Páramos & Forests Activity Annual Work Plan FY21

The P&F team has demonstrated expertise in building community capacity to implement REDD+ projects and developing practical approaches to monitoring, verification, and reporting (MRV). In paramos, the Activity has assumed a major role in integrated land use management and payment for environmental services (PES) and development of MRV methodologies and platforms to mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The principal goal of P&F in FY21 is to help communities become more self-reliant and place them on a more sustainable development path based on licit economic activities. The Activity will continue to contribute to assisting the Government of Colombia (GOC) meet its Nationally Determined Commitments (NDC) under the Paris Agreement for emissions reductions from agriculture, forestry, and other land uses (AFOLU). The P&F Activity will also assist key government institutions like the Hydrology, Meteorology, and Environmental Studies Institute (IDEAM) and local and regional organizations in MRV, land use planning, and community sustainable forest management. The link between the peace process and P&F will be paramount in FY21. Under contract line item number (CLIN) 1, the focus is on site-specific actions that strengthen communities' capacity to sustainably implement the BioREDD+ projects in the Pacific and design PES schemes in páramos based on integrated land use and farm management plans. Under CLIN2, the release of a first Task Order is expected by the beginning of FY21, which will take advantage of the groundwork already in place to leverage lessons-learned to other priority post-conflict or territorial development program (PDET) sub-regions and further support the GOC. The FY21 AWP includes significant adjustments in implementation strategy based on an in-depth testing of original assumptions and stock-taking of the Activity's strengths, areas that require improvement, new opportunities, and outside threats like COVID-19. The results of this exercise were shared with the broader team and the current and incoming CORs during virtual workshops and group work sessions. The work planning exercise also underscored the need going forward for a high level of adaptability, consolidation of alliances, and building of new ones, as well as an even more concerted communications strategy aimed at an array of audiences. Objective 1 in FY21 is to continue the implementation of the BioREDD+ projects begun in FY20, with a focus on strengthening internal governance, operational capacity in MRV, and strengthening value chains with strong commercial linkages. The strategy going forward is to continue to build this capacity so responsibility for BioREDD+ implementation can be increasingly assumed directly by communities. The core of this effort are the "REDD+ Units" comprised of local MRV teams, REDD+ promoters, field technicians, and marketing promoters to assist communities with consolidation of productive activities and their commercial enterprises. The P&F Activity will continue to work with a wide range of stakeholders and counterparts from Government of Colombia (GOC) authorities to local communities and the private sector. The Activity will also continue to contribute to the development of MRV methodologies and platforms to mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in paramos. The P&F Activity will focus on strengthening the internal governance, operational capacity in MRV, and strengthening value chains with strong commercial linkages, which together will raise the performance of their REDD+ projects and generate tangible benefits for members in terms of jobs and income from livelihood activities. The P&F Activity will also continue to support the Government of Colombia (GOC) in meeting its Nationally Determined Commitments (NDC) under the Paris Agreement for emissions reductions from agriculture, forestry, and other land uses (AFOLU). The Activity will assist key government institutions like the Hydrology, Meteorology, and Environmental Studies Institute (IDEAM) and local and regional organizations in MRV, land use planning, and community sustainable forest management. The P&F Activity will also focus on creating a more enabling regulatory and business-friendly environment for private investment in REDD+, PES, and green value chains. The Activity will work with a wide range of stakeholders and counterparts to achieve this goal, including Government of Colombia (GOC) authorities, local communities, and the private sector. The P&F Activity will also continue to support the development of MRV methodologies and platforms to mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in paramos. The Activity will work with a wide range of stakeholders and counterparts to achieve this goal, including Government of Colombia (GOC) authorities, local communities, and the private sector. The P&F Activity will also focus on strengthening the internal governance, operational capacity in MRV, and strengthening value chains with strong commercial linkages, which together will raise the performance of their REDD+ projects and generate tangible benefits for members in terms of jobs and income from livelihood activities.