UN Climate Change News, 22 May 2026 - UN Climate Change convened the REDD+ Global Summit 2026 in Nairobi, Kenya, from 19 to 21 May 2026, bringing together 97 participants from 59 countries implementing REDD+ activities, alongside partner organizations, donors and other stakeholders.
The Summit is part of the UNFCCC REDD+ Community of Practice, which supports transparency and peer learning and exchange, including on access to results-based finance - helping countries advance efforts to halt and reverse deforestation and forest degradation by 2030.
Participants were welcomed to the Summit in Nairobi by Deborah Mlongo Barasa, Kenya's Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Forestry, and Gitonga Mugambi, Principal Secretary in Kenya's State Department of Forestry, who officially opened the event.
More than a decade after the adoption of the Warsaw Framework for REDD+ and its recognition under the Paris Agreement, countries have made significant progress in strengthening forest monitoring systems, transparency frameworks and safeguards.
The Summit highlighted how more than a decade of implementation experience now provides a strong foundation for accelerated action, while also underscoring persistent challenges related to evolving requirements, multiple finance channels, and increasing scrutiny around integrity and credibility.
Throughout the Summit, countries exchanged lessons learned on accessing results-based finance across both public and market-based channels, including ways to navigate differing requirements while maintaining environmental and social integrity and safeguarding national priorities.
Transparency and reporting were also central themes. Participants shared practical experiences in improving data quality, documentation, data flows and review readiness, noting that clearer and more consistent reporting can help reduce transaction costs, build trust and improve access to finance.
Discussions also emphasized that durable REDD+ implementation depends not only on carbon outcomes, but also on meaningful stakeholder participation, environmental integrity, and non-carbon benefits. Participants highlighted factors that strengthen long-term sustainability and legitimacy, including approaches that support local livelihoods and inclusive participation as part of effective implementation.
To sustain momentum beyond the meeting, participants were invited to continue technical exchange through the REDD+ Community of Practice hosted on the REDD+ Web Platform, including a dedicated discussion forum launched for the Summit.
The Summit also reaffirmed the importance of continued regional and global exchange as countries work towards halting and reversing deforestation and forest degradation by 2030. UN Climate Change will use the Community of Practice to share updates on follow-up activities and enable continued dialogue among practitioners, partners and donors in the months ahead.
