Paraguay has been actively involved in the process of building the REDD+ mechanism. Furthermore, the country has asked several organisms such as the World Bank and the United Nations for support for building the capabilities that enable the creation of national REDD+ plan. So much so that, since 2008, the Government of Paraguay and the UN-REDD are working together to establish a national program of UN-REDD that will be extended until 2016. The main objective is to strengthen PNC national and local development of a political and legal framework for the successful implementation of REDD + in Paraguay, with a strong interaction with indigenous people and rural communities capabilities.

To achieve this target the following results are expected to be reached:

  1. Improving the institutional and technical capacity of government and civil organizations to manage REDD+ activities in Paraguay.
  2. Ability to manage REDD+ locally.
  3. Increased awareness and support for REDD+ to communities that depend on forests, including indigenous peoples and other stakeholders in the country.

To achieve these results, the national program will be working on key issues such as governance, capacity building, drivers of deforestation, the legal and institutional framework, multiple benefits, social and environmental safeguards, funding, resolution mechanism of conflicts and complaints.

The ParLU Initiative

ParLU (Paraguay Land Use), is an initiative of WWF Paraguay and Germany, which seeks to support the full implementation of REDD+ and Payments for Ecosystem Services in Paraguay. This initiative is funded by the German Federal Ministry of the Environment (BMUB). ParLU works with both key national stakeholders and local communities that must implement REDD+. WWF Paraguay runs the initiative with local partners like: Guyra Paraguay, FMB, IDEA, National University of Asunción, The Federation for National Self-Determination of Indigenous Peoples (FAPI) and key government institutions such as the INFONA and SEAM. The ParLU initiative has an important role to play in complementing the REDD+ program of the United Nations process. ParLU focuses on a vertical sub-national approach to work closely and connect with local and municipal actors. This approach can provide the high level of expertise required to advise key decision makers, who have the political and administrative responsibilities in the UN-REDD national program. Therefore, ParLU is developing and implementing six pilot projects for demonstration purposes, in close collaboration with rural and indigenous communities interested in improving their capabilities in REDD+. To read more about the approach and objectives of ParLU, visit What is ParLU?.