Civil Society Warns that Negotiations not Progressing on Saving Forests

Civil society warns that negotiations not progressing on saving forests

Accra Caucus disappointed over weak outcome in Tianjin, worries about danger of bad forest deal at Cancun conference. Even with aggressive lobbying at the conference and negotiations EFF and members of Accra Caucus were concerned with the outcome of the negotiations. Stated below in a press statement are concerns raised by the civil society and indigenous peoples’ organizations.
Tianjin, October 8th, 2010 In the closing stages of the climate change negotiations taking place in Tianjin, China, the Accra Caucus on Forests and Climate Change, a wide network of civil society and indigenous peoples’ organizations, are alarmed that the global negotiations on reducing deforestation are not making any progress.

 In the area of REDD (Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation), negotiators were close to agreeing last year at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP 15) in Copenhagen, yet today, agreement seems even further away. “The current text in front of negotiators does not commit countries to protect forests and the rights and livelihoods of forest-dependent peoples,” says Thomas Paka of PNG Eco-Forestry Forum, a member of Accra Caucus. Mr. Paka and Dr. Justin Ondopa who followed the Tianjin, China UNFCCC talks said, “REDD must contain an obligation to respect strong safeguards, we were and still are fighting to get that. It is the least that indigenous peoples and local communities expect from Cancun.”

Climate negotiators have been meeting all week to prepare decisions that need to be taken at the UN Climate Conference (COP 16) in Cancun in November, where they aim to put the global climate negotiations back on track after the disappointment of Copenhagen.

A sub-group of countries calling themselves the Interim REDD+ Partnership have also been meeting in Tianjin to fast-track REDD. They had a stormy week, spending many hours in meetings disputing procedural issues, principally on the status of civil society participation at their meetings. “REDD cannot function without the full and effective participation of civil society and indigenous peoples,” said Justin Ondopa from the PNG Eco-Forestry Forum, “and yet the Partnership seems to be reluctant to apply this principle to their own work.”

“Our big worry,” said Raja Jarrah, CARE International REDD Advocacy Advisor, “is that the rights of local communities and indigenous peoples and the protection of natural forests will be sacrificed, if a partial agreement on REDD delivers cash to countries with rich forest assets, but without agreeing that safeguards must be complied with, there is a very real danger that REDD would end up doing harm.

Meanwhile, on the wider climate negotiations, there is still no indication that countries are ready to commit to the deep emissions reductions that are needed to keep average global temperatures from rising beyond 2^oC. “It is essential that REDD should not become an excuse for northern countries to keep on polluting. No amount of reduced deforestation will have impact on climate change without steep reductions in how much fossil fuel the world burns,” said Kate Dooley, from FERN. ”Cancun is not looking good from the perspective of the planet, people or forests.”