24 May 2017

The Institute of Applied Sciences (IAS) was awarded the Vanuatu Reducing Emission from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) Strategic Environmental and Social Assessment (SESA) project by the Vanuatu Government and World Bank in March 2017.  This follows the Fiji REDD+ SESA project awarded to IAS in September 2016.  Dr Johann Poinapen, the Director IAS attributes the Vanuatu SESA project award to the positive feedback from World Bank in the successful implementation of the Fiji SESA currently underway. 

The 12-month project with a budget of USD375, 000 was made official with the signing of the contract on 29 March 2017 by USP and the Secretariat of the REDD+ Vanuatu.  The project leadership team comprising the IAS Environment Manager Dr Isoa Korovulavula, international SESA expert Dr Ken Green and Senior Scientific Officer, Make Movono traveled to Port Vila in March 2017 for an official Vanuatu SESA project reconnaissance visit where they met with the REDD+ Secretariat and local stakeholders.   

SESA is a critical phase of the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation programme, a proposed global mechanism to mitigate climate change, while mobilising financial resources for socio-economic development in forest countries. As an internationally known policy tool or instrument to identify environment and social risks and impacts pertaining to specific sectors and planning strategies, SESA facilitates strategic environmental and social sustainability dialogues, and informs policy reform processes. The Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) and many REDD+ stakeholders agreed that the SESA would serve as a foundation across REDD+ readiness programmes and as such should be a comprehensive analysis of issues and policy options related to the proposed REDD+ national and subnational/jurisdictional programmes.

The Director, IAS stated that the IAS project team will efficiently undertake the work based on IAS’s years of experience working across REDD+ programmes, forestry sector projects, regional projects and Government of Fiji national environment and natural resource management programmes and the current Fiji SESA.