RECOFTC

Private sector partnership

Private sector engagement

At RECOFTC, we work with private sector partners who share our belief in a future where people live equitably and sustainably in and beside healthy, resilient forests. Through our collaboration, we strive to achieve the goals of our Strategic Plan 2018-2023, which are aligned to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN Agenda 2030 and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. 

Nearly 1.6 billion people worldwide and more than 450 million in the Asia-Pacific rely on forests for their livelihoods. No single organization or approach can succeed in ensuring that forest communities and forests thrive. Nor can one organization provide the diverse solutions we need to mitigate and adapt to climate change, transform conflict into collaboration, overcome poverty and food insecurity, achieve gender equality and social inclusion, protect the Earth’s biodiversity and develop sustainable livelihoods and economies. To succeed, we must bring to bear the ideas and energy of all stakeholders: local communities, governments, civil society and private sector. When we work together, we accelerate progress toward thriving forest communities and thriving forests, sustainable economies and a world free of the threats posed by climate change. 

We work with forest sector companies, big and small, as well as investors, technology-startups and many others. As the drivers of economic development, our private sector allies offer innovative solutions that can be piloted and scaled up. Through our collaboration, forest communities benefit from clear and secure tenure and use rights, opportunities to expand and improve their products, and access to markets. Ultimately, these benefits enable them to chart their own paths to development, attain their own aspirations and contribute to the global imperatives of restoring landscapes and mitigating climate change. 

Companies benefit in many ways as well, most especially by creating stable and secure environments for business and de-risking investment. Through our partnership, they are able to implement green corporate philosophies, philanthropic initiatives, and corporate social responsibilities on the ground. In addition, they build reliable and sustainable supply chains and expand markets. 

Companies say they value our expertise, multi-stakeholder processes, and the trusting relationships we have forged with forest communities, governments and civil society organizations throughout the Asia-Pacific region. They see us as the trusted broker bridging the science-policy divide and gaps among communities, countries, international organizations, alliances such as ASEAN, and donors.

Standards and principles

Our engagement with companies is guided by Environmental, Social and Governance Standards (ESG) and the principles of relevance, additionality, development and risk. We assess and mitigate all risks related to partnership including financial, reputational and the capacity of our institution, private sector partner and forest communities. Before entering a partnership, we ensure that the initiative will:

  • Contribute to achieving RECOFTC’s strategic plan and the UN Sustainable Development Goals
  • Respect global, national and other environmental and social safeguards as well as free prior and informed consent
  • Provide transparent access to information for all stakeholders while respecting the privacy of individuals and corporate requirements for confidentiality
  • Empower stakeholders, reduce conflict, respond to community aspirations, respect legitimate decision-making roles, promote sustainable natural resource use and foster local ownership
  • Not violate human rights, harm community well-being, engage in illegal activities, lead to landscape degradation or produce human, animal or plant health hazards

RECOFTC's objectives

  • Foster self-reliant and resilient forest communities
  • Mobilize public and private funding and investments for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises
  • Develop sustainable products
  • Reach and expand markets
  • Increase income and job opportunities
  • Innovate and apply new new technologies and cost-effective solutions
  • Pilot green economic solutions that can be applied at scale 
  • Promote social inclusion and gender equity

Benefits for private sector

  • Implement social and environmental safeguards that improve reputation, increase conscious-consumer markets, de-risk investments and increase profits
  • Build relationships with neighboring forest communities and other stakeholders that transform tension and conflict into collaboration 
  • Build the capacity of forest communities to provide a reliable and sustainable supply of high-quality products and raw materials 
  • Build the capacity of employees to resolve conflicts, attain FPIC, rehabilitate landscapes, and build sustainable livelihoods and enterprises 
  • Meet international social and environmental market standards such as ISO, FSC and PEFC
  • Advocate for governmental policies and regulations that mutually benefit forest communities, the environment, and the private sector
  • Provide knowledge and training to enhance resilience of local communities to climate change
  • Develop and conduct social assessments for social inclusion and gender equality

Our services

 

Securing land and forest tenure rights
 

Securing land and forest tenure rights

  • Clarifying land and user rights 
  • Conducting situational analysis for establishing community forests
  • Formalizing community forest certificates
  • Managing community forest data, information and knowledge
  • Developing community forest management plans and land use plans
  • Building capacity for forest management

 

Attaining gender equality and social inclusion
 

Attaining gender equality and social inclusion

  • Conducting gender assessments
  • Building capacity for gender equality
  • Training and coaching gender leaders
  • Ensuring a fair share of benefits 
  • Designing inclusive processes 
  • Creating employment for women, youth and other marginalized groups

 

Building the foundations
 

Building peace, prosperity and de-risked investment

  • Conflict analysis, negotiation and transformation
  • Free, prior and informed consent (FPIC)
  • Conflict prevention
  • Stakeholder engagement
  • Risk analysis and risk management
  • Developing social safeguards

 

Livelihoods
 

Improving livelihoods, food security and resilience

  • Planning and practicing agroforestry
  • Developing community enterprises
  • Establishing agreements between community forest user groups and private sector 
  • Building capacity for business planning
  • Conducting market analysis 
  • Establishing forest nurseries and plantations

 

Mitigation and adaptation
 

Building resilience to climate change and disasters

  • Vulnerability and adaptation assessments
  • Capacity building for climate change mitigation and adaptation 
  • Forest and mangrove restoration for climate resilience
  • Carbon market assessments and monitoring
  • Ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction (Eco-DRR)

 

Governance
 

Improving forest governance

  • Forest inventories
  • Natural resource management plans
  • Participatory forest action research
  • Facilitation and capacity building for policy formulation

 

Empowering
 

Empowering communities and institutions

  • Institutional strengthening
  • Community mobilization
  • Basic financial management for community groups 
  • Participatory monitoring and evaluation
  • Building leadership and champions
  • Curriculum development for community forestry

 

Communication
 

Communication, knowledge management and learning

  • Communication strategies
  • Engagement
  • Advocacy
  • Product development
  • Event management
  • Training for journalists
  • Capacity building for communication
  • Platforms for forest and cross-sectoral development
  • Capacity building, training, e-learning 

Work with us. Contact us at partnerships@recoftc.org