1.
The Lao PDR and the World Bank’s Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF)
have signed an agreement to provide up to $42 million between now and 2025 to
support the country’s efforts to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest
degradation (REDD+). A ceremony marked
the launch of this forest- and climate-focused program.
Under this Emission Reductions Payment Agreement (ERPA), the World Bank
commits to making payments to the Lao PDR for verified reductions of up to 8.4
million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions in northern Laos. The program aims
to address the drivers and underlying causes of forest loss in six provinces
(Houaphanh, Luang Prabang, Oudomxay, Luang Namtha, Bokeo, Xayabouly),
encompassing a third of national territory. The region has been responsible for
40 percent of nationwide deforestation and forest degradation between 2005–15.
