The Evolution of REDD + Social Safeguards in Brazil , Indonesia and Tanzania Multi-level policy processes , dialogues and actions on REDD + social safeguards : Challenges and opportunities

• The decentralized nature of REDD+ implementation in Brazil and Indonesia has allowed for innovation and progress on social safeguard-related issues. • Countries need greater guidance from the international community on the use of appropriate indicators, data collection methods, and reporting frameworks. • There is a tension between national-scale reporting on social safeguards and provision of high-quality and timely data that reflect realities on the ground. • Funding prospects for supporting Safeguard Information Systems (SIS) are very limited; national governments need to design low-cost, rigorous and sustainable strategies for measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) of REDD+ social safeguards. • International consensus on whether additional guidance for SIS will be provided is expected at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of the Parties (COP) in Lima.

Countries are grappling with how to integrate social safeguards into national and subnational REDD+ architectures.Safeguard policies are intended to ensure that people are not harmed or made worse off by REDD+.

READ THIS BRIEF IF…
• You are interested in the institutional evolution and current state of REDD+ social safeguards.• You want to understand how different countries are approaching and developing policy around REDD+ social safeguards.• You are designing a REDD+ SIS, or are concerned with how REDD+ safeguards will be measured, reported and verified.
• The decentralized nature of REDD+ implementation in Brazil and Indonesia has allowed for innovation and progress on social safeguard-related issues.• Countries need greater guidance from the international community on the use of appropriate indicators, data collection methods, and reporting frameworks.• There is a tension between national-scale reporting on social safeguards and provision of high-quality and timely data that reflect realities on the ground.Hope by some groups that UNFCCC expectations surrounding national and subnational Safeguard Information Systems will be articulated We analyzed data from the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) Global Comparative Study on REDD (GCS-REDD) to explore multi-level policy dialogues, processes and actions on core aspects of REDD+ social safeguards and consider their relationship to the development of national-level safeguard systems.We focused on three countries with relatively well-advanced REDD+ programs: Brazil, Indonesia and Tanzania.We conducted a qualitative comparative analysis using the following data sources from the GCS-REDD: • country-level media analysis drawing primarily on coverage in major print newspapers and interviews with journalists • country-level policy analyses of national policy context, dialogue, stakeholders and actions surrounding REDD+ social safeguards based on gray literature and interviews with key informants • interviews with proponents of subnational REDD+ initiatives to learn about local-level experience and actions related to REDD+ social safeguards (Figure 1).
We reviewed evidence and examples of dialogue, processes and actions related to REDD+ social safeguards at jurisdictional level (i.e.national or subnational) by country and by safeguard (Table 2).Specifically, we focused on key actors engaged in safeguardrelated processes, and their concerns and actions.We reviewed media discourse in the same way-looking not only at what was said, but who said it.Given that most subnational REDD+ initiatives are still in the early stages of implementation in most countries, proponents focused effort on free, prior and informed consent (FPIC), increasing awareness about climate change and REDD+, and engaging local communities in initiative design.

Table 1 .
Evolution of institutions to safeguard and promote human welfare in REDD+ Voluntary certification through the Climate, Community & Biodiversity Alliance (CCBA), Plan Vivo etc. pursued by a large share of projects to demonstrate social co-benefits of REDD+ 2010 Cancun Agreement on REDD+ social safeguards at UNFCCC COP in Cancun 2010-present Initiatives to promote social safeguards/Safeguard Information Systems at jurisdictional (vs.project) level, for example REDD+ Social and Environmental Standards (REDD+SES) World Bank, United Nations and several bilateral donors modify or develop new safeguard-related initiatives to build institutional capacity on social and environmental risk Ongoing negotiations with UNFCCC and within UNFCCC Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) on expectations for REDD+ social safeguards 2014 Figure 1.Map of subnational REDD+ initiatives included in the Global Comparative Study on REDD+ APPROACH