redd publication: reducing emissions from deforestation in developing countries
FoEI campaigners initiated the publication based on feedback from many national and grassroots people in the federation that they did not understand the range of REDD proposals, and how they would affect efforts to protect land rights and forests on the ground in southern countries.
The reports were distributed widely at the UN climate talks in Poland at the end of 2008. Friends of the Earth International campaigners from the US and Cameroon, as well as allies from the Global Forest Coalition and the International Alliance of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples, spoke during a side event about the threats of REDD.
The report had a significant impact in the media. Several media reported that the World Bank climate funds were 'under fire' and that more than 142 organizations, led by FoEI, rejected any role for the World Bank in controlling climate change finance.
The publication has been very useful for lobbying progressive southern governments to take a firmer stance against carbon trading based proposals. Our target governments have included Ecuador, Bolivia, Colombia, Cameroon, UK, Malaysia, and Chile. Recently, the Bolivian government tabled a proposals against carbon trading for forests on behalf of the G77 and China, a significant outcome. Also lobbying of northern governments has resulted in some European countries publicly stating their support for including Indigenous Peoples rights to free prior informed consent in REDD methodology and mechanism.
The publication was also edited to a 6-page flyer which has been extensive distributed to grassroots communities during training and outreach activities, other grassroots NGOs and civil society, journalists and policy makers. This has served as a very useful means of informing grassroots forest campaigners in particular about the risks of REDD mechanisms as they are currently being proposed.
The REDD report has enabled us to build very strong links particularly with International Indigenous People's Organizations and alliances. We have worked collaboratively, particularly with Global Forest Coalition and International Alliance of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples from the Tropical Forests to ensure that our work on REDD is complementary, and shared research and aligned our positions to run shared events at international climate negotiations. This has greatly strengthened all of our work and enabled us to collaborate together to lobby, do actions and media in international fora.
with thanks to our funders: the c.s. mott foundation