With commitments now totaling US$169.9 million, the UN-REDD Programme starts 2013 with more donor support than ever.

Since the UN-REDD Programme was launched in September 2008 with an initial pledge of US$35 million from Norway, the Programme's donor base has grown to also include support from Denmark, the European Union, Japan, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and Spain. Contributions from these six generous donors now total US$169.9 million.

Among the newest contributions to the UN-REDD Programme is a recent deposit of US$34.8million from Norway to support the Programme's activities in 2013. This deposit is approximately US$15 million more than Norway initially pledged for this year. Norway's contributions to the UN-REDD Programme now total US$141.2 million.

In addition to the contributions for 2013 already deposited by Norway, the European Union (EU) and Luxembourg have both recently signed donor agreements totaling US$15.6 million (US$13 million from the EU and US$2.6 million from Luxembourg) with the UN-REDD Programme's Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office, which administers donor contributions to the REDD Programme.

In January 2013, Denmark pledged US$1.8 million, which is pending final approval by relevant authorities, adding to their previous contributions of US$8 million between 2009 and 2012. Spain also increased its contribution in 2012 by US$648,000, bringing their total deposit to the fund to US$2 million. Japan's commitments remain at more than US$3 million.

The UN-REDD Programme continues to be incredibly grateful to these donors for their vital contributions, which allow the Programme to provide technical and financial support to 46 partner countries across Africa, Asia-Pacific and Latin American and the Caribbean. Visit www.un-redd.org to learn more about how the UN-REDD Programme and its donors are helping countries to advance their REDD+ readiness and implementation efforts. More information on contributions, transfers and expenditures is available on the MPTF Office GATEWAY page.