Assessment of financing needs for Laos’ REDD+ preparedness République démocratique populaire lao

Context of the service

Laos submitted a first draft of its REDD+ Preparedness Plan (R-PP) to the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) in August 2010. At the same time, the French Government committed €250 million to support the rapid start of the REDD+ mechanism between 2010 and 2012, of which €135 million was to be channelled through the French Development Agency (AFD). AFD therefore sought to identify Laos' financing needs to continue its REDD+ preparation efforts.
The tenth round table of donors in Laos took place in Vientiane in October 2010 and was identified by AFD as an opportunity for the announcement and discussion of a possible collaboration on REDD+ with Laos. In preparation for this event, AFD requested expertise to assess the progress and planning in the implementation of the REDD+ preparedness strategy in Laos and identify aspects on which French support could be relevant.
L'AFD était notamment soucieuse d'intégrer son appui à une démarche régionale à l'échelle du grand Mékong, aussi la faisabilité de cette approche a été particulièrement étudiée.

Services provided

22 actors involved were interviewed during a mission to Vientiane and an in-depth analysis of Lao PPR was carried out. This exercise identified eight issues on which funding and support from new donors were expected:
- The fight against illegal logging,
- Economically viable alternatives to slash-and-burn, involving the private sector,
- The establishment and functioning of the coordinating body of the REDD+ process (REDD+ office),
- The development of a National REDD+ Fund,
- Improvement of the system for monitoring, reporting and verifying changes in forest carbon stocks (MRV),
- Participation and awareness around REDD+ issues,
- Improvement of the GHG emissions reference scenario developed for R-PP,
- Pilot/demonstration activities.
For each of these issues, the following aspects were studied:
- The interest of stakeholders in the issue,
- Importance with regard to national strategies,
- The relevance of addressing the issue through a regional approach,
- The level of funding required,
- Funding opportunities and participation for AFD.

Summary of the service

Assessment of financing needs for Laos' REDD+ preparation and support opportunities by AFD: Identification of key issues (illegal logging, slash-and-burn felling, National REDD+ Fund, public awareness, etc.); In-depth analysis for each key issue (interest of stakeholders, importance with regard to national strategies, treatment of the issue at the regional level, need for financing, opportunity for AFD involvement).