FCMC promotes MRV work at UNFCCC COP 19 in Warsaw, Poland

FCMC promotes MRV work at UNFCCC COP 19 in Warsaw, Poland
FCMC had an opportunity to present its work to the audience of the UNFCCC's 19th Conference of Parties (COP) in Warsaw this month. This was via an exhibition booth at the Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) held at the University of Warsaw November 16th and 17th and organized by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR).

The Forum had an array of poster and booth exhibits, as well as a series of presentations — this year broadening its scope from the forest focus of CGIAR's Global Forests events at past years' COPs. The event was well attended by representatives of national governments, governmental and non-governmental observing organizations and others in civil society and the private sector involved in REDD+.

The exhibit highlighted the release of the first version of FCMC’s REDD+ Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) Manual and the associated Summary for Policymakers. The Manual provides a review of institutional arrangements, data needs, models, techniques, and accounting and reporting methods for MRV systems in REDD+. The Manual is aimed at those involved in directing national and sub-national MRV system development, as well as those involved in specific sub-components of these systems. The Summary is directed at policymakers who must have an overall understanding of the scope to develop such a system and describes major issues. Both documents were produced by FCMC and its core partners and consultants. A one-page MRV Manual brief was also created and disseminated, highlighting both documents and their intended audiences and use. Hard copies of the manual were available for viewing at the exhibit and copies of the shorter summary were distributed. FCMC created cards announcing the release and how to access it online, which were also shared. Dr. Marc Steininger, FCMC MRV Task Lead, directed and co-authored the production of the Manual and Summary and led the chapter on land-cover monitoring.

The exhibit also displayed many other FCMC materials, including the FCMC brochure and accompanying brochures for each of the FCMC Tasks; a list of FCMC reports available for download; a four-page summary of the forthcoming reports on "Lessons Learned from Community Forestry and their Relevance for REDD+;" and additional cards noting other major FCMC reports and their online availability. The GLF was an important venue, as the COP is the largest gathering of national representatives on climate change policy.

FCMC also participated in the COP through side events on Green Economy Development in Peru and REDD+ financing. The first, organized by Conservation International and other partners, featured presentations about ways REDD+ can contribute to broader sustainable development goals, highlighting the case study of San Martin, Peru, where FCMC is currently supporting development of social and environmental safeguards. The second, organized by the REDD Desk and the Global Canopy Program, discussed interactions between existing standards and what opportunities or challenges multiple sets of standards create given the emerging demand for REDD+. FCMC provided technical and financial support to the REDD Desk for the launch of the newest version of their web portal. FCMC's contributions to this year's COP were particularly relevant, since the negotiations included important REDD+ discussions and decisions on national emissions reference levels, finance and MRV.

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