To improve its focus on helping developing countries to develop national forest monitoring systems (NFMS) and associated emissions measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) requirements, GFOI is developing a new Country Needs Assessment (CNA) process. The CNAs are a systematic assessment, by countries, of their own needs to operationalize and improve their national systems and associated capacities. The CNAs use the GFOI’s REDDcompass framework to help countries work through the relevant decisions and actions for designing and developing their systems according to their own unique needs.

The CNAs are a holistic process of identifying tangible needs and communicating these to development partners so that international assistance can be targeted at addressing these needs. The process starts with a workshop facilitated by GFOI partners, which is then followed up by a series of in-country consultations and reviews, and the development of the discrete work packages to address theseneeds.

GFOI is already well advanced in developing the workshop phase of this work, having held workshops in both Cambodia and Ethiopia during September and October 2018 respectively. These workshops were hosted by leading GFOI partner the World Bank for countries from the Asia-Pacific region and Anglophone Africa. Work has also commenced on developing the follow up steps, which will be trialed in early 2019.

Once finalized, the CNAs will form a crucial part of GFOI Phase II. They aim to not only help target international support at tangible needs but also form the basis for improved coordination between international partners. Stay tuned for more information on the development of the CNA process and how through collaborative action GFOI plans to help accelerate progress in improved forest monitoring and reporting under the Paris Agreement and related forums.