A more inclusive process is ensured in Africa’s first emissions reductions programme
In the DRC province Mai Ndombe, NICFI grantees jointly ensured the participation of previously marginalised groups. This offers an opportunity for local populations to provide input to programmes that may affect them.
As a result of major progress on a provincial emission reduction programme in Mai Ndombe, it will be the first province in Africa to sign an agreement with the World Bank’s Carbon Fund.
The Agreement will ensure green development and the authorities will receive payments from the Carbon Fund when reaching agreed-upon milestones (pay for performance). The 10-year finance plan amounts to USD 176 million.
The programme aims to provide alternatives to deforestation and rewards for performance in order to reduce emissions, reduce poverty, and support sustainable development on a jurisdictional scale.
Several civil society organisations worked in Mai Ndombe in 2013-2015. WWF and CARE with The Climate, Community and Biodiversity Alliance’s engagement in this process directly resulted in a more inclusive process bringing together government officials, community members, civil society organisations, and the private sector.
They facilitated meetings held in local languages, and provided arenas for local grassroot organisations to learn about the REDD+ programme for the first time, and to provide their inputs into the programme.
An external evaluation confirmed that WWF played a lead role when developing the Emission Reductions Programme Idea Note (ER-PIN), which is a step prior to the development of a full Programme Document. The evaluation also points to how The Climate, Community and Biodiversity Alliance ensured that gender and especially women’s issues were fully integrated as part of Mai Ndome’s safeguards information system.
The organisation Verified Carbon Standards Association (VCSA) provided technical support on the development of the accounting framework for the emissions reductions.