REDD+ in Papua New Guinea and the Protection of the REDD+ Safeguard to Ensure the Full and Effective Participation of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities

Abstract

REDD offers a lucrative opportunity to governments of tropical rainforest countries for climate change mitigation. In an effort to achieve financially attractive REDD initiatives, it is often the case that ‘equitable outcomes’, particularly the participation rights of indigenous communities living in and around REDD project areas, are sacrificed. To protect against this, an international REDD safeguard concerning the participation of indigenous peoples has been developed and was recently linked to the likelihood of developing countries receiving financial assistance for REDD initiatives. However, as demonstrated by a review of Papua New Guinea’s current REDD regulatory regime, the promotion and protection of this REDD safeguard has proven difficult given the political, social and economic imperatives often surrounding the implementation of REDD in tropical rainforest countries

Keywords: REDD, Papua New Guinea, safeguards, FPIC, climate change, indigenous communities, participation