The UN-REDD Programme is the United Nations Collaborative Initiative on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+) in developing countries. The Programme was launched in 2008 and builds on the convening role and technical expertise of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and  United Nations Environment. The UN-REDD Programme supports nationally led REDD+ processes and promotes the informed and meaningful involvement of all stakeholders, including indigenous peoples and other forest-dependent communities, in national and international REDD+ implementation.

UNEP-WCMC has worked with national and international partners, through the UN-REDD Programme and the REDD-PAC project, to support a range of countries in their REDD+ planning and implementation. We help countries to assess the linkages between their REDD+ policies and safeguards, and other policy objectives, including National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs). Maps and innovative analysis of spatial information play a large role in this support.

We contribute to the UN-REDD Programme by leading UN Environments technical support to countries on multiple benefits and safeguards. We assist national governments in developing decision-making tools that support REDD+ planning. Our activities include:

• Working with national teams to identify and map the most valued national benefits from REDD+, such as biodiversity conservation and soil erosion control. We aim to build national capacity and work together to produce accessible, useful outputs. Countries include: Cambodia, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ecuador, Kenya, Mongolia, Nigeria, Panama, Paraguay, Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Uganda and Viet Nam. 
• Developing interactive spatial and economic tools to help ensure that decisions account for the costs and benefits of different REDD+ actions. Countries include: Cambodia, Peru and the Republic of Congo.
• Working collaboratively with partner agencies to develop resources on the UNFCCC safeguards for REDD+, and supporting the development of countries’ approaches to addressing and respecting the safeguards and plans for safeguard information systems. Countries include: Bhutan, Costa Rica, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ecuador, Equatorial Guinea, Mexico, Nigeria, Paraguay and Uganda.