Vientiane, August 25, 2014 – The Government of Lao PDR and the World Bank signed a grant agreement for US$ 3.6 million provided by the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF). The grant aims to support the Government to develop a national strategy for the reduction of deforestation and forest degradation.
As approximately 12% of global greenhouse gases emissions come from deforestation and degradation, developing the means and strategic approach to save forests is critical for mitigating climate change, and Lao PDR is already experiencing the negative impacts of climate changes and loss of forests. This is especially important for Asia and the Pacific, where over 780 million hectares of forests are found, and approximately 9.5 million hectares of forests are in Lao PDR. The grant will support the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry Department of Forestry, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, and other stakeholders to improve sustainable forest management.
Since the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility Participants’ Committee approved Lao PDR’s Readiness Preparation Proposal in November 2010, the Government has been working on the institutional framework for implementing and piloting the Reduction of Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+) activities. The grant will further encourage this work, so that Lao PDR will eventually be eligible to participate in and benefit from future incentive payment programs that would reduce greenhouse gases emissions in the forest sector.
The grant is part of the World Bank’s ongoing support to strengthening natural resource management through the Scaling-Up Participatory Sustainable Forest Management (SUPSFM) Project.
