Government partners
Government partners
In parallel with its regional work, RECOFTC increases its impact by consolidating and expanding its engagement with eight focal countries – Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, and Viet Nam. RECOFTC works in close partnership with the governments of the eight focal countries and it respects country leadership and helps strengthen capacities for the government to exercise support for community forestry development in their respective countries. RECOFTC will, however, also continue to engage with other countries and also collaborate with theirgovernments in the region and beyond where it can add value and play an important mutual learning role as well.
Royal Government of Cambodia: Although RECOFTC has been active in Cambodia for a decade, it formalized its partnership with the Forestry Administration under the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries since 2006. RECOFTC plays an active role in initiatives shaping and promoting community forestry development in Cambodia as a member of the Technical Working Group on Forestry and Environment, the National Community Forestry Program Coordination Committee, the National Forest Program Task Force as well as the National REDD Task Force. The Royal Government of Cambodia is also another founding member of RECOFTC and a signatory in the Charter of RECOFTC.
Government of the People’s Republic of China: RECOFTC had an MoU with the International Forestry Cooperation Center of the State Forestry Administration of China until 2012, and an MoU with the State Academy of the Forestry Administration (STAFA) until 2014. RECOFTC currently had an MoU of the Working Plan on Community Forestry Capacity Building between STAFA and RECOFTC which focuses on the common interest in the development of community forestry and improvement of farmers’ livelihoods both in China and Asia. The Government of the People’s Republic of China was also one of the founding members of RECOFTC and a signatory in the Charter.
Government of the Republic of Indonesia: Working with the Government's Center for Forestry Education and Training (Pusdiklat Kehutanan) and Regional Forestry Training Center (Balai Diklat Kehutanan/BDK), RECOFTC has held dozens of national-level workshops and training events in Indonesia since the 1990s. RECOFTC currently has a MoU with the Agency for Forestry Extension and Human Resources Development (AFEHRD), Ministry of Forestry with the objective of collaborating to strengthen capacities in terms of sustainable management of forests and appropriate community-based forestry development in Indonesia.
Government of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic: The Government of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic was a founding member of RECOFTC and a signatory in the Charter of RECOFTC. The Center had an MoU with the National Agriculture and Forestry Research Institute (NAFRI) under the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) until 2011 and currently has an MoU with MAF’s Department of Forests (DoF). RECOFTC has worked closely with DoF, the National University of Laos, and Department of Forest Resource Management under Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to develop capacities and raise awareness in Lao PDR on issues related to local people and forests, climate change, and REDD+, and works closely with the Provincial Agriculture and Forestry Office, Provincial Natural Resources and Environment at provincial level, and the Department of Investment and Planning of Bokeo province under the RAFT3 project. The Center has worked with Right and Resources Initiative (RRI) to engage closely with the National Assembly in the ongoing forest and land law and policy reform process.
Government of the Union of Myanmar: The Government of the Union of Myanmar was a founding member of RECOFTC and a signatory in the Charter of RECOFTC. RECOFTC is actively engaged in Myanmar, supporting the development of a community forestry program and REDD+ readiness activities, in particular with the Forest Department of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation (MONREC). RECOFTC signed an MoU with Forest Department, MONREC in January 2013.
Government of Nepal: RECOFTC has an MoU with the Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation from 2009 to 2019. The Ministry and RECOFTC currently focuses collaborations on forest based climate change mitigation and adaptation mainly through capacity development, and research and analysis through projects such as the Grassroots Capacity Building for REDD+ and Community Forestry Climate Change Adaptation demonstration sites in Nepal.
Royal Thai Government: The Royal Thai Government (RTG) is one of the founding members of RECOFTC and a signatory in the Charter of RECOFTC. RECOFTC collaborates closely with the Royal Forest Department (RFD), the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP), and the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) in strengthening the Community Forestry Network and numerous community-based natural resource management capacity building activities throughout the country. RECOFTC also works closely with the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning on climate change issue. In the last 27 years, the collaboration with RTG has helped build the capacity of national and local government leaders, community forest managers and practitioners in sustainable forest management and increasingly, in responding to climate change. RECOFTC also has an MoU with the Royal Forest Department. The Royal Thai Government also contributes an annual budget to RECOFTC’s Thailand Country Program to support community forestry initiatives in Thailand through the Office of Higher Education Commission of the Ministry of Education and Kasetsart University.
Government of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam: RECOFTC has been building government and national capacity for community forestry in Viet Nam for the last 20 years. Working under an MoU with the Viet Nam Administration of Forestry of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the partnership ultimately aims to improve the life of local communities and the sustainable management of natural resources in Viet Nam. It is a partner of the Forest Sector Support Partnership, a core member of the Climate Change Working Group and advisor to the Vietnamese Nongovernment Organizations and Climate Change network on REDD+ technical issues. It is also an active member of Viet Nam REDD Network and Technical Working Group. The Government of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam is the 7th founding member of RECOFTC and a signatory to the Charter of RECOFTC.
To learn more about partnership opportunities with RECOFTC, please email partnerships@recoftc.org. Together, we can help local communities and indigenous people find a stronger voice.