Duties and Responsibilities

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the leading global environmental authority that sets the global environmental agenda, promotes the coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development within the United Nations system and serves as an authoritative advocate for the global environment. The United Nations Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (UN-REDD Programme) is the UN’s interagency flagship partnership that supports nationally led REDD+ processes and promotes the informed and meaningful involvement of all stakeholders, including indigenous peoples and other forest-dependent communities, in national and international REDD+ implementation. The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)’s 152 million hectares of forest covers almost 70% of the country’s land area and represents 60% of the Congo Basin Forest. DRC is the second largest tropical forest country in the world. This is equal to 7.6% of the world’s total tropical forest area. The country is committed to reducing forest loss across the country through the REDD+ mechanism (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation, and including conservation, sustainable management of forests, and enhancement of forest carbon stocks). The country’s National REDD+ Framework Strategy was adopted in 2012, aiming to stabilize forest cover to 63.5% by 2030, and maintain it thereafter. The strategy, adopted by the Council of Ministers in 2012, is equivalent to a 56% reduction in projected emissions over the period 2013-2030 and a cumulative reduction of 3GtCO2e. The strategy has seven pillars guiding the interventions financed by the National REDD+ Fund (FONAREDD), namely agriculture, energy, forestry, land use planning, land tenure, governance, and demography. In its revised NDC, the DRC aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 21% (conditional at 19%, and unconditional at 2%). The DRC is actively engaged in the REDD+ mechanism, in many ways, including project and jurisdictional level initiatives (e.g. Tshuapa Province, Emission Reduction Programme in Mai Ndombe), nesting, benefit-sharing mechanism schemes, strengthening the country’s safeguards framework (the Safeguards Information System (SIS) is now in place to document and report on progress related to safeguards and showcases significant achievements), MRV, etc. to produce high-integrity carbon credits as per different Standards’ requirements, including ART TREES. With an aim to have access to international opportunities via additional climate financing and investments to contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, the country established its National Carbon market Regulation Authority (ARMCA ), which will structure the carbon market in the country. Many stakeholders are also involved in those numerous initiatives but the Government via its National REDD+ Coordination Office (CN REDD) and National REDD+ Fund (FONAREDD) lack resources to ensure proper coordination and optimize synergies between the various efforts. In the 2021- 2031 CAFI-DRC LoI, an initial allocation of USD 500 million has been approved over the period 2021-2026 to achieve concrete objectives to halt deforestation and restore degraded lands through a sustainable & inclusive rural development that fights poverty and creates jobs and revenues. The necessity for key stakeholders to join efforts in a coordinated way is thus paramount to advance the REDD+ Agenda effectively in the country.