Improving Grassroots Equity in Forests and Climate Change Context: A Training Manual

The training manual on improving grassroots equity in the forests and climate change context, aims to develop the knowledge and capacity needed among grassroots facilitators to implement genuinely participatory processes for improving grassroots equity in forest-based climate change policy frameworks, mechanisms and initiatives.

It is based on the principle that grassroots stakeholders must be engaged in the decision-making processes for setting national policies and for designing and planning programmes. Grassroots stakeholders need to have meaningful opportunities to participate and their perspectives must be heard at all levels of the forests and climate change discourse to achieve more equitable outcomes.

While most of the existing REDD+ related training manuals focus on the theoretical concepts around forests, climate change and REDD+. This training manual provides guidance to train grassroots facilitators to better engage all stakeholders and to promote equity in forest-based climate change and forest management practices and interventions. Its main premise is to extend the practice and process of active participation towards effective engagement, through which equity can be improved.  

What’s in the manual?

1. The role of a grassroots facilitator in improving equity in forest-based climate change mitigation with emphasis on the REDD+ context
2. How to create the space for engagement opportunities in forest-based climate change mitigation processes
3. Why should equity matter in forest-based climate change initiatives
4. Designing an effective engagement process particularly on the REDD+ related equity issues
5. Gender equity and diversity in REDD+
6. Monitoring equity in forest-based climate change mitigation engagement processes using existing social safeguard standards

This training manual has been developed with the support of two regional initiatives – the USAID-funded Grassroots Equity and Enhanced Networks in the Mekong (GREEN Mekong) program , and the NORAD funded project Grassroots Capacity Building for REDD+ in Asia.