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Coalition for Rainforest Nations
[last updated March 31, 2006 1:14 PM]
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General Information
Partnership website(s) |
Expected TimeframeJanuary 2005 - Open Ended |
Partners
Governments:
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Major Groups:
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| UN System:
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Other intergovernmental organizations:
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| Other:
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Thematic Focus
Primary Themes:
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Secondary Themes:
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Geographic Coverage
Geographic Scope: Global
Country(ies) where the partnership is being implemented: Costa Rica, Papua New Guinea |
National Focal Points
This partnership has not made any contact with the national focal points for sustainable development in the countries involved
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Goals and Objectives
Summary of the partnership's goals and objectives
The objective is ambitious ? forested tropical countries collaborating to reconcile forest stewardship with economic development: facilitating new and improved revenue streams in order to underpin community-driven environmentally sustainable economic growth.
The Rainforest Coalition will facilitate substantive change within existing international frameworks, national regulations, and corporate policies. Specific to Coalition Initiatives, the Rainforest Coalition will:
Standards: Establish methodologies, standards and compliance & reporting procedures related to rainforest management, biodiversity conservation, sustainable development and climate change
Regulation: Institute domestic regulatory frameworks which uphold the policies and standards developed by the membership while seeking appropriate reform within international regulatory frameworks
Market Access: Facilitate market correction leading to more equitable market access within international markets for carbon emissions trading and certified forest products
Negotiation: Develop a cohesive negotiation platform related to the standards, regulation and market access which underpin the interaction between Developing Nations and Industrialized Economies.
The Rainforest Coalition will facilitate substantive change within existing international frameworks, national regulations, and corporate policies. Specific to Coalition Initiatives, the Rainforest Coalition will:
Standards: Establish methodologies, standards and compliance & reporting procedures related to rainforest management, biodiversity conservation, sustainable development and climate change
Regulation: Institute domestic regulatory frameworks which uphold the policies and standards developed by the membership while seeking appropriate reform within international regulatory frameworks
Market Access: Facilitate market correction leading to more equitable market access within international markets for carbon emissions trading and certified forest products
Negotiation: Develop a cohesive negotiation platform related to the standards, regulation and market access which underpin the interaction between Developing Nations and Industrialized Economies.
Targets and Progress
Partnership targetsThe Rainforest Coalition endeavors to move from unsustainable to sustainable use of the forests, and in the process, members will be able to:
- Manage tropical rainforest areas in support of climate stability, biodiversity conservation, sustainable development and poverty alleviation - Improve the living standards of people living in forest area - Guarantee the long-term security of their living standards - Set a precedent for other similarly forested countries. The Rainforest Coalition seeks to achieve environmental sustainability by developing viable economic alternatives for tropical forest resource-owners through: - utilizing selective logging practices, - harnessing and remunerating the carbon sequestration and absorption capabilities of the rainforest, - by valuing biodiversity, - by facilitating eco-friendly community businesses and - by avoiding deforestation and the associated pulsed releases of carbon. Such innovation is necessary in order to reduce the destruction of the tropical rainforest while creating sustainable social and economic development. |
Progress against targetsThe Coalition will implement pilot projects in the next 2-3 months in one or two of the countries members of the coalition. The countries have to be chosen as yet.
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Capacity-Building and Technology Transfer
Arrangements for Capacity-Building and Technology Transfer
- Human resources development/training
Workshops: Writing guidelines that can be applied to multiples countries.
Relationship to International Agreements on Sustainable Development
How the partnership contributes to the implementation of Agenda 21, the Programme for the Further Implementation of Agenda 21, and the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation
The theme is forests. The management unit is the watershed, an area of land that drains freshwater from hillsides into ever-larger streams and, finally, into a single river that empties into the sea. There are several reasons why the watershed is a useful and salient unit for environmental management. First, it has clear and immutable geographic boundaries, defined by any metric. Second, the watershed defines the dependencies that downstream communities have on upland environments. Clearly, the onus for conservation is on the upland communities, while much of the benefits from conservation are felt downstream. Finally, effective environmental management of watersheds yields collateral benefits to many sectors relevant to the MDGs, to Agenda 21 and to the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation: hunger, poverty, health, water and sanitation, and cooperation, climate change (tropical deforestation is responsible for approximately 20% of total human-caused carbon dioxide emissions each year, and is a primary driver of extinction of forest species) to name a few.
