CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — The Ministry’s Forest Management Services (FMS), under the leadership of Director Abdul-Jalil S. Umngan and in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), successfully conducted a Map Validation and Capacity Building Needs Workshop for Forest Carbon Market Mechanisms cum Review of the BARMM Regional Sustainable Forest Management Act (RSFMA) on August 19-21 in Cagayan de Oro City.

During the three-day activity, the participants from MENRE FMS, Provincial Environment, Natural Resources, and Energy Offices (PENREOs), and UNDP experts engaged in discussions on existing spatial data relevant to carbon projects, the identification of carbon programs and projects in BARMM, and the initial policy gap assessment on climate change and forests. The workshop also addressed structures, programs, and governance mechanisms on carbon trading, along with capacity-building needs and plans, as well as a Review of the RSFMA.

This workshop builds on a previous orientation training on carbon markets and trading in the forestry sector held in May 2024 in Bukidnon. This event is part of UNDP’s Accelerating Carbon Neutrality in the Philippines initiative, which aims to create an enabling environment for improved greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions monitoring and reporting. The initiative also seeks to strengthen the capacities of the private sector and BARMM officials in developing domestic carbon markets.

This effort complements the Project Accelerating Green and Climate Finance in the Philippines: Nature-based Solutions (AGCF), funded by the Government of Canada, which aims to boost private sector investments in gender-responsive nature-based solutions for climate resilience.

As part of its technical assistance to BARMM, UNDP will further support policy development, baseline assessment, institutional strengthening, and resilience-building within the region. This will include developing policies, institutional arrangements, and feasibility studies for engaging in voluntary forest carbon landscapes, including blue carbon.

The workshop provided a valuable platform for stakeholders to discuss and address key challenges and opportunities related to forest carbon markets in BARMM. As a continuation of efforts to enhance capacity building in the region, UNDP and MENRE FMS will organize a follow-up event in September 2024 to focus on developing a comprehensive BARMM Carbon Trading Policy Roadmap.