Background
The Ministry of Environment leads Cambodia’s engagement in international REDD+ programmes and represents national interests on forest-carbon policy and safeguards. The Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) ten-year programme, supported by the World Bank, produced four principal outputs: a national REDD+ strategy, a forest monitoring and tracking system, a REDD+ action and investment plan, and a safeguards assurance system.
REDD+ implementation has included community-level measures intended to shift livelihoods away from activities that degrade forests toward alternative income sources such as ecotourism and other environmental activities. The Cambodian delegation reported interest in a World Bank–supported greenhouse-gas reduction project that is expected to facilitate cross-country knowledge exchange between Cambodia and Cote d’Ivoire.
Key Developments
- On 15 June 2026 in Abidjan, a Cambodian delegation led by Secretary of State Juop Paris met with Abou Bamba, Minister of Environment of Cote d’Ivoire.
- Delegation remarks highlighted the FCPF programme outcomes and described community-level shifts from illegal hunting and forest-degrading practices toward ecotourism and environmental activities.
- The head of the Cambodian delegation expressed hopes that a new World Bank-supported greenhouse-gas reduction project would enable knowledge and experience exchange between the two countries.
- Minister Abou Bamba outlined priority areas for effective REDD+ delivery, including carbon-credit governance, carbon-payment mechanisms, alignment with international standards, clear on-the-ground management systems, and broad stakeholder capacity building.
Institutional Role
The Ministry of Environment acts as Cambodia’s coordinating body for REDD+ strategy development, forest monitoring implementation, safeguards compliance, and international engagement with development partners. International financing and partnership platforms such as the FCPF have been used to support the technical systems and planning documents that underpin national REDD+ governance.
Policy Context
Discussion in Abidjan emphasised governance elements that influence how carbon credits are administered and paid, including transparent management arrangements, payment mechanisms, and conformity with international standards. Capacity building for stakeholders and clear, site-level management systems were identified as central to ensuring REDD+ interventions meet safeguard and performance expectations.
