‘At the beginning of 2022, I took the two courses on REDD+ that are offered on the UN CC:Learn platform. Based on this, I was hired by a Foundation to carry out a REDD+ project in Argentina.’

The courses on REDD+ that I took from UN CC:Learn provided me with a theoretical framework ranging from the most basic to the most advanced issues that have to do with the conservation, recovery and protection of native forests. This allowed me to introduce myself to the “Huellas para un Futuro” (“Footprints for a Future”) Foundation with the necessary knowledge to be able to embark with them on their socio-environmental projects in the province of Misiones, Argentina.
My role consisted of project management and administration tasks, especially assisting with the formulation of REDD+ sub-projects on the sustainable management of the forest with the participation of indigenous communities and original settlers. The knowledge and skills that I acquired through the UN CC:Learn courses gave me the necessary bases to understand what REDD+ projects are about and the guidelines that must be taken into account to carry them out. I was able to apply all this knowledge in different ways throughout the management of the project. 

Niña plantando un árbol (archivo personal).

Girl planting a sapling (personal archive).Niña plantando un árbol (archivo personal).

The impact of the project in terms of gender equality in indigenous communities is seen in the high participation of women in the workshops held. In addition, with respect to this REDD+ project, one of the products that I consider most relevant is the one that has to do with the Nagoya Protocol. The Foundation established a partnership with a biotech laboratory to create products using a plant species native to Misiones, called Pitanga, and certify them with the Nagoya seal. Part of our REDD+ funds were allocated to train people from indigenous communities on the Biological Diversity Convention, the Nagoya Protocol and ways in which they could earn a living as suppliers of the raw materials to the laboratory. This represents an important source of work for everyone within the communities, including women.  

Jean Baptiste Katako is a UN CC:Learn Champion from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Our courses inspired him to create a non-governmental organization to address erosion, the importance of reforestation, and the impact of climate change on health. Keep reading to learn how he has been working together with the community and local authorities to transform erosive sites into areas of tree planting.

My name is Jean Baptiste Katako Kayambi, and I am from the Democratic Republic of Congo. I am a civil servant: previously I worked at the Ministry of Justice, and currently, I’m an official at the National Central Bureau of Interpol Kinshasa/Democratic Republic of Congo. I have always been concerned by the environmental problem. First, in Butembo, North Kivu,  where I worked with students and farmers in reforestation. Then posted to Kinshasa, I was touched by the problems of climate change and erosion.

Photo: Jean Baptiste Katako Kayambi

Photo: Jean Baptiste Katako Kayambi

As a result, I decided to take the following five courses on the UN CC:Learn platform: Human Health and Climate Change; Children and Climate Change; Advancing on REDD+; Cities and Climate Change; and Introduction to Climate Change. These different courses have pushed me to better understand the causes of climate change in the city of Kinshasa and personally, has led me to change my behavior in a number of ways. 

Photo: Jean Baptiste Katako Kayambi

Photo: Jean Baptiste Katako Kayambi

The biggest action that these courses have inspired me to take is to create a non-governmental organization that we have named Think Tank on Security, Human Rights and Development. We currently have fifty active members engaged in our activities, and are supported by hundreds of other individuals. Within our organization, we have students, government officials, pastors, doctors, teachers and women, as well as many unemployed youth. We have understood that the problems of the destruction of our environment, erosion, and other related issues are a security issue, affecting our human rights to live in a safe and healthy environment. As a first step, we have been organizing awareness building and sensitization sessions on collective tree planting and other anti-erosion activities.

We have held several meetings in our communities to talk to the local people about the need to protect our environment, the fight against erosion, the importance of reforestation, and the impact of climate change on health.  We work together with the communities and in close collaboration with the local authorities, who attend our meetings. At these, we advise them on the actions and measures to be taken to protect our environment.

Thanks to our organization, we have been able to transform the erosive sites of our environment into areas of tree planting, and have educated the local population – and particularly the youth – on the need to be responsible for conserving our environment. We will continue to do so both through concrete acts, such as tree planting and by fighting all governmental and other projects that may contribute to the degradation of our environment.

Photo: Jean Baptiste Katako Kayambi

Photo: Jean Baptiste Katako Kayambi

Get involved:

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Dr. Ikram Ur Rahman has over 27 years of experience working for several different international organizations, where his focus has always been nature preservation. He took the REDD+ course which helped him tremendously in training rural Pakistani communities.

Being global citizens of the planet earth, let us join hand in hand to work individually and collectively to fight for global climate change issues. We must act today instead of thinking to do it tomorrow.” — Ikram Ur Rahman

Dr. Ikram Ur Rahman has over 27 years of experience working for several different international organizations, where his focus has always been nature preservation.

