Legal and Institutional Foundations for the National Implementation of REDD. Lessons from Early Experience in Developing and Developed Countries

This Policy Brief is an edited extract from a report that analysed the design and implementation issues related to national legal frameworks for reduced emissions from deforestation and forest degradation ("REDD"), broadly defined. The report reviewed existing approaches by developing and developed countries and drew out initial lessons and issues. It is the first stage in a proposed larger project that will, by working with developing and developed countries and supporting institutions, produce a package of "offthe- shelf" legislative tools to assist countries take advantage of a range of possible REDD mechanisms. The package will consist of two main sections: (i) an options paper describing the initial policy decisions that a country will need to make before beginning national implementation, the main options available for each decision, and the implications of each option; and (ii) legislative building blocks that would be adapted by countries to local circumstances. The report was commissioned in conjunction with the UN-REDD Programme as the first stage in UNDP’s work on Governance MRV Frameworks under the UN-REDD Programme’s International Support Functions.