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The pulp and paper, timber, and rubber companies in the Lower Mekong Region face a pervasive risk of involvement in deforestation, human rights violations, and other unsustainable practices in their operations and supply chains. To mitigate this risk, companies and the financial sector must be aware of the harm associated with financing activities that negatively impact natural capital and recognize the benefits of preventing such destruction. In August, the UN-REDD programme published a research paper mapping the main companies in these sectors, and their financiers, assessing their policies for mitigating deforestation risks, evaluating the effectiveness of the region's financial sector policy environment, and providing recommendations for collaborating with the financial sector and regulators to protect natural capital while promoting economic development.

Equity has featured prominently in international climate change discourse since the establishment of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 1992. Looking forward, equity is expected to be of even greater relevance in this year’s hoped for landmark climate agreement, to be finalized at the 21st Conference of the Parties (COP21) in Paris. Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) remains a focal point of global debate at the intersection of forest and climate change policy. While the exact financing mechanism for REDD+ has yet to be determined, it is clear that demonstrating equity will be an essential part of accessing REDD+ payments and financing in the future. At the national level, Cambodia recognizes the importance of equity for ensuring an effective REDD+ framework. Therefore, this brief is designed to present key REDD+ equity challenges as identified by national policy makers and other stakeholders in Cambodia and potential solutions to address those challenges. By highlighting national equity priorities identified during a workshop held in advance of COP21, we aim to ensure that future capacity development efforts are directed where there is the greatest need and national buy-in. Priority REDD+ and forest governance equity elements identified in Cambodia include: participation and decision-making, governance and regulations, and access to information.

Considerable debate has developed in recent years over the potential of Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) to either rectify or exacerbate social inequities in tropical forest countries. Despite agreement on the importance of equity issues in REDD+, few studies have considered differences in equity and equitable outcomes as understood at national and local levels, and related contextspecific barriers that frustrate the achievement of equitable outcomes. This paper surveys perceptions of REDD+ related challenges to equity and potential solutions of forestry decision-makers and practitioners in three Mekong countries. Responses were analyzed from two sets of workshops conducted at the national and subnational levels in Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Viet Nam from 2013 to 2015. The paper draws on a framework for analysis of equity developed in recent REDD+ research, and eight “equity elements” developed in the course of the first set of workshops. Participant responses were compared across workshops in the same countries (i.e., national level versus local level) and across countries. Responses also were compared with recent literature on equity in REDD+ and forest governance in each country. The results show that perceptions of equity differ deeply on international, national, and subnational levels. Participation, access to information, and benefit sharing were the most common equity challenges cited across groups, with tenure also seen as important. Workshop participants’ concerns regarding equity were highly interrelated, suggesting that work on equity is mutually reinforcing. Participants’ views on key equity challenges largely supported external research findings. However, feedback also suggested participation and access to information (at least in Cambodia and Viet Nam, respectively) are more important equity issues than seen in literature. Recommendations based on the work include: -Further research to better understand the local level perceptions on equity, enabling more targeted capacity development efforts.-Capacity development initiatives should include further efforts to increase awareness among forest communities of forest governance and REDD+ related rights and mechanisms. The awareness raising should include utilizing the potential of increasing internet and mobile communication coverage.-Current capacity development programs for subnational level government officials, on a wide range of technical skills (e.g., training on relevant laws, policies, and regulations) and ‘soft’ skills (e.g., participatory facilitation and communications with local communities), needs to be revisited and strengthened.