Papua New Guinea (PNG) has taken a global lead in seeking to combat climate change since 2005, at COP11 in Montreal, Canada, when PNG and Costa Rica introduced the concept of REDD+ to the United Nation Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), particularly by proposing measures to realise the carbon abatement opportunity offered by preserving and sustainably managing tropical forests. Since then, the Government of Papua New Guinea (GoPNG) through the Climate Change and Development Authority (CCDA) and its key stakeholders with support from development partners have progressed REDD+ readiness, demonstration and implementation in the country.
Under the UNFCCC P N G has established all four REDD+ design elements (National REDD+ Strategy, Forest Reference Level, National Forest Monitoring System, and Safeguard Information System) required for participating in REDD+ as outlined in the Warsaw Framework. To ensure social and environmental risks are minimized and that benefits from REDD+ implementation are enhanced, the CCDA have developed and completed specific safeguards guidelines to strengthen PNG’s adherence to UNFCCC safeguard requirement. The National REDD+ Safeguards Guidelines developed include the;
The National REDD+ Safeguards Guidelines were developed to ensure that REDD+ activities do not have adverse impacts on the environment and the communities that depend on forests. The guidelines cover a range of issues, including: the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities to participate in decision-making processes related to REDD+ activities; the need to respect the knowledge and traditional practices of indigenous peoples and local communities; the importance of protecting biodiversity and other ecosystem services in the areas where REDD+ activities are being implemented; the need to avoid or minimize negative impacts on forests and forest-dependent communities, including impacts on the livelihoods of these communities; among others. The guidelines also emphasize the importance of monitoring and reporting on the social and environmental impacts of REDD+ activities to ensure that they are consistent with the goals of sustainable development and climate change mitigation. The revision and updating of these safeguards guidelines were supported by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and partnered with other line agencies as outlined in the National REDD+ Strategy (NRS).
This event has been organized through the support from FAO through the GCF Readiness Project and the Australian Government funded project to launch the National REDD+ Safeguards Guidelines.
The 27th Conference of Parties (COP27) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Cairo, Egypt, in November this year will see 192 members converge to discuss, among other key issues on climate change, the Climate Pact update promised in Glasgow (COP26) last year. The Pact includes pledges from developed countries totalling US $100 billion dollars per year to help developing countries, including Papua New Guinea tackle climate change.
PNG submitted the Enhanced Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to the UNFCCC in December 2020 along with Implementation Plan and Roadmap. The NDC is aligned to PNG’s Vision 2050, Medium Term Development Plan III 2018- 2022, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 30 actions by 2030 Roadmap. The NDC is enabled by the amended Climate Change (Management) Act 2021, and the UN Paris Agreement (Implementation) Act 2016. However, the challenges and opportunities in addressing climate change at the domestic level must be explored in concert between Government agencies and the private sector, development partners, civil society and communities like never before.
PNG’s private sector is one of the largest in the Pacific region and there is a need to strengthen and accelerate the engagement between the public and private sector to access climate finance both at the domestic and international level. The Summit will discuss the enabling policies, tools and frameworks that PNG is developing to effectively engage the private sector in addressing climate change in the country’.
The second National Climate Change Summit (‘Summit 22’) calls on PNG to discuss the challenges and opportunities of addressing climate change collectively as one, strengthen coordination and contribution roles, and explore partnership to meet climate change targets 2030 and 2050.
The main objective of this event is to launch the following documentations: