This presentation highlights the key outcomes for Phase I and II and looks ahead towards the objectives and expected outcomes of Phase III of the Norad supported Grassroots Capacity Building for REDD+ in Asia project.

Since 2009, RECOFTC has been implementing a regional project on Grassroots Capacity Building for REDD+, through the support of Norad, with the aim of promoting the effective engagement of diverse grassroots stakeholders in the climate change and REDD+ dialogues in Asia-Pacific region.

To accompany the training video (available here) produced by USAID-funded programs GREEN Mekong and USAID LEAF Asia, a discussion guide is now available for trainers and grassroots facilitators to delve deeper into the gender aspect of social equity in terms of forest-based climate change initiatives, including REDD+. The questions in the guide will help facilitate discussions concerning forest management practices and forest governance in the local and institutional contexts.

This training manual has thus been developed to enhance the knowledge and skills in gender mainstreaming, including gender analysis and the integration of the findings from the analysis into the design of forestry interventions. This manual is particularly relevant for forestry-related interventions and practices that seek to promote participation and reduce the inequality that exists between forestdependent women and men, especially among marginalized people living in rural areas.

This guide intends to assist forestry lecturers in Southeast Asia in developing their forest policy curricula with a particular focus on policy analysis. As an initial step in this direction, it is hoped that lecturers will use the guide to tailor their courses to the specific requirements of their students whose experiences and lessons will be shared with others in the future; this will produce better grounded and more relevant sets of course materials and handouts in the future.

This annual progress report highlights key achievements and lessons learned of the “Grassroots Capacity Building for REDD+” project in the Asia‐Pacific region in 2013.

This policy brief developed by the NORAD-funded Grassroots capacity development for REDD+ Project addresses the use of the cascade  approach  for  capacity development  on  REDD+, establishing  collaborative  arrangements  with local partner organizations, and drivers  of  deforestation  and  forest  degradation in Nepal.

Opportunities for forest managers to gain knowledge and skills in participatory resource management processes are still limited. A recent survey by IUCN has brought this out where a third of PA managers indicated that one of the areas priority training areas for them was related to sustainable development. Recognising the need for such training, a number of organisations including CARE, FAO, MSTCDC, RECOFTC and WWF initiated a series of workshops and training courses on different facets of this topic. 

Center for Sustainable Development in Mountainous Areas – CSDM signed with GREEN Mekong a project: “Wider awareness on Grassroots Equity in Forests and Climate Change for ethnic minority in northern mountainous provinces of Vietnam”, from April 2014 – November 2014 (total 8 months). This is the final report. 

Governance is the keystone of sound natural resource management. Its core principles - accountability, transparency, participation, and the rule of law - are at the heart of the efforts being made at local, national, bilateral and multilateral levels to ensure that decisions that affect natural resources and resource users are well-informed and implemented equitably. There is a real need for all those who are involved in making and implementing decisions to understand the basic concepts and principles of governance and be able to apply them in their daily work.

The stories in this report illustrate the invaluable contributions being made by community members, pioneering government personnel and others who are actively participating in forest management – leading to improved livelihoods, and more equity and a fairer share of benefits. The stories highlight the challenges faced and opportunities created by people in Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand and Viet Nam who are promoting community forestry.

This guide aims to support states, community-based organizations, civil society organizations, the private sector and other relevant actors, to take proactive measures to implement the standards and recommendations of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure (VGGT). The goal is to achieve legal recognition and protection of tenure rights to commons and community-based governance structures.