Summary
Establishing internationally recognised social and environmental standards to guide national REDD+ policy and project design is critical to achieving effective, efficient and equitable social and environmental outcomes. REDD+ policy makers face a major challenge in establishing a set of safeguard policies that can be implemented, monitored and enforced at relatively low cost, and that are salient to carbon investors. In many REDD+ countries, discussions on safeguards are in their infancy and represent only a minor component of the overall REDD+ policy dialogue. REDD+ readiness initiatives focus primarily on carbon monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV), paying little attention to other core issues relating to safeguards. This chapter assesses the current state of international, national and project level social and environmental safeguards for forest-based climate mitigation.