Real-time evaluation of Norway’s international climate and forest initiative: contributions to national REDD+ Processes 2007-2010, country report: Democratic Republic of Congo

Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is a high forest cover – low deforestation rate country emerging from a long period of political and civil instability that eroded public and social institutions. The purpose of this evaluation is to assess the Norwegian support to the formulation and implementation of a national strategy for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) in DRC.

The paper states that Norway’s International Climate and Forest Initiative (NICFI) supports an REDD+ process in the country through a number of multilateral mechanisms and programmes. The document finds that the effectiveness and relevance of NICFI financing and support in terms of REDD in DRC appears to be medium to high.

Key recommendations for support to DRC REDD readiness process by NICFI, and the implementing agencies it is supporting, are as follows:

• continue to support the implementation of the Readiness Preparation Proposal (R-PP) with vigour and through the existing mechanisms
• submit the Congo Basin Forest Fund (CBFF) to an open and formal review at an early stage
• consider the need to mobilise additional financial resources within or outside the CBFF to enable it to fund the necessary REDD+ pilot projects in DRC
• consider mobilising more direct support to the land tenure reform agenda of DRC
• give higher priority to investing in supporting land-use planning processes with a high level of local participation at provincial level
• support DRC in the design and implementation of a low-carbon development strategy, and support effective decentralisation of the REDD+ process