Over three hundred national representatives, experts and students worldwide have completed the two-week Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on “Forests and transparency under the Paris Agreement”. The MOOC was jointly developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to teach how the forest sector contributes to strengthening the global response to the threat of climate change.

The course was aimed at officers and professionals from public organizations working in the forest and land use and climate change sectors. In particular, it targeted those with an interest in forest data collection, analysis and dissemination at country level, including: national correspondents to the Global Forest Resources Assessment (FRA) 2020; national focal points of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC); representatives from partner organizations of the Global Forest Observations Initiative (GFOI); and students of the International Forestry Students' Association (IFSA).

Climate change is a global emergency that is already having profound effects on people’s lives and on our planet’s biodiversity. Protecting forests is one of the most cost-effective solutions to curb climate change. This solution is also recognized in Article 5 of the Paris Agreement, which explicitly endorses the key role forests play in limiting greenhouse gas emissions and, ultimately, in achieving the long-term goal of keeping the rise in global temperature well below 2 degrees Celsius.

For this purpose, countries adhering to the Paris Agreement are required to transparently report complete information on their greenhouse gas emissions and on their efforts to implement the Agreement. Within this context, the quality of forest data is fundamental, as is the understanding of how reliable and transparent forest information is related to the Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF) of the Paris Agreement.

Over the last two weeks, MOOC lecturers provided a comprehensive overview of international climate policy and the implications of the ETF for the forest sector. Participants heard about the experience of other countries in developing strategic and sustainable national forest monitoring systems that produce robust, reliable, open, and accessible data and information.

Through the course, participants also had the opportunity to interact as a group during the forums. “Participation in the current measurement, reporting and verification system, and regular reporting under the ETF, will provide a platform for countries to learn from each other, create opportunities to forge new relationships and collaborations, and build trust that all are doing their share to address the climate challenge”, said Donald Cooper, Director for Transparency, UNFCCC.

During her closing remarks Mette Wilkie, Director, Forestry Division at FAO, encouraged the participants to act as influencers to help increase the quality and accessibility of forest information and data: “I am sure that you can make a difference and that we will eventually see the collective impact of the work of each and every one – but you need to act now. Whereas the COVID crisis threatens to undermine global climate action, recovery from the pandemic represents a historic opportunity to increase sustainability and environmental protection in all countries”.

The MOOC was assembled in a digital platform by the FAO elearning Academy and structured in three modules, including live webinars, forums, interactive lessons as well as key resources and knowledge material. The content was provided in English, French and Spanish. The two live webinars were held twice on 9 and 10 December with morning and afternoon sessions to facilitate participation and uptake of trainees joining from all over the world. During these webinars, Ecuador, Costa Rica and Uganda shared their knowledge and experience. Participants committed about six hours per week and in the coming days, they will be busy completing an online test to receive their digital badge certifications.

The MOOC was funded by the Capacity-Building Initiative for Transparency (CBIT) Trust Fund of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), within the context of the global project “Building global capacity to increase transparency in the forest sector (CBIT-Forest)”.

Related links

• Building global capacity to increase transparency in the forest sector (CBIT-Forest)
• Poster “Boosting transparency of forest data for climate action”
• Elearning course “Forests and transparency under the Paris Agreement”
• Open, transparent and accessible: CBIT-Forest webinars in 2020
• Forest-related courses offered by the FAO e-learning Academy

Webinar 9 December "Establishing and implementing a sustainable NFMS: effects on the forest sector of a country"

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The French and Spanish versions are also available.

Webinar 10 December "How to prepare for the transition from the measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) framework"

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