Between 2010 and 2013, Ecuador used REDD+ SES to assess the social and environment performance of the National REDD+ Programme, establishing a country-level governance for the use of REDD+ SES in Ecuador, with country-specific interpretation and with assessment of performance with respect to the standards.
From 2013, Ecuador has started to build its Safeguards Information System to report on how REDD+ safeguards are addressed and respected using the experience with REDD+ SES.
From 2013, Ecuador has started to build its Safeguards Information System to report on how REDD+ safeguards are addressed and respected using the experience with REDD+ SES.
Governance
National Standards Committee
From 2011 to 2013, a National Standards Committee oversaw the implementation process of REDD+ SES in Ecuador, making decisions regarding the implementation of the standards when there are different opinions, reviewing the national interpretation of the indicators and the pilot implementation of the indicators to the Socio Bosque programme, an incentive-based policy for forest conservation.
The terms of reference of the National Committee were published in December 2010 along with a call for nominations from civil society and Indigenous peoples. Following the process with stakeholders, applications from civil society and indigenous peoples have been reviewed by the facilitation team.
Government
- Ministry of Environment
- Senplades (Planning Office)
- Peoples' Secretary
Civil Society
- Regional Amazon Coordination (ARA)
- Ecuadorian Coordination of Nature and Environment Defense Organizations (CEDENMA)
- Geojuvenil
- University of Loja
- Profafor
Indigenous Peoples
- Ríos Guacamayos community
- Nueva Tondolique community
- Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of the Ecuadorian Amazon (CONFENIAE)
- Federation of Chachi Centers of Ecuador (FECCHE)
- Northwestern Union of Farmers and Population Organizations of Pichincha (UNOCYPP)
Meetings of the National Standards Committee
- First Meeting - March 2011
- Second Meeting - May 2011 – Definition of Rules of Work
- Third & Fourth Meetings – July 2011 - Matrix of the national interpretation of REDD+ Social and Environmental Standards was reviewed and approved
- Fifth Meeting - November 2011 – Presentation of the monitoring plan and UN-REDD Participatory Governance Assessment initiative
- Sixth & Seventh Meetings – February 2012 – Nomination of 3 representatives to participate in a small working group to elaborate the PGA concept note and definition of the modalities for reporting back to the people/organisations they represent.
Between March and June 2012, the members of the Committee organized meetings with the people and/or organizations they represent to present the progress with using REDD+ SES and their involvement in the Committee.
The National Standards Committee has been dismissed in August 2012 while a REDD+ Working Roundtable (Mesa de Trabajo REDD+) has been established in July 2013 as a participation platform for the design and implementation of REDD+ in Ecuador.
Facilitation Team
From July 2010 until August 2012, the use of the REDD+ SES in Ecuador was facilitated by the Ministry of Environment of the Government of Ecuador, Conservation International Ecuador and CARE Ecuador. From September 2012, the facilitation team has been composed of the Ministry of Environment and Conservation International Ecuador, with the Ecuador UN-REDD Programme joining in February 2013.
Interpretation
Country-specific interpretation in Ecuador has been done through a series of workshops and working group sessions and through consultations.
A national workshop was held on 11-12 November 2010 with a broad range of stakeholders when draft specific indicators were developed and the proposal to create a National Committee was presented. The draft indicators were then posted on the Ministry website and disseminated for public comment for 2 December 2010 to 28 February 2011. To encourage the review of the REDD+ SES national interpretation by Indigenous Peoples and other forest-dependent communities, a first workshop was held with these groups in Riobamba, on 19-21 January, 2011 and a second workshop was held on 3-4 March, 2011 in the Valle de los Chillos.
The comments received were processed by the facilitation team using a matrix. A methodology was developed to analyze and incorporate the comments to the national interpretation received during the public consultation period. The matrix was then submitted to the legal department of the Ministry of Environment for review to ensure that the national interpretation was in accordance with the Ecuadorian legislation. Prior to the submission for approval of the final version of the national interpretation to the National Committee, the Ministry of Environment carried out a final revision.
The matrix, that shows comments from Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities’ representatives, the REDD+ SES international secretariat and the Ministry of Environment, was submitted to the National Committee for approval in June 2011. The members of the National Committee gave comments on the final draft version of the standards which were incorporated by the facilitation team. The final national standards interpretation was adopted during the National Committee’s meeting on 4th July 2011.
Assessment
From September to November 2011, a consultant developed a monitoring plan for the country-specific indicators identifying specific information to be collected, sources and methodology for each indicator.
The monitoring plan was used to pilot REDD+ SES to the Socio Bosque programme to assess the performance and applicability of indicators from April to June 2012. Based on the results of the pilot and additional and recommendations to mainstream gender, the indicators were reviewed. The revised version of country-specific indicators was presented to stakeholders and the National Standards Committee in a workshop in June 2012 and the final version of indicators was published in August 2012.
The results of Ecuador’s experience and lessons learned using REDD+ SES between 2010 and 2012 are compiled in a report and a series of factsheets.
Developing a Safeguards Information System
Since 2013, Ecuador has been developing a Safeguards Information Systems (SIS), harmonizing REDD+ SES with other relevant safeguards mechanisms for REDD+. The facilitation team developed new indicators based on Cancun safeguards and UN-REDD Social and Environmental Principles and Criteria, building on their experiences with REDD+ SES. In April 2014, an expert workshop was organized by the Ministry of Environment to receive feedback on a new draft of indicators for SIS.
The progress regarding the development of SIS were shared with REDD+ Working Roundtable. More information about the REDD+ Working Roundtable here.
The progress regarding the development of SIS were shared with REDD+ Working Roundtable. More information about the REDD+ Working Roundtable here.