Dr. Ikram Ur Rahman visited the Kangaroos Garden in Melbourne Australia to observe forest conservation and wild life protection (July 2017)./©Ikram Ur Rahman

Dr. Ikram Ur Rahman visited the Kangaroos Garden in Melbourne Australia to observe forest conservation and wild life protection (July 2017)./©Ikram Ur Rahman

He is currently serving as a Regional Project Coordinator in the Mountains and Markets Project in the Northern Province of Pakistan, funded by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Global Environmental Facility (GEF). The goal of this project is to use the voluntary certification of non-timber forest products (NTFP) to promote conservation and to help create a market, which benefits existing conservation efforts.

This project provides local stakeholders, who were earning their livelihood with timber products, with the opportunity to become long-term guardians of natural resources, such as medicinal and aromatic plants (MAP).

The global trade value of MAPs is estimated at around 60 billion USD and is expected to grow to 5 trillion USD by 2050, a huge potential market for rural Pakistani communities, considering that the MAP’s value per weight is one of the highest amongst traded plants in Pakistan.

NTFPs Development Nursery for growing and transplanting high value MAP in respective habitats./©Ikram Ur Rahman

NTFPs Development Nursery for growing and transplanting high value MAP in respective habitats./©Ikram Ur Rahman

For this reason, Dr. Rahman is using his expertise in preserving wild origin organic products to support capacity building in rural Pakistani communities. He is training his community in the sustainable collection, post-collection processing, value addition, product development as well as the necessary marketing of NTFPs such as MAPs.

By informing rural communities on the natural and monetary value of resource management and sustainable land use, he is helping the local community to learn about alternative ways of increasing their economic growth, as well as creating awareness about the consequences of tree cutting and timber selling.

Maintaining high value MAP nursery in collaboration with NTFPs Directorate of Forest Department KP./©Ikram Ur Rahman

Maintaining high-value MAP nursery in collaboration with NTFPs Directorate of Forest Department KP./©Ikram Ur Rahman

In 2015, Dr. Rahman was at COP21 in Paris. He learned about the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation programme (REDD), which aims at reducing GHG emissions by introducing sustainable forest management in developing countries. Soon after, he observed many REDD related approaches dealing with the mitigation of climate change such as the conservation of existing resources and the enhancement of carbon stock through forestation and afforestation.

He integrated these new concepts into the technical training that he was delivering to the rural Pakistani communities. As he began to gain new knowledge on these topics, he started to do a UN CC:e-Learn course. Specifically, he enrolled in the REDD+ Academy e-Course, which enhanced his knowledge on setting reference levels, monitoring, and stakeholder engagement in forest preservation.

According to Dr. Rahman, these e-courses helped him tremendously in training the rural communities.

I was able to raise awareness in the approach of nature conservation” – he said.

He integrated information related to sustainable forest management and conservation issues into the presentation materials, which provided practicable information for people living in the rural Northern Pakistani areas.

By taking UN CC:e-Learn courses, I was able to grant communities, that committed to NTFP harvests, the access to national and international markets with their products” – he added.

The knowledge transmitted by the UN CC:e-Learn courses constitutes a key economic opportunity for the Northern Pakistani community considering the value of the total MAP market and demonstrates the impact that these courses might have on developing countries’ communities.

MAP collectors granted with safe collection tool kits after their training on sustainable collection of MAP./©Ikram Ur Rahman

MAP collectors granted with safe collection tool kits after their training on the sustainable collection of MAP./©Ikram Ur Rahman

Furthermore, Dr. Rahman, currently working under UNDP Pakistan, was rewarded for taking part in this course. After presenting his UN CC:e-Learn certificate to his UNDP supervisor — he was granted a raise, based on the fact that his newly acquired know-how can be used to boost economic benefits for his community by integrating newly learned approaches of nature preservation and resource management. This in turn shows that employers appreciate it when their employees seek ways for continuing learning.

Although Dr. Rahman has come a long way, he still aims to do more. He would like to take a more inclusive approach in his undertakings. This would mean involving women in sustainable resource projects. He also sees a need for educating schoolchildren and students about the importance of nature conservation in order to teach responsible conduct with the environment from an early age on. These two tasks can be supported by taking UN CC:e-Learn courses, namely the Children and Climate Change and an upcoming course on Gender Equality, Women’s Empowerment, and the Environment, both courses provide the opportunity to support Dr. Rahman and his community in their ambitions.

