US$18 million to fund UN forestry programme combating climate change
18 Mar 2009
Nairobi - A United Nations programme aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions from forests and boosting livelihoods in tropical nations has approved $18 million in support of five pilot countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
The UN-Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (UN-REDD) - a collaboration between the UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP)--promises to be an important component of a future agreement on climate change to be agreed under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in December this at its crucial meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark.
The $18 million-worth of funding, roughly a third of the sum currently available, has been approved by the programme's inaugural Policy Board meeting which met recently in Panama. The funding will support action plans to assist the countries concerned prepare for the inclusion of REDD in a new climate deal.
During the high-level Policy Board meeting, senior government representatives of the Democratic Republic of Congo,
"This is a very significant first step for the UN-REDD Programme," said Angela Cropper, UN Assistant Secretary-General and UNEP Deputy Executive Director, who chaired the meeting.
Source:UNDP
