Emission reductions programs should document and inform stakeholders about where information related to benefit sharing is publicly available and how this information will be shared with relevant stakeholders over time. Information should be communicated on all aspects of benefit sharing, including during development and implementation stages.
Websites, media coverage, regular meetings, consultations, and other approaches can be used to communicate. Considerations should be made for the needs of beneficiaries and relevant stakeholders – for example, beneficiaries could have needs related to the language (local dialects, etc.), form (written, visual, audio, etc.), and manner (in meetings, through radio programming, newspapers, etc.) in which benefit sharing information is disclosed.
Sharing information about the overall financial envelope for benefit sharing, the amounts distributed to each stakeholder group in different geographic areas, the per hectare or other rate used for monetary benefits, and all the nonmonetary benefits delivered promotes transparency and builds trust.
Beneficiaries and potential beneficiaries need to understand the purpose of benefit sharing, the opportunities to participate, the eligibility criteria, the conditionalities for receiving benefits, the results achieved, and how to provide feedback or submit a complaint. This requires active dissemination of information tailored to each stakeholder group in a format that they understand—for example, using local languages, providing information through public meetings and stakeholder representatives, and paying special attention to provide information to women and vulnerable and/or marginalized people.
Public hearings and audits to share and receive information
Nepal’s community forestry program requires regular public hearings to promote transparency and provide effective feedback to local communities.
In Community Forestry in Nepal, Community Forest User Groups are required to hold a public hearing as well as public auditing at least once a year, during the general assembly of Community Forest User Groups, to inform users about group programs, income, expenditure, sale and distribution of forest products, group decisions, and implementation status. In addition, income, expenditure, programs, and decisions of the group are shared on a regular basis through posting information in public places.
