Safeguard is not something new in human rights and environmental protection policies. In many international instruments, safeguards have become a tradition developed in such a way to encourage parties or non-state actors to comply with established standards. In the context of REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation), the issue of safeguards reemerges to ensure that the REDD scheme does not cause harm to the surrounding communities or forest areas and truly becomes a scheme that supports forest sustainability. Therefore, many safeguard proposals have been put forward by various parties, based on both experience and law.

The principles of rights-based safeguards outlined in this booklet are adopted from legal principles, both national and international, that are legally binding. This means that safeguards here are not arbitrary but based on existing legal frameworks that apply nationally and internationally.

This booklet also aims to rearticulate these principles to encourage REDD discussions to not only focus on forests but also encompass issues of rights, governance, justice, and environmental integrity. This means that REDD safeguards should lead REDD beyond the technical aspects of forests. Hence, the safeguard framework presented in this publication is rights-based. Many parties, including our organization, the HuMa Association, believe that by accommodating community rights, REDD will help address the most fundamental issues in forest management in Indonesia.

The safeguards covered in this publication are: 1) basic right to information, 2) procedural right to participation, 3) right to fair benefit-sharing, 4) right to forest resources, 5) rights to values and customs related to forests, 6) right to compensation and environmental restoration, 7) right to determine or reject (FPIC), 8) right to non-terror and legal protection, and 9) right to a healthy environment. An important aspect of safeguards in REDD+ programs is the existence of responsive and effective mechanisms for submitting and resolving grievances.

Indonesian document:

HuMa-2010.-Melampaui-Karbon

The English document can be downloaded at the following link:

http://www.iisd.org/pdf/2011/redd_social_safeguard_en.pdf