Project News

Mr. Vongsiharath (right) and Ms. Makimoto (left)

The 1st Joint Coordination Committee (JCC)^[1] was held on November 12th, 2015 at Vientiane Plaza Hotel. The meeting was chaired by Mr. Vongdeuane Vongsiharath, Director General, MONRE-DFRM and co chaired by Ms. Saeda Makimoto, Senior Representative, JICA Laos Office.

The Project was introduced to a total of 40 participants from the MONRE-DFRM, MAF-DOF, Luang Prabang Provincial Office, Embassy of Japan, JICA Laos office, and JICA Expert Team, also a Q&A session and discussions were held to clarify the future direction of the Project.

The chair, Mr. Vongsiharath gave the opening remarks, emphasizing the high expectations of the Project such as support in revising the Forest Strategy 2020 and other important policies; in meeting international requirements including submission of FREL/FRL^[2] (Forest Reference Emission Level/Forest Reference Level) and MRV^[3] (Measurement, Reporting and Verification) to the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change); in gaining funding from the FCPF^[4] (Forest Carbon Partnership Facility), and in preparing for REDD+^[5] implementation in Luang Prabang Province.

The Provincial Office gave positive feedback regarding the Project support in strengthening the foundation to expand the Participatory Land and Forest Management Project for Reducing Deforestation (PAREDD) Approach, which is one of the activities of the Project (Output 4). Furthermore, the REDD+ readiness in Luang Prabang was discussed. The project including the Work Plan and the Detailed Plan of Operation were officially approved through the discussion and Q&A session.