Getting REDD+ Right for Women: An Analysis of the Barriers and Opportunities for Womens Participation in the REDD+ Sector in Asia

This report examines how women can be more involved in the design and implementation of REDD+ in Asia. It identifies good practices, lessons learned and key entry points for increasing womens participation in and benefit from REDD+ activities, as well as opportunities to advance gender equality through this sector. The report finds that women have not been systematically identified as stakeholders in REDD+ initiatives and, consequently, have not been involved in related discussions and activities. Failure to include women, especially poor women and female-headed households, as a decision-making stakeholder group with significant responsibilities and roles in forest resource management constitutes a risk to the sustainability of REDD+ activities, it states. If REDD+ programs ignore which groups have access to forest resources, this is likely to hurt the ability of the entire community to protect forest resources. Womens contributions to forest management need to be incorporated into the design of REDD+ strategies and projects, it states. The report recommends that gender equity be addressed through: Stakeholder engagement and strategy development, Institutional strengthening Land tenure and governance, Forest/protected area laws and management, Gender-sensitive REDD+ programming