Consultations on REDD+ Readiness Roadmap begin in Bangladesh

Bangladesh recently took its first steps on the road to REDD+ Readiness by holding national and sub-national REDD+ consultations. The national multi-stakeholder workshop in Dhaka on 25 October was followed by a regional workshop in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. These events brought together more than 70 participants to engage in active discussions on Bangladesh’s REDD+ Roadmap process and issues in its forest sector. The national workshop last month, which included participants from the government, civil society, academics, donor partners and the media, was designed for those with at least a basic familiarity with the concept of REDD+.

Its objective was to establish three voluntary, multi-stakeholder working groups to contribute to focus on the following aspects of the country’s Roadmap development. Follow-up work to ensure that these working groups are fully operational will include the identification of focal points for each group, both within the country’s REDD+ operational unit (also known as the ‘REDD Cell’) and within the technical advisory team.

The regional workshop in Rangamati, in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, focused on the region of Bangladesh with the highest concentration of Indigenous Peoples and a recent history of conflict. The event brought together officials of the Forest Department with media and civil society groups, Indigenous Peoples and their elected representatives to discuss the underlying causes of forest loss and degradation in this remote and beautiful area. The focus of this workshop touched on sensitive, unresolved issues from the recent conflict and marked the first time that these groups have openly discussed their respective opinions.

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