The Government of Fiji’s effort to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation and sustainable forest management practices (REDD+) requires a mechanism for responding to complaints, disputes, and grievances arising from the readiness and implementation phases of the Fiji National REDD+ Programme. The Ministry of Fisheries and Forests, with funding from the World Bank, awarded Integra a contract in September 2017 to develop a feedback and grievance redress mechanism (FGRM) for all stakeholders in the National REDD+ Programme.

As of June 2018, Integra concluded its consultancy with the World Bank and the Government of Fiji, the first of the REDD+ Readiness Assessments to be completed. The consultancy ended with the design of a communications strategy and a training of trainers. The communications strategy was designed specifically for the FGRM and supported greater awareness on REDD+. The training was conducted for targeted groups over a two-day period on the FGRM structure, procedures, process, and roles and responsibilities of all stakeholders involved – this also included the use of recommended reporting and recording forms in both English and iTaukei languages.

The FGRM Team then presented their findings and recommended design to the REDD+ Secretariat and Steering Committee for acceptance and approval. For more information on this activity, you can reference the project page located here.