Surveying NTFP status to allocate sustainable harvest quota for different species and declare species for enhanced conservation./©Ikram Ur Rahman

Surveying NTFP status to allocate sustainable harvest quota for different species and declare species for enhanced conservation./©Ikram Ur Rahman

Dr. Rahman did not only gain in terms of monetary increments, but he also passed on the knowledge he acquired through UN CC:e-Learn courses to his community. In turn, people are now able to sell their products on the international market. These products provide a steady income to the poor rural communities of Northern Pakistan, and the change in resource use within the community is helping to decrease deforestation and upholding the rich biodiversity in the region.

*Dr. Rahman is currently acting as a Regional Program Coordinator in the Sustainable Land Management Project (SLMP-II) in Khyberpukhtunkhwa Province of Pakistan. The story is of 2017 when he was serving in the Mountains & Markets Project as Regional Project Coordinator. Local Communities, UNDP Pakistan, GEF, Ministry of Climate Change and provincial line departments/institutions work together as the key stakeholders in these Projects.

Developed in partnership with the REDD+ Academy, this course introduces participants to the basics of REDD+. It includes the elements required under the UNFCCC, how to prepare and implement REDD+ at the national level, and the financial resources available.

 

“The structure of the course gives the reader comprehensive knowledge of the forest and climate change for policymakers and environmentalists to design actions.” – Learner from India

Enroll
  • REDD+
  • Climate Change
  • Science

Self-paced course

12 hours

Welcome

The REDD+ Academy is a coordinated REDD+ capacity development initiative led by the UN-REDD Programme and the UNEP Environmental Education and Training Unit, which seeks to match the scale of the global climate change mitigation challenge and enable systematic, focused capacity development to deliver REDD+ on the ground.

The development of the REDD+ Academy responds to needs expressed by UN-REDD Programme partner countries for a regionally focused education initiative for those involved in national REDD+ programmes.

What you will learn?

After completing the course Fundamentals on REDD+, you will be able to:

  • Explain the role of deforestation and forest degradation in the process of climate change;
  • Define REDD+ aspects in the context of the UNFCCC;
  • Explain the importance of analysing and prioritizing direct and indirect drivers of deforestation and forest degradation;
  • Explain the relationship between policies and measures (PAMs) and the five REDD+ activities;
  • Describe the process of developing a National REDD+ Strategy or Action Plan;
  • Identify the variety of perceptions of REDD+ finance in each of the three REDD+ phases.

The Course at a Glance

The course on Fundamentals on REDD+ is structured around six modules. The first three modules present a general introduction on the topic. The last three modules present various REDD+ elements which are required under the UNFCCC and how to prepare and implement REDD+ at the national level, including what financial resources are available.

  1. Forest, Carbon Sequestration and Climate Change;
  2. Understanding REDD+ and the UNFCCC;
  3. Drivers of Deforestation and Forest Degradation;
  4. Policies and Measures for REDD+ Implementation;
  5. National Strategies and Action Plans; 6. REDD+ Finance.

Completion Requirements

The quizzes can be completed at any time. They assess the achievement of the learning objectives for each module. Each quiz can be attempted a maximum of three times. Passing a quiz with at least 70% rewards learners with a badge associated to the specific module. Once the six quizzes are passed, and learners obtain all the six badges available, they can download a certificate of completion from the course home page.

Partners

The modules have been developed and peer-reviewed by UN-REDD and UN CC:Learn.

Developed in partnership with the REDD+ Academy, this course deals in greater detail with three REDD+ elements, including monitoring systems and safeguards. It also discusses best practices for engaging stakeholders in REDD+ processes and key principles of good governance.

 

“So much informative course and strongly relevant for practical use in the field.” – Learner from Swaziland

Enroll
  • REDD+
  • Climate Change
  • Science

Self-paced course

12 hours

Welcome

The REDD+ Academy is a coordinated REDD+ capacity development initiative led by the UN-REDD Programme and the UN Environment Environmental Education and Training Unit, which seeks to match the scale of the global climate change mitigation challenge and enable systematic, focused capacity development to deliver REDD+ on the ground.

The development of the REDD+ Academy responds to needs expressed by UN-REDD Programme partner countries for a regionally focused education initiative for those involved in national REDD+ programmes.

What you will learn?

After completing the course Advancing on REDD+, you will be able to:

  • Describe the process and objectives of developing a National Forest Monitoring System;
  • Explain the importance of developing Forest Reference [Emission] Levels (FRELs/FRLs);
  • Explain the need for Safeguard Information Systems in REDD+ implementation;
  • Describe the characteristics of an Incentive Allocation System;
  • Describe the importance of stakeholder engagement for successful REDD+ implementation;
  • Describe the underlying governance factors that can affect REDD+ implementation.

