Help Save Rainforests & Endangered Species
Policy
Policy
CfRN is a party grouping recognized under the UNFCCC that supports rainforest nations in the Paris Agreement
The Coalition for Rainforest Nations Secretariat
The Coalition for Rainforest Nations Secretariat (CfRN) strives to advance the UNFCCC Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD+) framework and ensure that climate finance is allocated equitably to rainforest nations.
CfRN is a party grouping recognized under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which allows it to fully support countries in global climate negotiations throughout the year. Negotiations take place regularly at the Conference of the Parties (COPs), the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA), and other meetings.
A plenary session at SBSTA 2023, Bonn
In 2023, Honduras became the country chair of the CfRN. Learn How CfRN supports Honduras and other countries in this video.
Impact
UNFCCC REDD+ has inspired many countries to join the coalition. For the first decade, CfRN worked tirelessly with developing countries to guarantee the inclusion of rainforests within the global climate agreement, called the Paris Agreement (2015-today). Under the previous climate treaty, the Kyoto Protocol (2005-2015), rainforests were not recognized as a climate solution, and as a result rainforest nations did not have a seat at the table in global climate negotiations. So, CfRN focused on helping countries negotiate a framework for slowing deforestation into the Paris Agreement.
In principle, UNFCCC REDD+ allows developing countries to receive reward-based payments through Article 5.2 for national efforts to slow, stop, and reverse deforestation. However, since 2005, developing countries have only received finance for 4% of the 13 billion tons of CO2 emissions that they have reduced.
A map of CfRN countries between 2005-2024
Key:
CfRN countries
Countries that support and align with CfRN policies
CfRN Timeline
In 2015, CfRN and its countries succeeded at the climate summit in Paris, and REDD+ was included in Article 5.2 of the treaty. The framework was approved by over 190 countries.
Lucky Medina, Environment Minister of Honduras and Kevin Conrad, Executive Director of CfRN leading the daily country briefing session at COP28
What We Do
CfRN helps countries make the best decisions for their forests, communities, and the planet. The Paris Agreement is complex and continues to evolve. Our policy team provides year-round guidance to governments whose make up can change over time. The team includes ex-environment ministers and climate negotiators, offering developing countries over twenty years of insight, knowledge, and experience on climate treaties.
While we were successful in our mission to mandate REDD+ as part of the Paris Agreement, countries are still negotiating the implementation rules. CfRN continues to support governments’ efforts to strengthen the UNFCCC REDD+ framework within Article 6, so that countries can finally receive the climate finance that they deserve for efforts to slow deforestation and reduce emissions.
Besides the Paris Agreement, CfRN has achieved significant influence within international policy related to tropical forests and the climate emergency, and has:
- secured significant milestones within international climate negotiations,
- catalyzed international mechanisms for analysis, capacity, and technology, and
- piloted policies, such as World Bank’s Forest Carbon Partnership Facility and the UN-REDD Program.
CfRN also helps developing countries devise national climate policy to comply with the UNFCCC REDD+ framework and the Paris Agreement. This includes providing support on building national emissions registries and enabling legislation that allows governments to utilize REDD+ to secure climate finance and protect its rainforests.
Rainforest nations are slowing deforestation based on goodwill and with little financial support. Join our movement.
At COP28, CfRN, the European Union and others successfully negotiated the need to reverse deforestaion by 2030 through the full implementation on Article 5, financed by Article 6 carbon markets.
At COP28, CfRN, the European Union and others successfully negotiated the need to reverse deforestaion by 2030 through the full implementation on Article 5, financed by Article 6 carbon markets.
Success for Rainforests at COP28, Dubai
In December 2023, the European Union, CfRN, and allies successfully negotiated the need to reverse deforestation by 2030 into the UAE Consensus Agreement, paragraph 33:
…the importance of conserving, protecting, and restoring nature and ecosystems towards achieving the Paris Agreement temperature goal, including through enhanced efforts towards halting and reversing deforestation and forest degradation by 2030.
CfRN followed up on this milestone by negotiating for the full implementation of Article 5.2 on forests (UNFCCC REDD+) using Article 6 (UN carbon markets) as the tool to provide climate finance to sovereign nations for conserving rainforests. The final UAE Consensus Agreement text, paragraph 34, reads:
… the need for enhanced support and investment, including through financial resources, technology transfer and capacity-building, for efforts towards halting and reversing deforestation and forest degradation by 2030 in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication, in accordance with Article 5 of the Paris Agreement, including through results-based payments for policy approaches and positive incentives for activities relating to reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, and the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries.
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