From 2018 – 2020, UNDP, with funding from the Government of Norway, supported 35 jurisdictions in the Governors’ Climate & Forests Task Force (GCFTF) to develop and/or revise jurisdictional strategies and investment plans to reduce emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD+) and promote low-emissions development. The purpose of this review is to present the findings from implementation of jurisdictional approaches in these 35 states and provinces, with a focus on illustrating best practices and lessons learned that can inform future REDD+ and low-emissions development planning and implementation in the GCF Task Force network and beyond.
The review confirms many of the challenges and best practices identified in the literature but this is the first time they have been studied across such a breadth of jurisdictions at the same time. Despite the diverse starting points and capacity of GCF Task Force jurisdictions, the lessons learned were frequently shared. The review also highlights six success factors for jurisdictional approaches:
– Strong government leadership
– Mainstreaming REDD+ in jurisdictional planning
– Multistakeholder approaches: engaging Indigenous Peoples and local communities
– Embedding strategies into policy and legal frameworks
– Private sector engagement strategies
– Engaging women throughout
The Window A funding was for many jurisdictions just the first step in planning and implementing a jurisdictional REDD+ approach and more support, financing, and technical assistance will be required to transform these strategies into action.