The course at a glance

The Advancing on REDD+ course is structured around six modules. While how to prepare and implement REDD+ at the national level through a National Strategy or Action Plan, including financial resources available, is discussed in the course Fundamentals on REDD+, the Advancing on REDD+ course presents the other three REDD+ elements, to which it adds the importance of engaging the relevant stakeholders in the process and the principles of good governance.

The six modules are as follows:

  1. National Forest Monitoring Systems for REDD+;
  2. Forest Reference Emission Levels (FRELs);
  3. REDD+ Safeguards under the UNFCCC;
  4. Approaches for the Allocation of Incentives;
  5. Stakeholder Engagement in REDD+; 6. Good Governance.

Completion requirements

The quizzes can be completed at any time. They assess the achievement of the learning objectives for each module. Each quiz can be attempted a maximum of three times. Passing a quiz with at least 70% rewards learners with a badge associated to the specific module. Once the six quizzes are passed, and learners obtain all the six badges available, they can download a certificate of completion from the course home page.

Partners

The modules have been developed and peer-reviewed by UN-REDD and UN CC:Learn.

Indonesia’s National Climate Change Learning Strategy was featured at a COP 20 side event on “Education and Communication as Cornerstones for Effective Climate Actions” in Lima, Peru on 10 December 2014.

Indonesia’s National Climate Change Learning Strategy was featured at a COP 20 side event on “Education and Communication as Cornerstones for Effective Climate Actions” in Lima, Peru on 10 December 2014. Ms. Amanda Katili-Niode, Head of the Secretariat of Indonesia’s Council on Climate Change (DNPI) pointed out that the learning strategy was an important step towards implementing Article 6 of the Convention which deals with education, training and public awareness-raising. Ms. Katili-Niode further explained that the learning strategy is feeding into a broader Article 6 strategy (known as the ‘Stranas’) which the Council is currently developing. The Stranas also covers public participation and access to information.

Indonesia’s Climate Change Learning Strategy was launched in August 2013 by the Special Envoy to the President of Indonesia on Climate Change, Mr. Rachmat Witoelar. The Strategy was supported by UN CC:Learn and prioritises three areas: building human and institutional capacity to address climate change; integrating climate change in the national education system; and improving public awareness and knowledge. So far strategy implementation has focused on building a climate change knowledge-management network with leading research institutions from Indonesia, as well as technical training on REDD+ (short for ‘Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation’).

Panelists at the UN Alliance side event, including Ms. Katili-Niode (second from the right)

Panelists at the UN Alliance side event, including Ms. Katili-Niode (second from the right)

The COP 20 side event was organized by the UN Alliance on Climate Change Education, Training and Public Awareness and involved a number of panelists, including Ms. Clare Nullis, World Meteorological Organization (WMO); Ms. Julia Heiss, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO); Mr. Reuben Sessa, Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO); Ms. Rixa Schwarz, Centre for Environment Education India; as well as Ms. Amanda Katili Niode from Indonesia. The panel reflected the strong commitment of all Parties to implement Article 6 of the UNFCCC, based on the Doha Work Programme that was launched two years ago.

The event was jointly opened by Mr. Paul Watkinson, Head of Delegation and member of the COP 21/CMP 11 Incoming Presidency Team, France and H.E. Mr. Marcin Korolec, COP 19/CMP 9 President and Secretary of State, Poland, who highlighted the importance of the Lima Ministerial Declaration on Education and Awareness-raising.

The moderator of the event was Ms. Claudel Pétrin-Desrosiers, Vice-President for External Affairs of the International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations.

Indonesia’s National Climate Change Learning Strategy has secured funding to expand its support for REDD+ with a further training event for local decision makers funded by GIZ.  The event, which took place in Putussibau on 21-22 October 2014, is a great example of the way in which UN CC:Learn can leverage further activity by attracting co-financing.

Ensuring financial sustainability is always key challenge for any long term initiative.  Indonesia’s National Climate Change Learning Strategy has recently secured funding to expand its support for REDD+ with a further training event for local decision makers funded by the German Development Corporation (GIZ).  The event, which took place in Putussibau on 21-22 October 2014, is a great example of the way in which UN CC:Learn can leverage further activity by attracting co-financing.

