A Safeguards Information System (SIS) is a national system that compiles and provides information on how REDD+ safeguards are addressed and respected throughout implementation.

Why is it required?

Under UNFCCC decisions, countries undertaking REDD+ activities are requested to develop a SIS. Access to REDD+ results-based finance is linked to a set of requirements established through COP decisions, including the development of a SIS and the provision of information on how safeguards are addressed and respected.

What does the SIS do?

• Organises safeguards information
• Connects data from different systems
• Supports preparation of the Summary of Information (SoI)

UNFCCC decisions do not prescribe indicators or metrics. However, experience from existing SIS frameworks and country submissions indicates that many countries use indicator-based approaches to organise and present safeguards information.

Indicators can support the organisation of information on how safeguards are addressed and respected, strengthen links between safeguards information and REDD+ actions, and facilitate preparation of the Summary of Information.

Experience from country practice highlights several considerations that are commonly reflected in indicator frameworks, including clarity and specificity, relevance to national REDD+ actions, the use of both qualitative and quantitative information, and the ability to adapt indicators over time. Many countries differentiate indicators according to the type of REDD+ action being implemented. Direct implementation actions often require information related to site-level safeguards application, while enabling actions frequently focus on governance processes, participation and institutional arrangements.

Further guidance on indicators and safeguards information is available in the Briefing paper on REDD+ Safeguards Information Systems and Annex III (Structuring Safeguards Information and Evidence in a SIS).

Experience from existing SIS frameworks indicates that institutional arrangements and governance structures play an important role in SIS implementation.

In practice, SIS arrangements often identify a lead institution responsible for coordination, define responsibilities across the safeguards information chain and establish mechanisms for coordination among institutions involved in REDD+ implementation.

Multi-stakeholder engagement also features prominently in many SIS arrangements, including processes through which Indigenous Peoples, local communities, civil society organisations and other stakeholders contribute information, review safeguards information or provide feedback.

Country practice also demonstrates a range of approaches to information review and quality assurance. These may include internal technical review processes, inter-agency validation procedures and stakeholder review mechanisms that support the consistency, transparency and credibility of safeguards information.

Further guidance on information management, platforms and data system is available in the Briefing paper on REDD+ Safeguards Information Systems.

Experience from existing SIS frameworks indicates that countries use a range of approaches to organise, store and make available safeguards information. Depending on national circumstances and capacities, SIS arrangements may include dedicated SIS web portals, existing national information systems, databases, repositories or other information management tools.

In practice, these arrangements support the organisation and dissemination of safeguards information over time and facilitate the compilation of information from different sources. Country experience also illustrates a variety of approaches to information management, including the use of national forest monitoring systems, environmental information systems and other governance-related platforms as sources of safeguards-relevant information.

Common features observed across SIS arrangements include organised information flows, traceability between safeguards information and supporting evidence, accessibility for users, and arrangements for maintaining and updating information over successive reporting cycles.

Further guidance on information management, platforms and data systems is available in the Briefing paper on REDD+ Safeguards Information Systems and Annex II (Checklist system) and Annex III (Structuring Safeguards Information and Evidence in a SIS).

Experience from existing SIS frameworks indicates that safeguards information is often generated across multiple systems and institutions. In practice, SIS arrangements frequently draw upon information from grievance redress mechanisms (GRMs), national forest monitoring systems (NFMS), land-use planning and policy systems, biodiversity information systems and other environmental or social information sources.

These linkages allow safeguards information to reflect how safeguards are addressed and respected in the context of REDD+ implementation while drawing upon information already generated through existing institutional arrangements. In this way, the SIS functions as a mechanism for organising and compiling safeguards-relevant information from multiple sources.

The specific systems and information sources used vary according to national circumstances, institutional arrangements and the nature of the REDD+ actions being implemented.

Further guidance on linkages with GRMs, NFMS and other information systems is available in the Briefing paper on REDD+ Safeguards Information Systems and Annex I (Checklist system).

The Summary of Information (SoI) is the international communication through which countries provide information to the UNFCCC on how the Cancun safeguards are addressed and respected throughout REDD+ implementation.

In practice, SoIs commonly include information on:

• the national interpretation or description of safeguards;
• how safeguards are addressed through laws, policies, systems and measures; and
• how safeguards are respected in implementation.

UNFCCC guidance provides flexibility regarding the format and content of the SoI. Information presented through SoIs is typically drawn from SIS processes and information sources and may be updated over successive reporting cycles as REDD+ implementation evolves.

Further guidance on the content, structure and reporting arrangements associated with the SoI is available in the Briefing paper on REDD+ Safeguards Information Systems.

Experience from country practice indicates that many SIS arrangements incorporate review and quality assurance processes as part of safeguards reporting and information management. These approaches can support the consistency, transparency and credibility of safeguards information over time.

Examples observed in existing SIS frameworks include:

• internal technical review;
• multi-agency validation processes;
• stakeholder consultation and feedback mechanisms; and
• documentation of information sources, assumptions, gaps and limitations.

Approaches to review and quality assurance vary according to national circumstances and institutional arrangements.

Further guidance on review processes and safeguards reporting is available in the Briefing paper on REDD+ Safeguards Information Systems and Annex I (Checklist system).

Experience from existing SIS frameworks indicates that SIS arrangements often evolve over time as implementation experience grows, reporting needs develop and institutional arrangements mature.

Country practice highlights a number of factors that are frequently associated with the long-term operation of SIS arrangements, including:

• institutional embedding;
• human and technical capacity;
• financial and organisational resourcing; and
• arrangements for updating and improving safeguards information over time.

Experience from country practice also indicates that SIS functions are often integrated within existing institutions and REDD+ governance arrangements and may evolve progressively across successive reporting cycles. This reflects the flexibility and improvement-over-time characteristics recognised in UNFCCC guidance.

Further guidance on institutional capacity, sustainability and continuous improvement is available in the Briefing paper on REDD+ Safeguards Information Systems, Annex I (Checklist system) and Annex III (Structuring Safeguards Information and Evidence in a SIS).