Rainforests and Indigenous Peoples
In 2018, Knut was contracted by Rainforest Foundation Norway (RFN) to undertake a global mid-term review of the five-year programme “Rights-based REDD+: Indigenous peoples as guardians of the rainforest”. The programme was funded by the Norwegian International Climate and Forest Initiative, focusing on capacity building and targeted advocacy interventions to influence the national and global design of REDD+. The framework for REDD+ was created by the UNFCCC Conference of the Parties (COP) to guide activities in the forest sector that reduces emissions from deforestation and forest degradation.
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The RFN programme focused on how to influence the design of safeguards to protect biodiversity and the rights of Indigenous Peoples. This entailed developing guidelines for Free Prior and Informed Consent, advocating for land rights and helping to access climate-related funding opportunities for Indigenous Peoples and forest-dependent communities, as well as building a strong global civil society alliance towards UNFCCC and global funds such as the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility and the Green Climate Fund.
The review focused on the partnership model as well as capacity building and competences provided by RFN partners, with fieldwork and case studies from Indonesia and Brazil.
