Assuming full implementation of the current round of NDCs, land-use and forests are clearly a key component of the Paris Agreement, providing approximately a quarter of total emission reductions planned by countries. In order to achieve those intended emission reductions, agriculture commodity production will need to be a focus, as the main driver of deforestation and forest degradation worldwide. Sustainable forests and land-use management and a green agriculture economy offer tremendous opportunities which we can take advantage of by working closely with stakeholders in key commodity supply chains, from the producers to government and market actors.

Through the UN-REDD Programme, UNDP in partnership with UN Environment and FAO, has supported countries to advance REDD+ strategies and action plans in 32 countries, as well as investment plans that provide a coherent framework within which domestic fiscal policies and finance, private finance, and international finance for REDD+, can be integrated.

A cornerstone of these strategies is addressing expansion of agriculture commodity production as the main driver of deforestation and forest degradation worldwide. Consumed by billions of people every day, palm oil, soy, beef and other global commodities are dominant economic forces in many national and local economies. With economic development, the demand for these is ever-growing, but this cannot be at the cost of further pressure on our planet’s finite resources. Therefore, fixing one part of the supply chain while disregarding the rest does not work. Instead, national governments need to lead in establishing effective policies, laws, incentives and enforcement systems across the whole value chain.

The UNDP REDD+ team, in partnership with the Italian Ministry for the Environment, Land and Sea, is also supporting Ghana, Ecuador and Myanmar to access GCF REDD+ investment and results-based funding and to build strong links with private sector entities to tackle commodity-driven drivers of deforestation and forest degradation.

In order to provide a forum to highlight and discuss this topic, The UNDP REDD+ team, in coordination with the Green Commodities Programme and the Platform for the New York Declaration on Forests, hosted a side-event at COP23, on 15 November 2017. Mr. Achim Steiner, Administrator of UNDP, participated in the event, offering keynote remarks. Panellists represented the Ministries of Environment for Costa Rica and Ecuador, the Ministry of Health, Environment and Development, Cote d’Ivoire, The Ministry for the Environment, Land and Sea, Italy,as  well as Venchi chocolate company and Climate Focus. Dr. Naoko Ishii, CEO and Chairperson, offered closing remarks.

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