Having signed the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) on 11 June 1992 and ratified the convention on 25 November 1994 and the Kyoto Protocol in 2003 as a non-Annex 1 party, Myanmar is fully aware of the causes and potential impacts of climate change. Hence, whilst undertaking political reform and aiming at rapid economic development, Myanmar is striving to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The government of Myanmar has recognised the potential of the REDD+ initiative to contribute to green development by protecting global environmental resources (forest carbon stocks, but also biodiversity), helping to reverse land degradation, helping to improve the livelihoods of the rural poor and aiding adaptation to climate change.
Although still largely a poor country, Myanmar is rapidly opening up to Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) in the energy, mining and agricultural sector. Unless astutely managed, economic growth may have negative impacts on the environment and the natural resource base. In addition, climate change threatens to reverse socio-economic advances. Recognizing these inter-related challenges, the Government increasingly views the forestry sector as a key component and driver of sustainable and climate resilient economic growth and rural development. Myanmar has significant potential to reduce its forest carbon emissions, and enhance and sustainably manage its forest carbon stocks, by implementing REDD+ activities.
Myanmar became a partner country of the UN-REDD Programme in December 2011 and has quickly taken steps to start implementing REDD+ readiness activities. A REDD+ Readiness Roadmap was finalized in 2013, and this lead to a request for funding support from the UN-REDD Programme for $4.8M.
The UN REDD Programmatic support seeks to build national capacity for the implementation of REDD+ under the UNFCCC enhanced and relevant (technical, legal, social) systems.
To do so, five outcomes are envisaged:
- Outcome 1: Relevant stakeholders engaged and their capacities developed;
- Outcome 2: National institutions have capacity to implement effective and participatory governance arrangements for REDD+
- Outcome 3: REDD+ safeguards defined and national safeguards information system developed;
- Outcome 4: Development of Myanmar’s national forest monitoring system (NFMS) and preliminary forest RELs/RLs supported;
- Outcome 5: National REDD+ Strategy developed.
UNDP has secured the financial resources from the Government of Norway for the first year implementation of the UN- REDD+ targeted support to Myanmar. UNDP is recruiting the Start-up advisor who will be mainly responsible to initiate programme activities.
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