Forest Investment Programme (FIP)

On the eve of the latest visit of the Forest Investment Programme (FIP) to Peru (18 -20 February 2013), AIDESEP, the Peruvian national indigenous organisation, has sent a letter to the FIP mission denouncing the efforts of the Peruvian government to backtrack on previous commitments to recognise millions of hectares of untitled indigenous territories as part of their ‘Forest Investment Strategy’. 

Peruvian national indigenous peoples' organisation AIDESEP have written to the Forest Investment Programme expressing serious concerns that INDUFOR,  the team of consultants hired by the Peruvian government to develop a draft national investment plan, are still failing to address their key concerns and ensure their rights are safeguarded.

The 9th RRI Dialogue on Forests, Governance and Climate Change, co-organized with Forest Peoples Programme, Tebtebba and Forest Trends, took place in London, UK on 8 February 2011. The Dialogue drew together a number of key actors involved in REDD, including representatives from Indigenous Peoples organizations, governments of UK Mexico and Norway, the banking sector, NGOs and researchers.

The consensus emerging from the discussion was that REDD should not proceed before clear safeguards are put in place. Gregory Barker, British minister of State, Department for Energy and Climate Change outlined that before REDD projects take place, it is crucial to assess drivers of deforestation, secure clarity of land tenure and ensure equitable benefit-sharing for Indigenous Peoples. To that end, he assured that the UK government will apply safeguards in bilateral REDD agreements with Indigenous Peoples and local communities. Despite this commitment he avoided mentioning whether the UK would push for stronger safeguards in the readiness processes of the World Bank’s FCPF initiative.