Excellency Dr. Chuop Paris, Secretary of State, Ministry of Environment and the National REDD+ Focal Point
Excellency Dr. Ken Sereyrotha, Chair of National REDD+ Secretariat, Other distinguished representatives of the Ministry of Environment
Distinguished representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries 
Distinguished representatives of development partners, civil society organizations, universities
Distinguished National and International Delegates, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen!

Good morning, Arun suostei!

It is our pleasure to take part in this second national consultation on Piloting REDD+ Nesting, which encompasses a wide range of critical aspects of REDD+ project management—from legal and policy frameworks to strategic planning, from effective management practices to robust monitoring systems for carbon, safeguards, and sustainable livelihoods. I would like to extend my deepest gratitude and appreciation to the Ministry of Environment for organizing this event.

UNDP is a long standing of the Ministry of Environment in advancing climate action. Through transformative initiatives such as the Cambodia Climate Change Alliance (CCCA), the National REDD+ Programme, BioFin, the Small Grant Programme, and Circular Economy efforts, UNDP has supported the development of policy and regulatory frameworks, the design and implementation of programmes and in mobilizing essential resources to promote environmental and climate change actions in Cambodia. These collaborative efforts have not only strengthened institutional capacities but also fostered inter-ministerial coordination and enhanced data-driven decision-making. I would like to thank the team in the Ministry of Environment for their collaboration with UNDP.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Cambodia has successfully completed its REDD+ Readiness Phase through fulfilling all four foundational elements of the Warsaw Framework for REDD+. The REDD+ Secretariat has set the REDD+ Implementation Framework as the foundation to operationalize the REDD+ actions in the forestry sector at multiple scales. This framework, also known as the “Nesting System”, aims to clarify rules and methodologies to account for and keep track of Emissions Reductions at multiple spatial scales, and to establish a fair system to share REDD+ benefits across different actors, avoid double counting, as well as ensure environmental integrity.

In this regard, the REDD+ Secretariat has drafted a regulatory framework for Greenhouse Gas Emission reduction mechanism through REDD+ nesting and a draft REDD+ nesting Prakas under the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) Phase II with technical support from UNDP.

Based on the Updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC2.0), the Forestry and Other Land Use (FOLU) sector is poised to make a significant impact by contributing nearly 60 percent of Cambodia’s economy-wide emission reduction target by 2030. The REDD+ mechanism stands out as a pivotal mean for generating these essential emission reductions, translating into valuable carbon credits.

Building on this foundation, Cambodia is now advancing towards the next generation of climate action in NDC 3.0. The REDD+ mechanism will continue to play a crucial role in NDC financing under the FOLU sector, leveraging various carbon market standards to drive progress.

Over the past decade, Cambodia has actively engaged with international carbon market standards through numerous voluntary carbon standard REDD+ projects and the Joint Credit Mechanism (JCM). This extensive experience, coupled with an ambitious agenda, underscores our commitment to addressing NDC financing gaps effectively.

REDD+ Nesting presents a transformative opportunity for Cambodia in enhancing governance, social and environmental integrity, and transparency. These advancements underpin high-quality carbon accounting, ensuring that carbon credits meet the rigorous verification standards demanded by international markets.

Collaborative efforts between the UN-REDD Global Programme, UNDP, and the REDD+ Secretariat are driving a comprehensive pilot focused on the nesting framework’s technical and institutional operations. This initiative encompasses selecting pilot sites, districts, and provinces, testing monitoring methodologies, evaluating institutional arrangements, and assessing the effectiveness of REDD+ Nesting.

This endeavor is further strengthened by partnerships with Conservation International, Wildlife Conservation Society, and Spatial Informatics Group, who provide expert technical assistance under UNDP’s supervision and the REDD+ Secretariat’s guidance. Together, these efforts reflect a united commitment to achieving Cambodia’s climate goals with integrity and innovation.

Ladies and gentlemen!

Following the successful first consultation on REDD+ Nesting, Cambodia has made important progress in laying the foundation for an effective and internationally aligned nesting framework. The initial consultation led to a shared understanding among stakeholders on the core design features, piloting structure, and technical components necessary for operationalizing REDD+ nesting. These outcomes marked the completion of the pre-nesting phase under Cambodia’s REDD+ Nesting Roadmap.
Building on this momentum, this second consultation seeks to advance the implementation of the roadmap by focusing on operational aspects and drawing lessons from early piloting efforts. It brings together national and sub-national stakeholders, technical partners, and implementing agencies to refine Cambodia’s MRV system and strengthen the alignment between project-level and jurisdictional REDD+ activities.
We are keen to learn new insights from these two-day consultations and understand the scope and scale of piloting REDD+ nesting within the draft nesting framework. This will help the technical team to draw workplan to review and updated the existing framework.

Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen!

The national and sectoral policies of the Royal Government of Cambodia and the UNDP’s Country Programme Document demonstrate strong strategic and programmatic alignment. UNDP will continue to support the implementation of the Pentagonal Strategy, Circular Strategy for Environment, Carbon Market Readiness, and Implementation Support initiatives. These include Carbon Market Access Strategies for Community Protected Areas, meaningful engagement of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities, and beyond. We remain committed to supporting environmental governance in Cambodia’s Protected Areas under the principles of the “Leaving No One Behind” approach.

In closing, I would like to thank the Ministry of Environment, and particularly the REDD+ Secretariat for organizing this timely event. We hope that today’s event will help in identifying strategic directions and actionable solutions for operationalization of REDD+ Nesting in Cambodia. Let us work together in advancing the action items identified during this gathering for the successful testing and implementation of REDD+ nesting in the months ahead.

I thank you all once again for your collaboration and wish you productive discussions.
Thank you.