It is now recognised that the global average temperature rise must be limited to two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Emissions from the forestry sector must be reduced. REDD+ is a mechanism proposed under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which stands for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation, 'plus' the conservation of forest carbon stocks, sustainable management of forests, and the enhancement of forest carbon stocks. The aim of REDD+ is to incentivize emissions reduction from the forest sector in developing countries.

UNEP-WCMC collaborated with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to develop the Voluntary REDD+ Database on behalf of the REDD+ Partnership and to analyse the state of REDD+ finance reported to the database for 2012 and 2013. The database captures voluntarily deposited information about: how much money has been committed by governments and institutions for REDD+ related actions; which countries and institutions receive the finance, over what timescales; and what types of action are financed. The database is currently managed and hosted by FAO.