During the 2022 Path to Scale meeting held on December 5, 2022, in Montréal, participants discussed the status of, and new opportunities for, financing rights-based climate and conservation solutions. To achieve the ambitions of the IPLC Forest Tenure Pledge and Path to Scale targets, participants agreed on the critical next steps to increase collaboration among diverse stakeholders, channel more funding directly to IPs, LCs, and ADPs, and catalyze greater investments to meet the scale of the challenge. Following the meeting, a summary document was developed to synthesize key ideas into a list of high-level priorities and to outline the 2023 Path to Scale Workplan. On March 2, 2023, Path to Scale participants reviewed and endorsed the priorities and 2023 workplan.
Path to Scale Priority Actions
- Mobilize new funding and allies. To reach the Path to Scale’s 2030 targets to mobilize US$10 billion to support the recognition of tenure rights of IPs, LCs, and ADPs to an additional 400 million hectares of tropical forest, a collaborative strategy is needed to engage and recruit more pledges and donors.
- Promote rightsholder-led mechanisms to directly support IPs, LCs, and ADPs and their allies to manage and conserve tropical forests and rural landscapes. A short-term priority is to fully utilize the available IP, LC, ADP, and women-led funding and regranting mechanisms with the capacity to manage the funding volumes and administrative requirements of donors. It is also important to build off previous analytical work to continue synthesizing concrete, actionable, and donor-specific best practices and recommendations that center IP, LC, and ADP leadership.
- Advance context-specific strategies. A placed-based approach is required to understand the unique circumstances and barriers local rightsholders face in accessing funds, as well as the challenges different types of donors and policymakers face in optimizing their funding and legal systems.
- Dual capacity building. The capacity barriers of local organizations are known, but it is also critical to outline practical ways donors can build internal capacities to accommodate rightsholder realities.
- Focus on gender and youth. Accurately tracking the volume, outcomes, and distribution of funding to women and youth is a priority, as well as providing donors and intermediaries with the guidance needed to equitably fund and engage these partners.
- Address analytical gaps. Important research has been conducted in recent years; yet more is needed. Specifically, accurately linking and independently verifying where and how the IPLC Forest Tenure Pledge is being disbursed and the amount reaching IP, LC, and ADP-led organizations on the ground.
