Climate Action 2014-2015

DEFORESTATION AND REDD+
forests; the international community
needs to deliver on its promise to
include large scale economic incentives
for reduced forest emissions in any new
climate agreement; the private sector
needs to eliminate deforestation from its
supply chains; indigenous peoples must
be empowered to continue to play the
critical role which they have historically
played in protecting forests; and CSOs
can provide critical expertise and support
to all of these actors, as well as keep us all
accountable.
The most powerful aspect of the
Summit was the dialogue and spirit of
co-operation between these diverse
stakeholders. In the run-up to the
Summit and on the day itself, it was
encouraging to hear leaders from the
different sectors lay out what they can
bring to the table, and express clearly
what they need in return in order to
address deforestation.
PRIVATE SECTOR RESPONSE
Agriculture has been a major driver
of tropical deforestation. The past year,
however, has seen substantial progress
as major global traders of palm oil,
representing 60 per cent of the global
trade, have adopted zero-deforestation
policies. At the Summit a joint palm oil
pledge was announced by the Indonesian
Chamber of Commerce in partnership
with major palm oil producers Golden
Agri-Resources, Wilmar International
and Cargill, covering all their operations
as well as those of their suppliers. These
companies committed to principles
aimed at ensuring zero deforestation,
protecting human rights, and promoting
social development, and called on
producer governments to codify all
elements of their pledge in laws and
enforce them.
PROGRESS FOR NEXT YEAR
According to Helen Clark, what
needs to happen between now
and 2015’s COP in Paris?
Developing forest countries can
put forward nationally-determined
mitigation contributions which
include ambitious goals and
policies to reduce forest loss
and increase reforestation. They
could identify how much they
can achieve unilaterally, as well
as how much more they could do
with international support. They
should continue to enhance their
implementation and enforcement
of land-use reforms to grow their
economies through decoupling
deforestation from growth in
agricultural output. This will take
political will, and the international
community needs to support these
efforts.
Advanced economies need to
deliver large-scale economic
incentives in the context of
the new climate agreement.
In particular, we need to see
predictable, large-scale, and
sustainable REDD+ payments for
performance as part of the Paris
deal, either as part of countries’
nationally-determined mitigation
contributions, or through climate
finance. If 2014 was the year
when the private sector came
forward in full force to tackle
deforestation, 2015 should be the
year when governments respond
and deliver in full force on the
promise of REDD+, which
they have worked hard over the
last seven years to design. The
importance of this can hardly
be overstated – the two degree
warming limit is in the balance.
The private sector must
eliminate deforestation from
its supply chains without delay.
This will mean broadening
the scope of progressive
sustainability practices to cover
other commodities, and to
include more key companies in
both developed and developing
countries. This will also require
governments of both developed
and developing countries to
create enabling environments
for companies to achieve
these goals, through policy
and governance reforms,
technical assistance and finance,
and, critically, matching the
supply chain commitments
of the leading private sector
companies.
Indigenous peoples must be
empowered to continue to play
the vital role that they have
historically played in protecting
forests. That means we need
to see governments formalise
and protect their rights, and the
private sector must respect their
right to give or withhold free,
prior and informed consent. We
must see conflicts resolved in
a manner consistent with good
governance, equity and respect
for human rights.
This positive private sector engagement
must be nurtured and encouraged.
At the Summit, we heard very clearly
from CEOs of major companies like
Unilever, Cargill, Asia Pulp and Paper
and Golden Agri-Resources how
government policies in the forest
countries where they operate and in
the developed countries where many
of their goods are consumed have a
"Major global traders of
palm oil, representing 60 per
cent of the global trade, have
adopted zero-deforestation
policies."
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