In June, the World Bank’s Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) and BioCarbon Fund Initiative for Sustainable Forest Landscapes (ISFL) collaborated with the UN-REDD Programme under the guidance of the Norwegian Government to host a global REDD+ Knowledge Day in Oslo, Norway. The event brought together more than 140 participants from governments, Indigenous peoples (IP) organizations, civil society organizations, NGOs, academia, donors, the World Bank, and the United Nations, representing more than 30 countries.

REDD+ Knowledge Day sessions explored timely REDD+ topics including:

• The future of the REDD+ finance architecture;
• Transfer of carbon credit ownership;
• Transitioning from REDD+ to AFOLU;
• Designing and operationalizing effective and equitable benefit sharing;
• Engagement of the private sector in responsible supply chains; and
• MRV innovation in REDD+ countries.

A knowledge café during the event facilitated round-table discussions on topics ranging from enhancing Indigenous peoples’ and local communities' participation in REDD+ climate finance, to REDD+ data management, private sector engagement, and integrating biodiversity in REDD+.

Key takeaways included the importance of partnering with others to exchange knowledge with peers and technical experts, and further leveraging the Bank’s convening power and Knowledge Bank role to motivate accelerated action on the ground.

The REDD+ Knowledge Day was highly appreciated, with 92% of participants rating the overall quality of the event as ‘excellent’ or ‘good’. Participants valued the opportunity to exchange knowledge with peers, engage directly with technical experts and REDD+ program coordinators, and learn from the experiences of other countries. They also expressed a desire for longer sessions and more time allocated for discussion and Q&A.

Going forward, the FCPF and ISFL will focus on supporting South-South knowledge exchange events at the regional level. These events will allow for longer, more detailed discussions and include more stakeholders from each country to share and learn from experiences on demand-driven topics.

The REDD+ Knowledge Day agenda and supporting resources can be found on: https://linktr.ee/redd_knowledgeday

 Erwin De Nys, Practice Manager of the World Bank’s Climate Finance Mobilization Unit (right), and Dyveke Rogan, Deputy Director of Norway's International Climate and Forest Initiative (left), share remarks during the REDD+ Knowledge Day opening plenary. (Credit: Jillian Di Persio/World Bank)

 During a REDD+ Knowledge Day session on AFOLU, Pablo Jamioy, Advisor for the National Organization of Indigenous People of Colombian Amazon (left) and Bob Kazungu, Agriculture Assistant Commissioner for Forestry for Uganda’s Ministry of Water and Environment (right) share their countries’ insights. (Credit: Jillian Di Persio/World Bank)

 Roselyn Fosuah Adjei, National REDD+ Coordinator for Ghana’s Forestry Commission, gives remarks during the REDD+ Knowledge Day closing session. (Credit: Jillian Di Persio/World Bank)