Indonesia – one step forward to fight global warming with UN-REDD

11 March 2009 – Indonesia has taken a significant step forward when its ‘quick start’ programme proposal to Reduce Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD) was approved by the UN-REDD Programme Policy Board today. The Government of Indonesia, in partnership with UNDP, FAO and UNEP with support from the Government of Norway is now in full swing to start implementation of this quick-start phase.

REDD is a global initiative that aims to provide compensation through the global carbon market for countries that reduce their national emissions by stopping and reversing deforestation and forest degradation. At the global level, the UN REDD Programme was launched in September 2009 by the UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon and the Prime Minister of Norway, Jens Stoltenberg.

Given the contribution of deforestation to global greenhouse gas emissions, strategies and incentives for reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD) have recently emerged as one of the key areas through which countries can fight global warming.

Indonesia is a major emitter of forest-related greenhouse gasses (GHG) that contribute to climate change. In response to this, Indonesia has to stop the destructive forces of deforestation and degradation of land that is caused by excessive logging, forest fires and the destruction of peat lands.

“Globally GHG emissions related to forestry are contributing around 20% and as the biggest emitter of forest-related GHG, Indonesia can make a substantial difference in the global response to climate change,” said Håkan Björkman, UNDP Indonesia Country Director.

In Indonesia, UNDP together with FAO and UNEP will support the Indonesian Government to develop a REDD scheme will allow fair, equitable and transparent implementation of the initiative. The accomplishment of this initiative will contribute to significant reduction of forestry related greenhouse gas emissions.

This joint programme has three priorities. The first one is how to socialize the REDD scheme to multi stakeholders in Indonesia. Information and lessons learnt should be shared among various parties to jointly develop understanding on the respective issues. The programme should also facilitate the improvement of carbon counting system and development of fair payment system. Lastly, it should help the Government of Indonesia to implement the initiative at national and local level. The support will include capacity building at all levels and will also need to guarantee that local communities can benefit from this scheme.

“Millions of people in local communities depend on the forests for their livelihoods. Therefore, it will be important to include them in the decision making process,” said Alex Heikens, UNDP Technical Advisor for Environment Unit. “If designed properly, REDD will bring opportunities to these local communities. For example, it can enhance recognition of the important role they play in forest management.”

In Indonesia, Sulawesi with its large forest area and commitment to address climate change will be a focus area for UN-REDD. Potential assistance will range from work on carbon accounting to legal matters associated with deforestation and emission reduction efforts.

For more information, please contact:

• Alex Heikens,  Technical Advisor for Environment Unit
  alex.heikens@undp.org, +62 21 3141308
• Olenka Priyadarsani, Communication Officer
  olenka.priyadarsani@undp.org, +62 812 691 38520