The role of the legal framework in ensuring REDD+ activities are consistent with the UNFCCC REDD+ safeguards: Country experiences implementing a Country Safeguard Approach

The Warsaw Framework for REDD+ consolidates the requirements that must be met in order to receive results-based payments, however these requirements are somewhat broad in the interests of flexibility and preserving national sovereignty. This is particularly true in the case of the REDD+ safeguards, which must be “addressed and respected”. The question is how best to do this? In order to ensure that they are both addressed and respected, the rights and obligations that they embody must be made enforceable nationally and therefore anchored to the legal framework. This can be achieved by building on countries’ existing legal frameworks in as far as such frameworks exist. This paper demonstrates how countries are working to achieve this through the application of a Country Safeguards Approach, drawing on examples from countries in Latin America.