Solomon Islands Focus on REDD+ Awareness Raising and National Forest Monitoring

The Solomon Islands' UN-REDD National Programme advanced its implementation in September 2012 with the delivery of a multi-stakeholder national REDD+ awareness-raising workshop and training on National Forest Monitoring Systems. The National REDD+ Awareness-Raising workshop, held on 21 September 2012 in the capital Honiara, brought together a wide range of government and non-government stakeholders, including local civil society organizations, international and national NGOs, the private sector, international development agencies and ministries of forestry and environment. The event served to highlight how REDD+ has been taken from the international policy level down to the national and local levels, and the range of REDD+ efforts being undertaken by a number of organizations in the Solomon Islands.
The event began with an overview of REDD+ in the context of the national development agenda given by Mr. Chanel Iroi, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Environment. This was followed by a presentation on the international context of REDD+ and the interpretation of UNFCCC decisions for national implementation, given by Joel Scriven of the UN-REDD Programme. The organization World Fish gave a presentation on blue carbon; the Secretariat for the Pacific Community (SPC) gave a presentation on their pilot REDD+ activities in Choiseul Province; and Mr. Fred Patison, manager of the country's UN-REDD National Programme presented the work plan of the Solomon Islands' UN-REDD National Programme. The workshop ended with a robust discussion and dialogue among participants as they improved their understanding of REDD+, the UN-REDD Programme, and requirements in implementing national REDD+ activities. More REDD+ awareness raising events from the higher political to community level were suggested.

Source: UN-REDD Programme