Myanmar Launches the UN-REDD National Programme to Protect Forests and Contribute to Global Efforts to Address Climate Change
USD 5.5 Million in Funds to Support and Protect Forests
Nay Pyi Taw – 27 January 2017: A national programme aiming at preparing the country to participate in an international policy initiative to mitigate climate change through avoiding deforestation and forest degradation was launched in Nay Pyi Taw today by the Union Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation, H.E. U Ohn Winn.
The UN-REDD National Programme of Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) runs for four years until 2020, and has a total budget of over USD 5.5M provided through the Government of Norway. It will enhance the capacities of Government departments, communities, and other actors to conserve forests and manage them in a sustainable manner and develop technical, and governance systems to support this.
While about 43 percent of Myanmar’s land is covered by forests, the country has the third highest deforestation rate in the world. When forests are cut down or degraded, carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas, is emitted to the atmosphere and traps solar radiation. This raises temperatures on the earth and leads to climate change.
“In Myanmar, the potential for the mitigation of climate change through reducing deforestation and forest degradation is comparatively high,” said H.E U Ohn Winn. Data collected by the Forest Department indicates the annual rate of forest loss for the last 10 to 15 years is between 1.22% and 1.96% while the rate of reducing of closed forests which goes largely into open forests and other woodland is between 4.63% and 4.81% annually.
“The government of Myanmar together with other public and private stakeholders have recognized the challenges and initiated a national programme to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, commonly referred to as REDD+. UNDP together with FAO and UNEP have been supporting these efforts since 2012 through the UN-REDD programme,” said Mr. Peter Batchelor, UNDP Myanmar Country Director. “We are very happy and honored to contribute to the REDD+ efforts of the government and other stakeholders in Myanmar, and thank the Government of Norway for their generous support.”
Ms. Xiaojie Fan , FAO Representative, Myanmar said, “The UN-REDD National Programme is important to help the forest sector in Myanmar take advantage of this opportunity for leadership, building on the collaborative approach of three UN agencies working jointly with government and civil society counterparts.”
The UN-REDD Programme is the United Nations collaborative initiative on Reducing Emission from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) in developing countries and builds on the convening role and technical expertise of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
You can find the video of our Launching event through the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzYtPArsn6g.
