Global Witness’s role on the UN-REDD Policy Board

This page contains further information on the UN-REDD Policy Board and documents relating to UN-REDD, including Global Witness’ reviews of proposed national REDD+ programmes and reports from Policy Board meetings.

Global Witness on the UN-REDD Policy Board

Global Witness is one of four civil society organizations elected to the UN-REDD Policy Board in September 2009 and represents developed country non-governmental organisations. The other three organisations represent each of the three UN-REDD Programme regions: Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America and the Caribbean.

Full membership of the Board rotates among the four elected civil society organisations. Indigenous Peoples are represented by the Chair of UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, with three regional representatives holding observer status.

Civil society observers to the UN-REDD Policy Board: 

• Africa: Centre d’Accompagnement des Autochtones Pygmées et Minoritaires Vulnérables (CAMV, Support Center for Indigenous Pygmys and Vulnerable Minorities), Democratic Republic of Congo
• Asia-Pacific: Papua New Guinea Eco-Forestry Forum, Papua New Guinea
• Developed countries: Global Witness
• Latin America-Caribbean: Instituto de Pesquisa Ambiental da Amazônia (IPAM, Amazon Environmental Research Institute), Brazil

Indigenous peoples’ representatives on the UN-REDD Policy Board:

• UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues 
• Africa: Community Research and Development Services (CORDS), Tanzania
• Asia-Pacific: Aliansi Masyarakat Adat Nusantara (AMAN), Indonesia
• Latin America-Caribbean: Coordinadora de las Organizaciones Indigenas de la Cuenca Amazónica (COICA, Coordinator of Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon Basin), Ecuador/Amazon Basin countries

Documents relating to Policy Board meetings

Sixth Policy Board – Da Lat, Viet Nam, 21-22 March 2011
The Board is expected to review a proposal from Ecuador for a full National Programme and consider an initial draft version of the UN-REDD Programme’s Social and Environmental Principles and Criteria.

• Official UN-REDD documents from the meeting
• Global Witness Assessment of National Programme Proposal.
  Country considered: Ecuador

Fifth Policy Board – Washington D.C., USA. November 2010
The Board approved funding for full National Programmes in Cambodia and Paraguay and initial Programmes in the Philippines and Solomon Islands. The Board approved Papua New Guinea’s full National Programme on the condition that it first addresses a series of recommendations. A final five-year strategy for 2011-15, which included amendments proposed by Global Witness and other CSOs, was endorsed by the Board.

• Official UN-REDD documents from the meeting
• Global Witness report from the fifth Policy Board meeting;
• Comments on the UN-REDD draft report from the fifth Policy Board meeting;
• Letter from Global Witness, Rainforest Foundation Norway and The Wilderness Society on intact forests and the draft UN-REDD Programme Strategy 2010-2015;
• Global Witness assessment of National Programme proposals.
  Countries considered: Democratic Republic of Congo (second draft), Zambia (second draft), Cambodia, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Philippines, Solomon Islands;
• World Resources Institute assessment of National Programme proposals.
  Countries considered: Cambodia, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Philippines, Solomon Islands;
• Papua New Guinea Eco-Forestry Forum comments on Papua New Guinea’s Joint Programme

Fourth Policy Board – Nairobi, Kenya. March 2010
The Board approved funding for full National Programmes in Bolivia, Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia. A draft five-year strategy for 2011-15 was endorsed by the Board pending revisions.

• Official UN-REDD documents from the meeting
• Global Witness report from the fourth Policy Board meeting;
• Comments on the UN-REDD draft report from the 4th Policy Board meeting;
• Global Witness assessment of National Programme proposals.
  Countries considered: Democratic Republic of Congo, Bolivia, Zambia.

Third Policy Board – Washington D.C., USA. October 2009
The Board approved funding for a full National Programme in Panama. In advance of the meeting, additional money was earmarked for a full National Programme in Papua New Guinea at the country’s request.

• Official UN-REDD documents from the meeting
• Global Witness report from the third Policy Board meeting.

Second Policy Board – Montreux, Switzerland. June 2009
Global Witness attended the second Policy Board meeting prior to being elected as the civil society representative for developed countries. The Board earmarked funding for a full National Programme in Panama, but the country’s proposal was deemed ineligible for procedural reasons and Panama was invited to submit a proposal at a later date.

• Official UN-REDD documents from the meeting

First Policy Board – Panama. March 2009
The Board approved funding for full National Programmes in Tanzania, Viet Nam and Indonesia and initial Programmes in Democratic Republic of Congo and Papua New Guinea.

• Official UN-REDD documents from the meeting