About SIS(Safeguard Information System)

A SIS is a mechanism that countries implement as part of the REDD+ framework under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The purpose of SIS is to monitor, document, and report how the seven safeguards identified by the UNFCCC are being addressed and respected during the implementation of REDD+ activities. These safeguards are crucial to ensuring that REDD+ actions not only contribute to reducing emissions but also uphold environmental, social, and governance standards, protecting local communities and ecosystems.

In summary SIS is an online platform designed to support the implementation and monitoring of environmental and social safeguards in climate-related projects. It aims to ensure compliance with the Cancun safeguards, promoting sustainable development while respecting the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities. The SIS provides a comprehensive framework for data collection, management, and reporting, facilitating transparency and accountability in resource allocation. By integrating best practices for stakeholder engagement and risk assessment, the SIS enhances Nepal's capacity to monitor the impacts of climate finance effectively. Ultimately, it serves as a vital tool for promoting responsible and sustainable development in alignment with national and international commitments.

Nepal developed its SIS as required by UNFCCC decision (Decision 12/CP.17) to provide information on how the Cancun Safeguards are addressed and respected throughout the implementation of the REDD+ actions. The system was first initiated during the second phase of the REDD+ Readiness Project in 2019, which was disrupted because of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it was still possible to design and establish the system by 2021 with limited information and functionality. Nepal has been conducting training on SIS at local level and central level to its stakeholders since the development of SIS. SIS system is being upgraded in 2024, linked to the development of its first Summary of Information and registration to ART-TREES. Indeed, the SIS updates can be linked to other national or program-level reporting to facilitate data collection and reporting.

Adhering to the Cancun safeguards, Nepal's SIS aimed to integrate essential principles, components, and indicators that ensure sustainable development while protecting the rights of local communities and biodiversity. The framework has been detailed in Nepal’s 1st SOI report. This framework emphasized policy coherence with international agreements, promotes transparency and accountability in resource management, and encourages the participation of indigenous peoples. By conducting thorough environmental and gender analyses, Nepal seeks to foster social equity and empower women within climate-related projects.

Since Nepal has its own Polices, Laws and Regulations (PLRs) that regulate different development initiatives and address the national, regional, and local social and environmental concerns raised due to any development activities, these PLRs constituted a major pillar to develop a SIS for the REDD+ programs. Therefore, one of the major parts of the REDD+ SIS development was the review of PLRs in such a way that whether, how, and to what extend the Cancun safeguards principles are addressed in the national PLRs. As guided by the UNFCCC, Cancun safeguard principles can be described and interpreted as per the specific country context. The spirit and meaning of all Cancun safeguards are retained intact while preparing national interpretation of the Cancun safeguard principles and developing criteria, indicators, and means of verification proposed to use to assess safeguard status at the national and project levels considering the Nepalese circumstances.