Field trip to Betung Karihun National Park, Kapuas Hulu, West Kalimantan

Field trip to Betung Karihun National Park, Kapuas Hulu, West Kalimantan

In 2013, Indonesia’s National Climate Council (DNPI) and the Forestry Education and Training Center of the Ministry of Forestry, with the assistance of Natural Resources Development Center (NRDC), through the Indonesia UN CC:Learn project, published a module titled “Training Modules: REDD + for policy makers at National and Sub-National“. This module has been used for a training at the West Kalimantan Province in early 2014. It has then been adopted and used as a training module for REDD + by Center for Forestry Education and Training, Ministry of Forestry of Indonesia.

Working group presentation and discussion

Working group presentation and discussion

The training material, produced as part of the early implementation phase of Indonesia’s National Climate Change Learning Strategy, has since been taken up by a project led by the German Development Corporation (GIZ), to provide the first of a series of workshops to extend training to district level decision-makers. The October event brought together 30 government officials from national, province and district levels, district parliament member (DPRD), non-government organizations (NGO), and journalists. It consisted in formal training sessions, working groups as well as a field visit to Betung Karihun National Park.

Indonesia is moving forward with additional training on REDD+, following the a workshop organized through UN CC:Learn. As part of the project, existing Ministry of Forestry training materials were updated and translated. These will now be used for additional training events in the Kapuas Hulu district, West Kalimantan.

Indonesia is moving forward with additional training on REDD+, following a first workshop organized through UN CC:Learn. As part of the project, existing Ministry of Forestry training materials were updated and translated. These will now be used for additional training events in the Kapuas Hulu district, West Kalimantan. Supported by the GIZ Forest and Climate Change Programme (FORCLIME).

Find more information on Indonesia’s REDD+ training by clicking on the link.

The National Council on Climate Change (DNPI) and the Ministry of Forestry (MoF) of Indonesia organized a training workshop for decision-makers in Pontianak, West Kalimantan on 21-22 January 2014 to support the implementation of Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+).

The National Council on Climate Change (DNPI) and the Ministry of Forestry (MoF) of Indonesia organized a training workshop for decision-makers in Pontianak, West Kalimantan on 21-22 January 2014 to support the implementation of Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+). 25 participants from national and local government, parliament, business, universities, NGOs, and international partners took part. The event was supported by UN CC:Learn and facilitated by the Natural Resource Development Centre (NRDC). The workshop is part of an early implementation phase of Indonesia’s National Climate Change Learning Strategy which was launched in August 2013 (see here).

REDD+ Workshop Participants

The workshop covered five training modules in accordance with participants’ background and learning needs:

  1. The role of forests in adapting to and mitigating climate change
  2. International policies and progress in REDD+ negotiations
  3. The concept of REDD+ in Indonesia
  4. National policies on REDD+
  5. Lessons learned from REDD+ initiatives on the ground.

Working Groups

This training was facilitated by a team from the National Forestry Training Centre in collaboration with resource persons from DNPI, MoF, and NRDC.  The training was enthusiastically received by participants eager to learn about the REDD+ programme in Indonesia and to share ideas that could support related policy both at national and sub-national levels.  During the group sessions, participants were able to gain practical insights on how to implement REDD+ at province and district levels.

The workshop has triggered interest from regions in Indonesia. The training could also be conducted in countries that have a similar governance and forest management system as Indonesia.

The Government of Malawi has, in the months of September and October 2013, trained 257 forestry assistants across the country in climate change, in an ongoing effort to enhance knowledge and skills in climate change management among key personnel in sectors that are threatened by climate change.

The Government of Malawi has, in the months of September and October 2013, trained 257 forestry assistants across the country on climate change, in an ongoing effort to enhance knowledge and skills in climate change management among key personnel in sectors that are threatened by climate change. The training was implemented by Malawi’s Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Management in collaboration with the Ministry of Development Planning and Cooperation, the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development and LEAD Southern and Eastern Africa with support from UN CC:Learn.

Speaking at the launch of the training programme in Mzuzu, the Northern Region Forestry Officer, Mr. William Nkhana said the training was timely as Malawi is experiencing high climate variability and increased incidence of extreme weather events and forestry is among the eight sectors of economic growth in Malawi that are adversely affected by climate change especially through extended droughts, which lead to land degradation and loss of soil fertility, as well as forest fires. The training course was specifically designed to equip the frontline forestry personnel with knowledge and skills in managing forests using the ecosystem-based approach, which fosters the consideration of a whole range of social and ecological inter-linkages in the management of complex ecosystems.

The trainings are part of initial activities to operationalize Malawi’s National Climate Change Learning Strategy which was officially launched on 18th September 2013 by Malawi’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change Management, Hon. Ms Halima Daud, MP at Lilongwe Hotel in Lilongwe.

For more information on the UN CC:Learn project in Malawi, click on the following link: www.uncclearn.org/malawi.