In December 2019 Argentina submitted, with support from UN-REDD, the safeguards information summary and the REDD+ results Technical Annex (TA) of the Biennial Update Report (BUR) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). With these submissions, which sum up to the strengthening of its National Monitoring System of Native Forests and the early 2019 submission on national REDD+ strategy (called the National Action Plan on Forests and Climate Change (PANByCC for its Spanish acronym) and on forest reference emission level, Argentina finalizes its REDD+ readiness phase and completes the Warsaw Framework for REDD+.
Argentina is among the pioneering countries reporting concrete emission reductions (165 mill tCO2 equivalent reduced only for the 2014-2016 period), and with the important steps undertaken this month it is paving its way for potential access to Results Based Payments schemes - such as the Green Climate Fund RBP pilot programme. Other countries in LAC region that have completed the REDD+ readiness phase and moved towards or already achieved RBP are Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Paraguay.
The country celebrated REDD+ progress and the advanced results of the UN-REDD National Programme already during the Climate week in July 2019. In that circumstance the Secretariat (now Ministry) of Environment and Sustainable Development clearly stated “a stage ends, but not the work we have in front of us and for which we have huge expectations”.
The Government indeed continued to show its commitment and dedication to reducing deforestation and degradation and the enhancement of forest carbon stocks and - supported by the UN-REDD National Programme national and regional teams - pushed on the accelerator to finalize the fulfilment of the UNFCCC requirements.
To complete the pillars, the first Argentina´s Safeguards Information summary (SoI) was submitted to the UNFCCC and its safeguards information system (SIS) completed, and made available online. The preparation of Argentina’s first SoI and SIS has been a consultative, multi-stakeholder process, led by the government. The summary reports on how REDD+ safeguards have been addressed and respected between 2014 and 2019 in the design and implementation of the National Action Plan on Forests and Climate Change. The document details the regulatory framework to address REDD+ safeguards, information on the alignment of the PANByCC actions with the REDD+ safeguards, and the application of the regulatory framework through institutions, frameworks, mechanisms and plans. The summary also describes the SIS which was implemented with the objective of providing information on how REDD+ safeguards are being addressed and respected throughout the implementation of REDD+ activities in the country.
The REDD+ TA, submitted along with the Third Biennial Update Report (BUR), reports a reduction of GHG emissions by deforestation of 165M tCO2eq for the period 2014-2016. The emission reductions have been calculated on the basis of the Forest Reference Emissions Level of 101,141,848.17 MtCO2eq. Thanks to the demonstration of the achieved emission reductions – among other requirements - the country is now eligible to start requesting results-based payments.
Argentina needs to be praised not only for its important progress in REDD+ and clear emission reductions results, but also for being among the pioneer countries establishing synergies and connections between the REDD+ process and the Paris Agreement National Determined Contributions. Making best use of these synergies, in the last months of 2019 Argentina, initiated the revision and systematization of the mitigation measures of its NDC for the (native) forest sector, updating the National Action Plan on Forests and Climate Change with aspects of gender and participation, and developing a long-term strategy of low emissions for the agroforestry and forest sectors by 2050. These important efforts will contribute to moving forward in the implementation of climate change mitigation and adaptation commitments, in accordance with the ratified Paris Agreement.
For more information on REDD+ in Argentina click here.
