ADDRESSING FOREST GOVERNANCE THROUGH REDD+

WEST AFRICA FOREST GOVERNANCE FORUM Ghana–India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT, Ridge, Accra, Ghana 7th and 8th June, 2011

Yaw Kwakye, Climate Change Unit, FC

OUTLINE• Introduction• Governance Defined• The REDD+ Trajectory in Ghana• Pillars and Principles of Governance• The REDD+ Mechanism• Governance and REDD• Components of Governance Machinery• Governance in Practice• Progress Summary• Challenges and Prospects• Going Forward• Conclusion

INTRODUCTION

• Forest governance has remained one of the weakest links in sustainable forest management efforts in most developing countries and Ghana is no exception.

• Ghana has in recent times embarked on some forest and natural resource governance initiatives to address some of the challenges in this domain of resource management.

• Key among these are the Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Initiative of the EU being implemented under the Voluntary Partnership Agreement, the multi-donor sector budget support through the Natural Resources and Environmental Governance Program (NREG) and the Non-Legally Binding Instrument (NLBI).

What do we mean by “GOVERNANCE”?

Governance may be defined as; “the manner in which power is exercised in the

management of a country's economic and social resources for development”.

World Bank 1992.• There is consensus about key attributes and

processes that characterize “good governance”, both in general and in specific sectors, such as the forest sector

What do we mean by “GOVERNANCE”?

• Good governance is a form of political decision-making that emphasizes legality (rules to resolve conflicts), legitimacy (acceptance and trust by the public that ensure accountability) and participation (inclusiveness in decision-making process)

Transparency

Participation

Equity/Fairness

Efficiency

Effectiveness

Accountability

PILLARS AND PRINCIPLES OF GOVERNANCE

Policy, Legal,

Institutional and

Regulatory Frameworks

Planning and Policy-

making Processes

Implementa-tion

Enforcement and

Compliance

CREDIT: FAO/WB, 2011

THE REDD+ MECHANISM• Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and

Degradation (REDD+) is a global mechanism that seeks to incentivize initiatives/actions in forest-rich developing countries in the tropics that effectively contribute to reductions in GHG (mainly CO2) emissions from deforestation and forest degradation

• It includes co-benefits such as biodiversity conservation, sustainable forest management and carbon stocks enhancement.

• The REDD+ mechanism will take the form of payments for measures that result in reduced emissions or increased removal of CO2

GHANA’S REDD TRAJECTORY

• Ghana is one of the pioneer African nations to participate actively in the REDD process and has engaged actively and constructively with her international partners since Bali 2007

• A REDD Readiness Preparation Idea Note (R-PIN) submitted by Ghana received approval from the FCPF in July 2008, paving the way for the formulation of a REDD Readiness Preparation Proposal (R-PP)

• The R-PP developed through a concerted effort by both state and non-state actors (CSOs, Private Sector, land owners, community reps, research and academia etc) was submitted in 2009 and received approval in March 2010, making it possible to access US$3.6M for early REDD+ activities over a 4-year period (2010-13)

• In broad terms, the R-PP entail three steps which are; – (a) Analysis, Preparation and Consultation – (b) Piloting and Testing and – (c) Becoming Ready.

• Currently activities are mainly focused on (a) and (b).

FOREST GOVERNANCE AND REDD+

• Forest governance is among the issues identified as critical to the success of REDD+ during the early stages of stakeholder consultations leading to the formulation of Ghana’s R-PP

• Two broad themes proposed for the formulation of a National REDD+ Strategy;

i) forest policy, legislation and governance and ii) carbon enhancement activities.

• The C&P component of the R-PP is designed to drive governance issues of the REDD process in Ghana

Components of Governance Machinery

The achievement of good governance is hinged on mutually supportive and cooperative relationships among government, private sector and civil society.

GOVERNANCE IN PRACTICE – THE REDD+ EXPERIENCE

• The afore-mentioned principles of governance are being applied in the implementation of the R-PP, particularly for the REDD+ demonstration phase which is at the very initial stage.

• Procedures and terms for participation have been clarified and measures instituted to ensure transparency and fairness

• Governance efforts should be enhanced and sustained

• This would require the active involvement of all stakeholders

PROGRESS SUMMARYThe R-PP workplan has been organized under 6 components i.e.1. Organization and Consultation

– National Readiness Management Arrangements– Stakeholder Consultation and Participation

2. Preparation of REDD Strategy– Assessment of Land Use, Forest Policy and Governance– REDD Strategy Options– Arrangements for REDD Implementation– Social and Environmental Impacts

3. Develop a Reference Scenario4. Develop a Monitoring System (MRV)5. Schedule and Budget6. Design of Program Monitoring and Evaluation

PROGRESS SUMMARYCOMPONENT PROGRESSOrganization and Consultation

National Readiness Management Arrangements

ENRAC, NRWG, Redd Sec’t established and functional, NCCC, registration of REDD actors on-going

Stakeholder Consultation and Participation

-C&P Plan completed and being implemented, Awareness creation on-going, Communication strategy development underway

Preparation of REDD+ Strategy

Assessment of Land Use, Forest Policyand Governance

Forest policy, legislation and governance reforms are on-going, Updated land-use map to be acquired from CERSGIS

REDD+ Strategy Options Sustainable agriculture and agro-forestry practicesIncreasing of carbon stocks through forest plantations and enrichment

Arrangements for REDD+ Implementation Capacity needs assessment initiated, REDD+ piloting initiatedSelection criteria for Redd+ projects developedKey institutions needed for the management of REDD+ identified

Social and Environmental Impacts TORs for SESA consultancy drafted and submitted to the WB; selection of consultant to begin soon

PROGRESS SUMMARY (Cont.)

COMPONENT PROGRESS

Develop a Reference Scenario Capacity building on-going, Data for estimating historic emissions and projections in Ghana being analysed; Carbon map of Ghana developed

Develop an MRV System Roadmap for MRV being draftedTraining initiated

Schedule and Budget Workplansand budgets completed and submitted to the WB

Design a Program Monitoring and Evaluation System

A harmonized M&E system developed under NLBI to be adopted

CHALLENGES AND PROSPECTS• Carbon rights clarification/codification• Domestic wood supply• Governance may be expensive in the short-term but the dividends are

immense and lasting in the long-term• There are a suite of forest governance tools readily available that can

be, adapted, tested and adopted as standard practice for governance e.g. the FAO/WB Framework For Assessing and Monitoring Forest Governance, 2011

• Strong political commitment and high level of enthusiasm among key stakeholders

•

GOING FORWARD: Learning-by-doing Approach

CONCLUSION• Good governance practice engenders trust, acceptance

and sense of ownership among different stakeholders, and reduces the risks of conflict or failure of REDD+ projects.

• It is a more inclusive, coherent and participatory approach than ‘top-down’ governance, such as legislation.

• Multi-level, multi-actor, participatory governance allows stakeholders to negotiate, formulate and implement policy based on shared goals.

• Good governance creates the conditions that allow stakeholders with different degrees of political influence and different interests to work together toward achieving the 3Es

THANK

YOU