Conozca sus Derechos Frente a REDD+

This guide, published by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), provides local community leaders and indigenous peoples with information on human rights and legal tools to defend their interests within the context of Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+). It explains the REDD+ mechanism, its social and environmental safeguards, relevant international and national rights, and provides practical strategies for negotiation and reporting rights violations.

• REDD+ is an international climate change solution under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) designed to provide economic incentives to developing countries to stop or reverse forest loss, as deforestation accounts for 12% to 17% of annual carbon dioxide emissions.
• The UNFCCC established seven 'safeguards' in Cancun in 2010, which are minimum requirements that REDD+ participants and funders must respect. These include ensuring the transparency of forest governance, respecting the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities, and ensuring full and effective participation of stakeholders.
• Participating governments are obligated to develop national strategies and action plans to address deforestation drivers and forest governance. They must also implement a National Forest Monitoring System (NFMS) to measure performance and a Safeguards Information System (SIS) to report on how safeguards are being respected.
• Indigenous peoples and local communities possess specific collective rights relevant to REDD+, including the right to self-determination, the right to culture, and rights to land, territory, and natural resources. The guide emphasizes that these rights are often based on ancestral and traditional patterns of use and occupation.
• The right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) allows indigenous communities to decide whether to grant or withhold consent before activities affecting their lands or resources are approved. This is particularly critical in cases of forced relocation, storage of hazardous waste, or large-scale development plans.
• Communities can seek remedies for rights violations through various national and international channels. International options include the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, the UN Human Rights Council, and the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations. Additionally, financial institutions like the World Bank (Inspection Panel) and the Inter-American Development Bank (Independent Consultation and Investigation Mechanism) have independent grievance mechanisms.
• The guide cites two Inter-American Court of Human Rights cases as precedents: Awas Tingni vs. Nicaragua (2001), which established that governments cannot exploit indigenous natural resources without consultation, and Pueblo Saramaka vs. Suriname (2007), which recognized that tribal communities (including afro-descendants) have the same rights as indigenous peoples due to their special relationship with the land.

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (n.d.). Conozca sus Derechos Frente a REDD+. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/REDD_Guide_Espanol_May2014.pdf

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. Conozca sus Derechos Frente a REDD+. n.d. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/REDD_Guide_Espanol_May2014.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Center for International Environmental Law |title=Conozca sus Derechos Frente a REDD+ |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/REDD_Guide_Espanol_May2014.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centerforinternationalenvironmentallawndconozca, author = {{Center for International Environmental Law}}, title = {{Conozca sus Derechos Frente a REDD+}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/REDD_Guide_Espanol_May2014.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }