Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+)

REDD+ is a results-based mechanism under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) designed to create financial value for the carbon stored in forests. The concept originated as "RED" at COP11 in Montreal (2005), proposed by Papua New Guinea and Costa Rica on behalf of the Coalition for Rainforest Nations. It was broadened to "REDD" at COP13 in Bali (2007) to include forest degradation, and the "+" was added later to cover three additional activities: conservation of forest carbon stocks, sustainable management of forests, and enhancement of forest carbon stocks.

The architecture of REDD+ was largely finalized through the Warsaw Framework for REDD+, adopted at COP19 in 2013. This package of seven decisions established rules on reference emission levels, national forest monitoring systems, safeguards information systems, and results-based finance. REDD+ was subsequently anchored in Article 5 of the Paris Agreement (2015), which encourages Parties to implement and support the framework.

Implementation follows a three-phase approach: (1) readiness and capacity-building, (2) policy implementation and demonstration activities, and (3) results-based payments verified through measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV). Major financiers include the Green Climate Fund, the World Bank's Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF), the UN-REDD Programme (a joint initiative of FAO, UNDP, and UNEP launched in 2008), and bilateral donors—most prominently Norway through its International Climate and Forest Initiative.

The Cancun safeguards, adopted at COP16 (2010), require respect for indigenous peoples' rights, full and effective stakeholder participation, and avoidance of conversion of natural forests. Critics highlight persistent challenges: leakage (displacement of deforestation), permanence of carbon storage, uncertain baselines, and tensions with indigenous land tenure. Notable recipients of results-based payments include Brazil, Indonesia, Ecuador, and Colombia, though disbursements have lagged behind early expectations of large-scale forest carbon markets.