Relevant Sections of Agenda 21
International cooperation to accelerate sustainable development in developing countries and related domestic policies; Combating poverty; Changing consumption patterns; Promoting sustainable human settlement development; Integrating environment and development in decision-making; Protection of the atmosphere; Integrated approach to the planning and management of land resources; Combating deforestation; Conservation of biological diversity; Protection of the quality and supply of freshwater resources: application of integrated approaches to the development, management and use of water resources; Recognizing and strengthening the role of indigenous people and their communities; Local authorities' initiatives in support of Agenda 21; Science for sustainable development; National mechanisms and international cooperation for capacity-building in developing countries; International legal instruments and mechanisms
Relevant Sections of the Programme for the Further Implementation of Agenda 21 Integration of economic, social and environmental objectives; Sectors and issues; Means of implementation
Relevant Sections of the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation Poverty eradication ; Changing unsustainable patterns of consumption and production ; Protection and managing the natural resource base of economic and social development ; Sustainable development in a globalizing world ; Sustainable development in Latin America and the Caribbean; Sustainable development in Asia and the Pacific; Sustainable development in the West Asia region
Coordination and Implementation
Coordination Mechanism of the PartnershipThe Coalition has an AdvisorBoard, composed by:
Ministerial Advisory Committee: Sir Rabbie Namaliu, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Immigration (Chairman), PNG; Hon. Carlos Manuel Rodriguez, Minister for Environment, Costa Rica Hon. Dr. Max Puig, Minister for Environment and Natural Resources, Dominican Republic Economic Advisory Committee: Dr. Geoffrey Heal - Committee Chairman Dr. Joseph Stiglitz Dr. Jeffrey Sachs Scientific Advisory Committee: Dr. Don Melinick - Committee Chairman Dr. Peter Frumhoff Dr. Ian Noble |
Implementation Mechanism of the PartnershipReform international regulatory, trade and economic frameworks to effectively align market incentives with sustainable outcomes. Through 2 years process, which will end with COP-13 and SBSTA 27 (November 2007), where final recommendation will be presented and finalized.
The Coalition is an intergovernmental organization with a secretariat at Columbia University. The Coalition is responsible for policy development, coordination and research. |
Resources
Funding Currently AvailableAmount in US$:
Source(s): Government - IGO - Other
Secretariat functions are supported by participating states, international agencies, and voluntary donations. The secretariat is managed under the auspices of Columbia University with net assets of approx. US$9 billion. |
Non-financial resources availableType(s):
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Funding SoughtRequired Amount in US$:
Source(s) already approached:
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Non-financial resources soughtRequirement(s):
Source(s) approached and details:
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Additional Information
Additional Relevant Information
December 9, 2005: COP-11 Approved Conclusion for Agenda Item #6: Reducing Emissions from Deforestation in Developing Countries: Approaches to Stimulate Action.
The Parties at the UN Climate Change Conference overwhelming supported the proposal by Papua New Guinea and Costa Rica seeking consideration of approaches to reduce emissions from deforestation in developing countries.
Considered at the COP-11 Plenary Meeting held at 10am on 30 November 2005, the agenda item was supported by the G77 & China, the European Union, the African Congress, the Alliance of Small Island States and individually by Australia, Brazil, Japan, Korea, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States and many others.
The COP set up a 2 year framework on which:
- It invited Parties and accredited observers to submit to the secretariat, by 31 March 2006, their views on issues relating to reducing emissions from deforestation in developing countries, focusing on relevant scientific, technical and methodological issues, and the exchange of relevant information and experiences, including policy approaches and positive incentives.
- It requested the secretariat to organize, subject to the availability of supplementary funding, a workshop on this item before the twenty-fifth session of the SBSTA (November 2006), and to prepare a report of the workshop for consideration by the SBSTA at that session. The COP requested the SBSTA to consider the scope of the workshop at its twenty-fourth session, taking into consideration the submissions by Parties referred above.
March 13-14, 2006: UNFCCC Focal Points and technical advisors attended a high-level policy workshop, organized by the Coalition, to prepare 'Submissions of Views' to meet the deadline of March 31, 2005 for for UNFCCC Parties and accredited observers. The purpose was to seek common ground and develop consensus in advance of the submission deadline. Partially sponsored by PROFOR and the World Bank, national participants hailed from Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Pacific, including: Bolivia, CAR, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Gabon, Guatemala, Indonesia, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Papua New Guinea, etc.
The Parties at the UN Climate Change Conference overwhelming supported the proposal by Papua New Guinea and Costa Rica seeking consideration of approaches to reduce emissions from deforestation in developing countries.
Considered at the COP-11 Plenary Meeting held at 10am on 30 November 2005, the agenda item was supported by the G77 & China, the European Union, the African Congress, the Alliance of Small Island States and individually by Australia, Brazil, Japan, Korea, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States and many others.
The COP set up a 2 year framework on which:
- It invited Parties and accredited observers to submit to the secretariat, by 31 March 2006, their views on issues relating to reducing emissions from deforestation in developing countries, focusing on relevant scientific, technical and methodological issues, and the exchange of relevant information and experiences, including policy approaches and positive incentives.
- It requested the secretariat to organize, subject to the availability of supplementary funding, a workshop on this item before the twenty-fifth session of the SBSTA (November 2006), and to prepare a report of the workshop for consideration by the SBSTA at that session. The COP requested the SBSTA to consider the scope of the workshop at its twenty-fourth session, taking into consideration the submissions by Parties referred above.
March 13-14, 2006: UNFCCC Focal Points and technical advisors attended a high-level policy workshop, organized by the Coalition, to prepare 'Submissions of Views' to meet the deadline of March 31, 2005 for for UNFCCC Parties and accredited observers. The purpose was to seek common ground and develop consensus in advance of the submission deadline. Partially sponsored by PROFOR and the World Bank, national participants hailed from Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Pacific, including: Bolivia, CAR, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Gabon, Guatemala, Indonesia, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Papua New Guinea, etc.