Effort to access GCF REDD+ results-based payments restarted

The climate change measures of Lao PDR achieved emissions reductions and removals of approximately 14 million tCO2e from Lao forests over the period of 2015 to 2018. With these results in hand, and in cooperation with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), in September 2020 the Government of Lao PDR submitted a concept note to apply to the REDD+ results-based payment pilot programme of the Green Climate Fund (GCF). Unfortunately, the pilot programme works on a first-come, first-served basis, and other countries were funded by it at that time. Lao PDR thus became one of four ‘pipeline countries’ waiting for the next phase of the programme to start.

Following four years of consideration, at long last the GCF decided to begin the next phase. At the same time, it made the decision to provide additional funds on an exceptional basis to Lao PDR and the other pipeline countries. In response, JICA, the Department of Forestry (DOF) and F-REDD 2 are working towards submitting their funding proposal, which had been sitting on the back-burner, to the GCF.

Information that has become outdated since the concept note was submitted in 2020 must first be updated and, moreover, discussions between JICA and the DOF need to be reflected in the funding proposal. To this end, a JICA mission visited Vientiane in September 2024 and finalized the funding proposal together with the DOF and other concerned ministries. The proposal is now in the formal approving process between JICA and the Government of Lao PDR and is moving toward submission to the GCF.

Lao PDR has already received REDD+ results-based payment from the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) Carbon Fund (*1). We all hope that this opportunity to receive from the GCF a second results-based payment will be realized, rewarding Lao PDR’s REDD+ efforts, and that it will be used for further forest conservation.

*1: For more information on the FCPF Carbon Fund, click here.
https://www.jica.go.jp/oda/project/201904177/en_news/20231103.html