With about 40 million hectares of forest, the Colombian Amazon is characterized by relatively low levels of economic development and a high rate of deforestation. The Government of Colombia proposed zero net deforestation in the Amazon by 2020 to contribute to the well-being of local communities in its Amazon Vision. Germany, Norway and the UK contribute more than USD 100 million in a REDD for Early Movers (REM) scheme to support the reduction of emissions from deforestation in the Colombian Amazonian Biome. Rewarding the results of reducing emissions from deforestation, REM will encourage the Colombian Government to achieve its Amazon Vision goals. The consortium of Unique and GOPA was contracted to offer international consultancy services to the management of the REM / Visión Amazonía program.

• Support to the management of the coordination of the REM / Visión Amazonía program
• Support for the implementation of the 5 pillars of the program
• Technical advice on forest governance and environmental governance in indigenous territories
• Technical advice on sector planning and production systems
• Advice on the System of Monitoring of Forests and Carbon
• Advisory on Risk Management within the framework of the Peace Agreement
• Integrated Management of Environmental and Social Risks guided by the program’s Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF), developed according to the Cancun safeguards’ national interpretation
• Support for the development of the result-based payment mechanism for REDD + (proof of concept)