C2.2.2. National REDD+ Program benefits, risks and measures on ethnic minority and local community rights
Potential benefits and risks related to ethnic minority and local community (EMLC) rights have been identified through REDD+ planning processes at the national and subnational levels. For example, the 2017 assessment of potential benefits and risks[1] arising from the implementation of National REDD+ Action Program (NRAP actions includes a range of relevant benefits and risks, such as:
- Risk of loss of productive assets such as land, or access/use rights to forests, and therefore potential for increasing conflicts over land tenure/use, and negative impacts on livelihoods.
- Potentially improved public participation in land use planning and strategic environmental assessment/environmental impact assessment processes; however, there are risks for lack of transparency, non-inclusivity of key or vulnerable groups (such as ethnic minorities) and/or manipulation in consultation processes.
- Risk of increased vulnerability to economic shocks or trends for smallholder farmers, should sustainable agriculture models lead to dependence on specific commodities; risks may be higher for poorer farmers.
- Risks related to inequitable benefit distribution, social exclusion and elite capture of REDD+ benefits.
The assessment at the national level also put forward a number of suggested measures for enhancing the identified benefits and reducing risks related to EMLCs, including:
- Integrated land use planning processes, as well as consultations for strategic environmental assessment/environmental impact assessment, should integrate social parameters to avoid or mitigate access and use restrictions and the loss of productive assets and livelihoods. Representatives of EMLCs and women should be selected through a participatory and transparent manner and should participate at all stages of the processes.
- Clear guidelines should be developed and implemented for collaborative forest management, non-timber forest products business models, and livelihoods interventions,
- Collaborative forest management approaches are considered highly appropriate to address potential conflict as well as promote the participation of communities in afforestation/reforestation activities.
- Sustainable agricultural models should integrate farmer risk mitigation measures such as diversification of income sources through agroforestry models, improved varieties, and reducing overall costs of plantations/farming techniques, etc.
At the sub-national level, analysis of social and environmental risks and benefits is required for the development of Provincial REDD+ Action Plans (PRAPs).[2] Assessments have also been carried out through the Strategic Environmental and Social Assessment (SESA) during the development of the FCPF Emission Reductions Program in the North Central Coast Region of Viet Nam, and for the Project for Sustainable Forest Management in the Northwest Watershed Area (SUSFORM-NOW) funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
For example, the FCPF Program area includes 13 ethnic minority groups that are mainly found in the largely mountainous communes. The main social concerns and risks identified related to: security of land tenure and lack of recognition of customary land tenure rights; access to resources, such as non-timber forest products and forest resources from REDD+, and livelihoods;, and gender equality issues.[3] Recommended measures to mitigate these risks included: design of local site-specific small-scale livelihood activities identified through the Adaptive Collaborative Management Approach and supported through the Benefit Sharing Mechanism; and improvements to land tenure security through reduction in land access conflicts, and support for the forest land allocation process.
In addition to identifying potential benefits and risks, Viet Nam has mandates and processes in place for the respect, protection and fulfilment of EMLC rights at national level and in the design and implementation of REDD+, including processes on consultation/participation in decision-making (see also Safeguard D2).
The NRAP (2017) includes specific actions to strengthen the knowledge and rights of EMLCs (e.g. promoting forest and land allocation to individuals, households and communities, and promoting co-management of natural forests), and Viet Nam has developed approaches and procedures to promote the participation of EMLCs in REDD+ planning and implementation. For example:
- Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) for REDD+ was piloted in Lam Dong Province in 2010, which informed the development of national ''FPIC for REDD+ guidelines'' in 2013[4] which in turn informed the revision of the NRAP, as well as the guidelines on Provincial REDD+ Action Plans (PRAPs) development.
- The Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF) of the FCPF Program includes an Ethnic Minority Planning Framework (EMPF) that guides the screening and preparation of site-specific Ethnic Minority Development Plans (EMDPs). Mechanisms for consultations with communities include the REDD+ Needs Assessment (RNA), Social Screening Report (SSR) and a locally prioritized management plan that require an assessment of impacts and mitigation measures. Training programs on the ESMF were conducted until December 2019 including an introduction to the ESMF, Resettlement Policy Framework (RPF) and EMPF at the national and local level, including the requirements on preparing ESMPs and EMDPs.[5]
- The proposed LEAF Program in the South Central and Central highlands regions has also prepared a consultation protocol to guide participation of stakeholders, including EMLCs, in the design of the Program, which targets securing 30% of participation from women and 30% from EMLCs.[6]
[1] Summarised from assessment of potential benefits and risks arising from the NRAP: https://sis.kiemlam.gov.vn/web/guest/library/-/document_library/iXuUrTYhhdKx/view_file/75422
[2] MARD (2015) No. 5414/QD-BNN-TCLN Decision on guideline for PRAP (
[3] (FCPFERP Document (2018): https://www.forestcarbonpartnership.org/system/files/documents/00_FINAL%20ER-PD%20Vietnam%205%20Jan%202018__0.pdf
[4] Viet Nam FPIC Final Evaluation Report (2021): https://www.un-redd.org/sites/default/files/2021-09/Viet_Nam_FPIC_Final_Evaluation_Report_5258.pdf
[5] FCPF First Emission Monitoring Report (2023): https://www.forestcarbonpartnership.org/sites/default/files/documents/Viet Nam_mmr1_final_06.09.2023_vn_updated_01.10.2023_clean.pdf
[6] LEAF Program consultations report (2024): https://vnff.vn/en-us/leaf-program/soi-and-others