Last week Pakistan completed a series of multi-stakeholder consultations on its legal and policy framework in relation to REDD+.  The objective of the consultations was to gather input and commentary on a draft assessment report. These workshops were held in Lahore, Karachi, Muzafarabad, while for the participants from Balcohistan, FATA, KP, and GB the workshop was held in Peshawar.  The final consultation took place in Islamabad on 29 September 2016 with participants from the forestry department, civil society, and the private sector.  As Pakistan is a country with decentralized management of its forests, participants from different regions sought ways to harmonize key aspects of forest management in order to facilitate the country’s treaty obligations under UNFCCC.  

Participants also discussed and provided detailed feedback on a number of key recommendations including the proposed institutional coordination mechanism, the need to formally recognize user rights in reserve forests, the need for land use planning at national and provincial levels, and the need for simplified management plans for community forests and private forests.  Participants also took a closer look at inheritance laws with regards to gender and considered how these could be more gender neutral.  The importance of addressing land and forest tenure in the context of REDD+ was highlighted.   

These workshops were organized by the FAO in collaboration with the Ministry of Climate Change.