Togo Greenlights its National REDD+ Strategy 

Togo’s National REDD+ Committee has approved the country’s ambitious REDD+ strategy. Aligned with the country’s National Development Plan (2018-2022) and Forest Policy, Togo’s REDD+ strategy aims to significantly increase forest cover in the coming 30 years, while improving livelihoods for forest-dependent communities.

In Togo, emissions from land-use change and forestry account for nearly two-thirds of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions. Togo’s continued population growth, coupled with urbanization and agricultural expansion, threaten to decrease and degrade most of the country’s remaining forests.

The REDD+ process in Togo aims to reverse and mitigate these trends by opting for sustainable management of existing forests and increasing forest cover. The overall objective of Togo's REDD+ Strategy is to reach a forest cover rate of 30% by 2050, and subsequently help to increase carbon sinks and carbon sequestration. This will be achieved through four strategic work areas: 
1.    Promoting sustainable agriculture with low impact on forests; 
2.    Enhancing sustainable forest management; 
3.    Reducing the pressure on wood energy; and 
4.    Supporting the implementation of cross-cutting actions to strengthen REDD+ implementation. 

Togo’s National Commission for Sustainable Development and its Communal Commissions for Sustainable Development are two key platforms that will help to facilitate the participation, mobilization and consultation of all relevant stakeholders, including local communities, civil society and the private sector. The REDD+ strategy's monitoring-evaluation framework will help decision-makers and stakeholders to make important decisions about how to improve the management of programs and initiatives. Other key REDD+ monitoring and management instruments related to the REDD+ strategy include Togo’s national forest monitoring system, national REDD+ registry, its safeguards information system, a benefit-sharing plan (to be developed), and a complaint management mechanism.

Togo’s REDD+ Strategy is now with the government’s Council of Ministers for approval. After this, the country plans to officially launch the strategy and assemble a donor roundtable to help mobilize the financial resources needed for strategy implementation. Togo is also preparing a project proposal to mobilize financial resources from the Green Climate Fund.