Description:
This discussion forum will address, based on CIFOR research in interaction with partners, the challenges and opportunities presented by the full participation of non-state (e.g. private sector) and subnational government actors in efforts to address climate change on the ground. The presentations are based on comparative research on multilevel challenges conducted in 54 sites of land use change in 11 subnational landscapes in five countries (Peru, Indonesia, Mexico, Vietnam and Tanzania); in-depth studies of the design of monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) systems in two countries (Peru and Mexico); and research on private sector commitments (e.g. through the NAZCA platform). The research finds that the private sector is becoming increasingly active and influential in the climate debate but is very heterogeneous; there is considerable justification for the UNFCCC to develop guidance for engagement. Similarly, subnational governments are often overlooked, treated as incompetent or “too political”, or seen only as charged with implementing central directives in spite of having important influence over some aspects of local land use and over local citizens. The results highlight the importance of understanding multiple perspectives for the design of effective and equitable solutions, of leadership that challenges business as usual in multiple arenas and of collaboration and innovation with new commitments to transparency and capacity building.
Five panelists representing subnational regions, indigenous territories, the finance sector, NGOs and the research sector will draw from their own experiences to promote discussion on the research findings and examples of solutions.
Key questions addressed:
- What are the major challenges to public and private sectors and civil society to working more closely together in efforts to address climate change on the ground (including addressing deforestation and degradation drivers, meeting private sector commitments and transforming economies in equitable and sustainable ways)?
- How can we work together across sectors to address climate change on the ground? We would like to hear about successes, progress on the ground, and how challenges were overcome. What do you want the people in this room to know that can help us all move forward?
Background reading:
- Enhancing transparency in the land sector under the Paris Agreement: Non-state actors and corporate pledges, from rhetoric to reality
- Multilevel governance challenges in transitioning towards a national approach for REDD+: evidence from 23 subnational REDD+ initiatives
- REDD+ at a critical juncture: assessing the limits of polycentric governance for achieving climate change mitigation
- Analyzing multilevel governance in Indonesia: Lessons for REDD+ from the study of landuse change in Central and West Kalimantan
- The complexity of governance: The complicated multi-level, multi-jurisdictional landscape of Madre de Dios, Peru
- NAZCA: Accelerating climate action
