In this context, the Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact (AIPP), with the support of the UN-REDD Programme, has joined hands with local organizations to promote closer collaboration and cooperation between indigenous peoples (IP), ethnic minorities, the UN-REDD Programme and government agencies implementing REDD+ in Bangladesh, Myanmar and Viet Nam.

Through partnerships with the Promotion of Indigenous and Nature Together (POINT) in Myanmar and the Centre for Sustainable Development in the Mountainous Areas (CSDM) in Viet Nam, national dialogues were held between ethnic minorities and the Forest Department in Yangon, Myanmar on 2 May; and with the UN-REDD Programme Viet Nam Phase II Programme in Ha Noi, Viet Nam on 9 May. There were 33 indigenous participants in Myanmar and 32 ethnic minority participants in Viet Nam. This included representatives of ethnic minorities from five out of six pilot provinces of the Programme.

In Myanmar, Mr. Thaung Naing Oo, Deputy Director of the Forest Department emphasized the government’s commitment to the Cancun REDD+ safeguard and ensured the representation of ethnic minorities in REDD+ processes including implementation of free, prior and informed consent. He also received recommendations from participants that included requests to:

Develop culturally appropriate information, education and communication materials and capacity building activities;
Analyse existing policies on shifting cultivation, with a view to reform or formulate laws and policies to respect, recognize and promote their subsistence livelihoods.

Meanwhile, the dialogue in Viet Nam focused on strengthening full and effective participation of ethnic minorities in the Programme, interspersing discussions with existing opportunities, issues and challenges faced by both parties. Participants also highlighted that the Vietnamese Thai Network on Indigenous Knowledge (VTIK) would support Mrs Luong Thi Truong, ethnic minority representative to the Programme Executive Board of the UN-REDD Programme Viet Nam Phase II Programme. They also requested:

Respect and recognition for ethnic minorities’ own customary governance system and laws for the management and protection of forests.
Prioritising of awareness raising and capacity building of ethnic minorities, especially in the six REDD+ pilot provinces.

Preparatory meetings held two to three days prior to the national dialogues were not only useful in developing a common understanding of indigenous issues and challenges related to REDD+ but also helped to mutually determine recommendations for further collaboration with the government agencies that were presented during the national dialogues. In Myanmar, participants agreed to strengthen the existing Indigenous Peoples Forum of Myanmar to monitor the national REDD+ process, and to form a working group on REDD+. In Viet Nam, they agreed to develop a pool of between six to twelve ethnic minority representatives from six pilot provinces of the Programme. They will not only support Mrs Truong, but also develop their capacity to participate more effectively in the Programme’s activities at the provincial levels. A concrete work plan will be developed by the ethnic minority representatives themselves for follow up actions supported by the UN-REDD Programme Vietnam Phase II Programme.

Prior to the meeting, key documents such as the REDD+ Cancun agreement, Joint Stakeholder Engagement Guidelines of the UN-REDD Programme and the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility; and the UN-REDD Programme’s Guidelines on Free, Prior and Informed Consent were translated into Burmese and Vietnamese languages and distributed.