Statement on Redd and Partnership agreement Oslo May 26th.
Statement of civil society and indigenous peoples’ organizations regarding the “REDD+ Partnership Agreement”
26. mai 2010
From May 24 through 28, 2010, representatives of indigenous peoples' and civil society organizations from 9 tropical forest countries are gathered in Oslo to share experiences and strategies related to forest protection and climate change. The countries are: Bolivia, Brazil, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ecuador, Guyana, Indonesia, Papua New-Guinea, Paraguay and the Republic of Congo.
As Heads of State and ministers of many countries will also be in Norway for the Oslo Climate and Forest Conference on May 27th, we take the opportunity to voice our opinions and concerns about REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) and the interim "REDD+ Partnership".
There is an urgent need to stop the destruction of tropical forests, not only to prevent dangerous climate change but also to protect biological diversity and the rights and livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people, especially indigenous peoples. We recognize the need to coordinate international efforts to protect forests, but we reiterate that a bad REDD system is worse than no system at all for the world's climate, its forests and its people.
If the interim REDD+ Partnership focuses narrowly on emissions reductions and ignores the potential effects of REDD on human rights, biodiversity and poverty, it sets itself up for failure and could easily do more harm than good.
We wish to state clearly that the process leading up to the REDD+ Partnership Agreement has been far from transparent and participatory. Although we recognize the efforts of some countries to make the process more inclusive, indigenous peoples, local communities and civil society organizations have not been able to participate in an informed and meaningful manner.
Indigenous peoples and local communities are traditional forest stewards and have collective, customary rights to their forests and resources. As they will be most directly affected by REDD activities, their full and effective participation must be ensured when REDD policies are being designed and implemented, in accordance with the principle of Free, Prior and Informed Consent.
We are extremely concerned that the REDD+ Partnership Agreement does not explicitly recognize that all REDD strategies and related activities must comply with international human rights instruments. Indigenous peoples' and other local communities' rights, including collective rights to territories and natural resources must be respected, protected and fulfilled.
We wish to emphasize that the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change is the only legitimate forum for international climate negotiations, and the "REDD+ Partnership" must support and be accountable to the UNFCCC process.
We have the following demands to the Heads of State and ministers gathered to form the "Interim REDD+ Partnership":
Any REDD strategies and activities must:
- Comply with international environmental and human rights conventions and instruments, like the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, ILO Convention 169 and the Convention on Biological Diversity.
- Ensure the full and effective participation of civil society, indigenous peoples and local communities.
- Respect and uphold the right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent of indigenous peoples.
- Respect and protect the traditional knowledge, way of life and well-being of indigenous peoples.
- Exercise and take measures to ensure good governance, and guarantee transparency, accountability and fair and equitable benefit sharing.
- Focus on protecting natural forests, and not in any way support industrial logging, plantation development or other socially and environmentally degrading activities.
- Be additional to deep, legally binding emissions reduction commitments by developed countries, in order to prevent dangerous climate change. REDD must not be used as an offset mechanism.
- Address all drivers of deforestation, including industrial logging, oil and mineral extraction and industrial-scale agriculture.
- Be financed by "new money"; funds that are additional to official existing development assistance.
