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| Coalition for Rainforest Nations | |
|---|---|
| Name | Coalition for Rainforest Nations |
| Formation | 2005 |
| Type | Intergovernmental organization |
| Headquarters | Port of Spain |
| Leader title | Executive Director |
| Leader name | Christopher Landsden |
| Region served | Amazon rainforest, Congo Basin, Southeast Asian rainforests |
Coalition for Rainforest Nations
The Coalition for Rainforest Nations is an intergovernmental bloc formed to promote tropical forest conservation through international law, climate change negotiations, and market mechanisms. Founded during negotiations around the Kyoto Protocol and active in processes under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Coalition interfaces with institutions such as the World Bank, United Nations Development Programme, Green Climate Fund, and non-governmental actors including World Wildlife Fund, Conservation International, and The Nature Conservancy.
The Coalition emerged in the context of negotiations following the 1992 Rio Earth Summit and debates over the Clean Development Mechanism under the Kyoto Protocol, with early advocacy linked to meetings like the 2005 Bonn Climate Change Talks and frameworks shaped by the 2007 Bali Conference. Founding members from regions including the Bolivian Amazon, Madagascar, and Papua New Guinea sought to influence outcomes at major conferences such as the 2007 United Nations Climate Change Conference and the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris. Key personnel engaged with policy agendas at forums like the World Economic Forum and collaborated with agencies including United Nations Environment Programme and Food and Agriculture Organization.
Membership comprises sovereign states from tropical regions such as Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Guyana, Suriname, Costa Rica, Panama, Cameroon, Madagascar, and Ecuador. Governance includes a council of representatives, an executive office, and technical advisory panels that interact with bodies like the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the Convention on Biological Diversity. The Coalition’s governance model echoes multilateral arrangements seen in alliances like the Alliance of Small Island States and regional groupings such as Association of Southeast Asian Nations and Organization of African Unity (now African Union).
The Coalition advances objectives tied to forest carbon accounting, biodiversity safeguards, and sustainable development goals reflected in the Sustainable Development Goals adopted at the 2015 United Nations Sustainable Development Summit. Activities include capacity building, technical assistance for national greenhouse gas inventories in line with Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change guidelines, development of programs compatible with REDD+ architecture, and participation in carbon market design discussions at venues like the International Civil Aviation Organization and the European Union carbon mechanisms. It engages with academic institutions such as Columbia University, University of Oxford, and Yale University on research into remote sensing technologies from platforms like Landsat, MODIS, and Sentinel.
The Coalition has been a prominent advocate for results-based payments for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, influencing text at UNFCCC sessions including the Warsaw COP19 and the Cancún Agreements. It contributed to methodological development for forest monitoring that aligns with guidance from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and tools used by the Global Forest Watch platform, and collaborated on pilots funded through initiatives like the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility and bilateral financing from countries such as Norway, Germany, and the United Kingdom. Negotiators from Coalition member states participated in drafting elements of the Paris Agreement and subsequent SBSTA and SBI agenda items.
Funding sources have included multilateral funds (e.g., World Bank facilities), bilateral donors such as Norway’s International Climate and Forest Initiative, philanthropic foundations including the Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, and partnerships with NGOs like Rainforest Alliance and Environmental Defense Fund. Technical collaboration has involved research centers such as Woods Hole Research Center, CIFOR, and private entities working on carbon registries and verification such as Verra and Gold Standard. The Coalition has interfaced with regional development banks including the Asian Development Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank.
Critics have targeted aspects of market-based incentives promoted by the Coalition, echoing debates from the Marrakesh Accords era and critiques by scholars associated with Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace. Controversies include disputes over carbon accounting accuracy, concerns raised during projects in Amazonas and West Papua about indigenous rights and Free, Prior and Informed Consent policies referenced in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and debates about leakage and permanence highlighted by analysts from Climate Justice Alliance and academic critics at institutions like University of California, Berkeley and London School of Economics. Questions about transparency arose in media coverage by outlets such as The Guardian and Reuters and in NGO reports by Forest Peoples Programme.
The Coalition has influenced incorporation of forest-based measures into international climate regimes, contributed to capacity in national greenhouse gas inventories in countries like Guyana and Nepal, and supported pilot programs that advanced national monitoring systems using satellite data from Copernicus and measurement protocols influenced by IPCC guidance. Outcomes include strengthened policy profiles for rainforest states in multilateral forums such as the G20 and increased bilateral funding flows from donors like Norway and Germany. Evaluations by entities like the World Bank and academic assessments in journals affiliated with Nature Publishing Group and Science (journal) note mixed results, citing advances in monitoring alongside ongoing challenges in finance, governance, and social safeguards.
Category:Environmental organizations Category:Climate change organizations Category:Forestry organizations