The Watershed Management Division (WMD), Department of Forests and Park Services (DoFPS) successfully conducted workshop on REDD+ Strategic Social and Environmental Assessment (SESA) at Paro from 08-10th May 2018 involving participants from central and eastern regions of the country. WMD is under the process of implementing the readiness phase of REDD+ with financial support from Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) of the World Bank. The REDD+ (reduce deforestation and forest degradation and promote conservation, sustainable management of forest, and enhance forest carbon stock) is the climate change mitigation initiative under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) through reducing the deforestation and forest degradation in Bhutan. As required under the REDD+ readiness phase, WMD is in the process of carrying out REDD+ safeguards works, of which Strategic Environmental and Social Assessments (SESA) forms an initial part of REDD+ safeguard works. The SESA needs to be assessed from different sectors involving social, environment and gender for each of the identified Strategy option/PAMs for the REDD+. Therefore, the workshop attempted to include participants from both social and environment sectors. The participants included chief forestry officers from the field offices (central and eastern regions), few environment officers, Tarayana Foundation, selected Gewog Adm. Officers and representative from Department of Local Governance, MoHCA. The SESA workshop has been completed involving stakeholders from the western region on 24-25th January 2018. The objective of the workshop were

• To identify and prioritise potential impacts (negative and positive) that may arise from the implementation of the proposed REDD+ strategy options/PAMs;
• To identify potential conflicts and grievances that may arise from the implementation of the proposed REDD+ strategy options/PAMs; and
• To identify potential mitigation measures for the identified

The SESA will lead to development of Environment and Social Management Framework (ESMF), and REDD+ Safeguard Information Systems (SIS) which is requirement under UNFCCC.