that at the meetings referred to in paragraphs 4 and 5 above, participants may seek input from relevant bodies established under the Convention, international and regional organizations, the private sector, indigenous peoples and civil society in undertaking their work and invite the representatives of these entities to participate as observers in these meetings;
Observers will be allowed at these meetings.
9. Requests the Subsidiary Body for Implementation, at the latest, at its forty-seventh session (November–December 2017) to review the outcomes of the meetings referred to in paragraphs 4 and 5 above, to consider existing institutional arrangements or the need for potential governance alternatives for the coordination of support for the implementation of the activities referred to in decision 1/CP.16, paragraph 70, and to make recommendations on these matters to the Conference of the Parties at its twenty-third session (November–December 2017);
COP19 asks the SBI to review the outcomes of the meetings by December 2017 at the latest, and make recommendations to COP23 on existing institutional arrangements (or possible alternatives to these arrangements) for coordinating REDD funding.
10. Agrees to conclude at this session the joint work of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice and the Subsidiary Body for Implementation, as referred to in decision 1/CP.18, paragraphs 34 and 35, on the coordination of support for the implementation of the activities referred to in decision 1/CP.16, paragraph 70;
The SBI and SBSTA collaboration on coordinating REDD finance is now finished.
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1/CP.18, paragraph 34 recognises the need to improve coordination of REDD funding.
1/CP.18, paragraph 35 requests SBSTA and SBI to start a process to address the need to improve coordination of REDD funding, considering institutional arrangements such as a board or committee, and to make recommendations at COP19.
1/CP.16, paragraph 70 in the Cancun Agreement describes REDD.
11. Takes note of the estimated budgetary implications of the activities to be undertaken by the secretariat pursuant to paragraph 6 above;
Organising a meeting costs money.
12. Requests that the actions of the secretariat called for in this decision be undertaken subject to the availability of financial resources.
And if there’s not enough money, it’ll be a great big no.