REDD Development Dividend Task Force Meeting Report

The REDD Development Dividend Task Force Meeting Report documents a January 2011 gathering in Manila, Philippines, hosted by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and ASB-ICRAF. The meeting aimed to build policy capacity for developing country negotiators and land managers to ensure that Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) mechanisms deliver a 'Development Dividend'—balancing robust greenhouse gas reductions with sustainable development benefits, equity, and quality safeguards.

• The 'Development Dividend' concept for REDD is defined by three core pillars: Quality, which ensures "sustainable development benefits, e.g., poverty alleviation, indigenous rights, community livelihoods, technology transfer, biodiversity conservation"; Quantity, which focuses on "ensuring robust greenhouse gas reductions"; and Equity, which aims to ensure "that all countries, including small and vulnerable countries, benefit from REDD."
• Participants concluded that REDD is not a "silver bullet" and must be integrated into broader national sustainable development strategies. While it offers economic, environmental, and social benefits, its success depends on addressing governance and capacity building challenges to bridge the gap between policy and action.
• There is a consensus that a "mixed approach" combining market and non-market financial mechanisms is optimal for REDD. However, the role of markets remains a contentious issue that is unlikely to be resolved in the short term, and there are concerns that market finance may be unevenly distributed due to private sector investor confidence.
• Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) frameworks for REDD face significant technical and political hurdles. Key challenges include the lack of a universally agreed-upon "definition of a forest," disparities in available historical data for establishing baselines, and political resistance from G-77 and China members regarding the application of the term "MRV" to developing countries.
• The meeting highlighted the need for a distinction between safeguards and co-benefits. Safeguards are viewed as a "do no harm" principle to mitigate risks to communities and ecosystems, while co-benefits are additional positive outcomes. Participants suggested that while international guidance is useful, the primary "pressure point" for addressing these should be at the national level.
• Carbon leakage—where avoided deforestation in one region leads to increased deforestation elsewhere—was identified as a critical trade concern. This is particularly difficult to address because not all countries involved as "importers" or "exporters" of leakage are part of the REDD regime.
• National experiences vary widely: Brazil uses a "results based" model and a transparent monitoring system via the Amazon Fund; Indonesia is establishing a dedicated REDD centre and MRV agency; and Costa Rica has integrated REDD with Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) since 1995.
• The Task Force identified two primary research directions for future policy papers and workshops: MRV (focusing on forest definitions, reference levels, and costs) and Co-Benefits/Safeguards (focusing on institutional structures, information sharing, and benefit-sharing mechanisms).

APA

Boyle, J., Bernard, F., & Murphy, D. (2011). REDD Development Dividend Task Force Meeting Report. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/redd_dev_dividend.pdf

Chicago

Boyle, Jessica, Florence Bernard, and Deborah Murphy. REDD Development Dividend Task Force Meeting Report. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2011. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/redd_dev_dividend.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Boyle |first1=Jessica |last2=Bernard |first2=Florence |last3=Murphy |first3=Deborah |title=REDD Development Dividend Task Force Meeting Report |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=2011 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/redd_dev_dividend.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{boyle2011redd, author = {Boyle, Jessica and Bernard, Florence and Murphy, Deborah}, title = {{REDD Development Dividend Task Force Meeting Report}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2011}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/redd_dev_dividend.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }