Session on ‘REDD+ Governance’

An in-house session on the topic of ‘REDD+ Governance’ was organized at IPS on October 25, 2016, which was addressed by IPS associate and Program Director, Institute of Sustainable Development (ISD) Kanwar Javed Iqbal.
The term REDD+ Governance refers to reducing of emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries, and the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests, and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries –a mechanism developed by Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The idea is to create a financial value for the carbon stored in forests by offering incentives for developing countries to reduce emissions from forested lands and invest in low-carbon paths to sustainable development. Developing countries in return would receive results-based payments for results-based actions.
Iqbal stressed upon the need for capacity building at federal, provincial and district levels in Pakistan regarding this important and evolving tool for climate change mitigation, which also has immense potential of generating revenues for the country and livelihood for forest communities in the remote areas.