Unanswered questions: UN-REDD in Papua New Guinea

By Chris Lang | REDD-Monitor | 21st January 2010

The UN-REDD programme in Papua New Guinea has been very quiet about the on-going controversy involving carbon trading and REDD in the country. REDD-Monitor asked UN-REDD some questions in an attempt to find out what the UN-REDD programme has been doing to address the problems. Unfortunately, UN-REDD remains very quiet on the subject.

I wrote to Jacqui Badcock, who is (still) listed on UN-REDD’s website as the contact person for UN-REDD in PNG, to ask her, among other things, where UN-REDD’s budget of US$ 2,596 million has been spent (if indeed, any of it has been spent). Badcock left PNG five months ago. She forwarded my email to the new contact person David McLachlan-Karr. When he didn’t reply, I wrote again. A week ago, Freddy Austli wrote to me on behalf of the UNDP Resident Representative in PNG. “We will get back to you shortly,” he wrote. I’m still waiting.

From: Chris Lang
Sent: Tuesday, January 05, 2010 7:14 PM
To: Jacqui Badcock
Subject: UN-REDD in PNG

Dear Jacqui,

Greetings from Jakarta. My name is Chris Lang and I run the website REDD-Monitor. I’m currently working on an article about REDD in PNG and would be very grateful if you could answer some questions about the UN-REDD programme in the country.

1. As you are aware, there have been several media reports about the problems with REDD in PNG, with carbon certificates being issued and so called “carbon cowboys” have been signing up carbon trading deals with villagers, both despite the absence of legislation on carbon trading in the country. Meanwhile the government and the Office of Climate Change have issued seemingly contradictory messages about voluntary carbon trading in PNG. Could you please describe what UN-REDD has done to attempt to address these problems.

2. According to the UN-REDD website, the UN-REDD programme in PNG has a budget of US $ 2,596 million. Could you please explain how much of this money has been disbursed and what it is has been spent on.

3. UN-REDD’s partner organisation in PNG is the Office of Climate Change. According to a recent report by Australian Channel SBS (http://bit.ly/8ifoI0), the Office of Climate Change has now been closed down (The Post Courier also reported this news: http://bit.ly/6bQZVS). What does this mean for the UN-REDD programme in PNG? What happened to the money that UN-REDD paid to the Office of Climate Change?

4. The UN-REDD programme in PNG aimed to “assist Papua New Guinea to prepare a draft National REDD Plan for consideration of the Cabinet by 31 October 2009″. Was this draft National REDD Plan produced? If so, could you please send me a copy.

5. The PNG Signed Submission Form states “Lack of clarity concerning the OCCES process for carbon trading has been raised.” Apart from this (under)statement, has the UN-REDD made any public statements about the carbon trading scandals in PNG? If so, could you please send me a copy.

Please consider your response to be on-the-record. If there is anything else you want to add, please feel free. Thanks for your time and I look forward to hearing from you.

Regards, Chris Lang
http://www.redd-monitor.org

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From: Jacqui Badcock
To: Chris Lang
Cc: David McLachlan-Karr, Jan Jilles Van Der Hoeven
Date: 5 January 2010 22:06
Subject: RE: UN-REDD in PNG

Dear Chris

I left PNG 5 months ago and am referring you to the new Rep David.

Jacqui

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From: Chris Lang
To: David McLachlan-Karr, Jan Jilles Van Der Hoeven
Date: 13 January 2010 16:07
Subject: Re: UN-REDD in PNG

Dear David,

Last week I sent some questions about the UN-REDD programme in PNG to Jacqui Badcock, who is (still) listed on the UN-REDD website as the UN Resident Coordinator, Papua New Guinea. She informed me that she left PNG five months ago and referred me to you (and copied my questions to you and Jilles Van Der Hoeven).

As I’ve not heard anything from you in response to my questions, I am resending the email. I would be grateful if you could answer the following questions before the end of this week.

1. As you are aware, there have been several media reports about the problems with REDD in PNG, with carbon certificates being issued and so called “carbon cowboys” have been signing up carbon trading deals with villagers, both despite the absence of legislation on carbon trading in the country. Meanwhile the government and the Office of Climate Change have issued seemingly contradictory messages about voluntary carbon trading in PNG. Could you please describe what UN-REDD has done to attempt to address these problems.

2. According to the UN-REDD website (http://bit.ly/580bsJ), the UN-REDD programme in PNG has a budget of US $ 2,596 million. Could you please explain how much of this money has been disbursed and what it is has been spent on.

3. UN-REDD’s partner organisation in PNG is the Office of Climate Change. According to a recent report by Australian Channel SBS (http://bit.ly/8ifoI0), the Office of Climate Change has now been closed down (The Post Courier also reported this news: http://bit.ly/6bQZVS). What does this mean for the UN-REDD programme in PNG? What happened to the money that UN-REDD paid to the Office of Climate Change?

4. The UN-REDD programme in PNG aimed to “assist Papua New Guinea to prepare a draft National REDD Plan for consideration of the Cabinet by 31 October 2009″. Was this draft National REDD Plan produced? If so, could you please send me a copy.

5. The PNG Signed Submission Form states “Lack of clarity concerning the OCCES process for carbon trading has been raised.” Apart from this (under)statement, has the UN-REDD made any public statements about the carbon trading scandals in PNG? If so, could you please send me a copy.

Please consider your response to be on-the-record. If there is anything else you want to add, please feel free. Thanks for your time and I look forward to hearing from you.

Regards, Chris Lang
http://www.redd-monitor.org

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From: Freddy Austli
To: REDD-Monitor
Date: 14 January 2010 08:46
Subject: Re: UN-REDD in PNG

Dear Mr. Lang,

I am writing to you on behalf of the UNDP Resident Representative in Papua New Guinea, Mr. David McLachlan-Karr. We apologise for our delay in getting back to you. However, we will get back to you shortly.

With kind regards,

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