The UN-REDD Programme is assisting the developing countries listed above to develop national REDD+ strategies through the implementation of national REDD+ Readiness Programmes. In addition to providing support to building capacities in countries, UNEP is the lead on two substantive work areas: (1) Realising the multiple benefits of forests and (2) REDD+ as a catalyst for Green Economy transformation. UNEP's two work areas are based on the premise that REDD+ holds the promise of multiple benefits for climate, development and conservation in the forest sector at national and global levels.

The multiple benefits work area focuses on supporting global and national efforts to realize the full range of benefits that forests can offer under REDD+. The importance of realizing multiple benefits from forests was agreed in the Cancun Agreements of COP16 of UNFCCC and the CBD COP10. A REDD+ Programme that meets the Cancun Agreements safeguards on multiple benefits will be more sustainable in the long term, both because of its added value to stakeholders, and because of the increased resilience of forest carbon stocks delivered by intact, natural forest.
The Green Economy transformation work area provides an entry point and aims to support the necessary practical steps, knowledge and capacity strengthening for an approach which elevates the REDD+ process as an engine to design and implement a low carbon economy.
The Cancun Agreements emphasize the need for systemic and transformative change especially in paragraph 10 which states that, "addressing climate change requires a paradigm shift towards building a low-carbon society that offers substantial opportunities and ensures continued high growth and sustainable development, based on innovative technologies and more sustainable production and consumption and lifestyles, while ensuring a just transition of the workforce that creates decent work and quality jobs."

FAO, UNDP, Partner Country Governments