Reference Emissions Level [MGD Sections]
Institutions involved in measurement, reporting and verification
Measurement, reporting and verification processes
Guiding principles – Institutional arrangements
UNFCCC decisions and requirements
Design decisions relevant to national forest monitoring systems
Definition of forest
Land cover, land use and stratification
Forest reference emission levels and forest reference levels
Guiding principles – Requirements and design decisions
Estimation methods for REDD+ activities
Estimation of emissions from deforestation
Estimation of emissions from degradation
Sustainable management of forests, enhancement of forest carbon stocks (within existing forest), and conservation of forest carbon stocks
Enhancement of forest carbon stocks (afforestation of land not previously forest, reforestation of land previously converted from forest to another land use)
Conversion of natural forest
Selecting an integration framework
Practical considerations in choosing an integration tool
Reporting forest reference emission levels and forest reference levels
Technical assessment of forest reference emission levels and forest reference levels
Guiding Principles – Reporting and verification of emissions and removals
Measurement, reporting and verification processes
Guiding principles – Institutional arrangements
UNFCCC decisions and requirements
Design decisions relevant to national forest monitoring systems
Definition of forest
Land cover, land use and stratification
Forest reference emission levels and forest reference levels
Guiding principles – Requirements and design decisions
Estimation methods for REDD+ activities
Estimation of emissions from deforestation
Estimation of emissions from degradation
Sustainable management of forests, enhancement of forest carbon stocks (within existing forest), and conservation of forest carbon stocks
Enhancement of forest carbon stocks (afforestation of land not previously forest, reforestation of land previously converted from forest to another land use)
Conversion of natural forest
Selecting an integration framework
Practical considerations in choosing an integration tool
Reporting forest reference emission levels and forest reference levels
Technical assessment of forest reference emission levels and forest reference levels
Guiding Principles – Reporting and verification of emissions and removals
REDD+ Reporting [MGD Sections]
Measurement, reporting and verification processes
Guiding principles – Institutional arrangements
UNFCCC decisions and requirements
Significance and key category analysis
Design decisions relevant to national forest monitoring systems
Definition of forest
Land cover, land use and stratification
Forest reference emission levels and forest reference levels
Quality assurance and quality control
Guiding principles – Requirements and design decisions
Estimation methods for REDD+ activities
Estimation of emissions from deforestation
Estimation of emissions from degradation
Sustainable management of forests, enhancement of forest carbon stocks (within existing forest), and conservation of forest carbon stocks
Enhancement of forest carbon stocks (afforestation of land not previously forest, reforestation of land previously converted from forest to another land use)
Conversion of natural forest
Integration frameworks for estimating emission and removals
Selecting an integration framework
Activity data x emission/removal factor tools
Fully integrated tools
Practical considerations in choosing an integration tool
Guiding principles – Methods and approaches
Reporting results of REDD+ activities
Technical analysis of the REDD+ annex to the BUR
Additional advice on REDD+ reporting and verification
Guiding Principles – Reporting and verification of emissions and removals
Financial considerations
Guiding principles – Institutional arrangements
UNFCCC decisions and requirements
Significance and key category analysis
Design decisions relevant to national forest monitoring systems
Definition of forest
Land cover, land use and stratification
Forest reference emission levels and forest reference levels
Quality assurance and quality control
Guiding principles – Requirements and design decisions
Estimation methods for REDD+ activities
Estimation of emissions from deforestation
Estimation of emissions from degradation
Sustainable management of forests, enhancement of forest carbon stocks (within existing forest), and conservation of forest carbon stocks
Enhancement of forest carbon stocks (afforestation of land not previously forest, reforestation of land previously converted from forest to another land use)
Conversion of natural forest
Integration frameworks for estimating emission and removals
Selecting an integration framework
Activity data x emission/removal factor tools
Fully integrated tools
Practical considerations in choosing an integration tool
Guiding principles – Methods and approaches
Reporting results of REDD+ activities
Technical analysis of the REDD+ annex to the BUR
Additional advice on REDD+ reporting and verification
Guiding Principles – Reporting and verification of emissions and removals
Financial considerations
Non-carbon Related Reporting [MGD Sections]
Institutions involved in measurement, reporting and verification
Guiding principles – Institutional arrangements
Guiding principles – Requirements and design decisions
Guiding Principles – Reporting and verification of emissions and removals
Financial considerations
Guiding principles – Institutional arrangements
Guiding principles – Requirements and design decisions
Guiding Principles – Reporting and verification of emissions and removals
Financial considerations
Internal + External Analysis [MGD Sections]
Institutions involved in measurement, reporting and verification
Measurement, reporting and verification processes
Operational requirements
Guiding principles – Institutional arrangements
Quality assurance and quality control
Guiding principles – Requirements and design decisions
Reporting forest reference emission levels and forest reference levels
Technical assessment of forest reference emission levels and forest reference levels
Reporting results of REDD+ activities
Technical analysis of the REDD+ annex to the BUR
Additional advice on REDD+ reporting and verification
Guiding Principles – Reporting and verification of emissions and removals
Measurement, reporting and verification processes
Operational requirements
Guiding principles – Institutional arrangements
Quality assurance and quality control
Guiding principles – Requirements and design decisions
Reporting forest reference emission levels and forest reference levels
Technical assessment of forest reference emission levels and forest reference levels
Reporting results of REDD+ activities
Technical analysis of the REDD+ annex to the BUR
Additional advice on REDD+ reporting and verification
Guiding Principles – Reporting and verification of emissions and removals
AFOLU GHG Inventory Reporting [MGD Sections]
Institutions involved in measurement, reporting and verification
Guiding principles – Institutional arrangements
UNFCCC decisions and requirements
IPCC good practice guidance
Relationship to UNFCCC
Design decisions relevant to national forest monitoring systems
Definition of forest
Land cover, land use and stratification
Forest reference emission levels and forest reference levels
Quality assurance and quality control
Guiding principles – Requirements and design decisions
Reporting forest reference emission levels and forest reference levels
Technical assessment of forest reference emission levels and forest reference levels
Reporting results of REDD+ activities
Technical analysis of the REDD+ annex to the BUR
Additional advice on REDD+ reporting and verification
Guiding Principles – Reporting and verification of emissions and removals
Financial considerations
Guiding principles – Institutional arrangements
UNFCCC decisions and requirements
IPCC good practice guidance
Relationship to UNFCCC
Design decisions relevant to national forest monitoring systems
Definition of forest
Land cover, land use and stratification
Forest reference emission levels and forest reference levels
Quality assurance and quality control
Guiding principles – Requirements and design decisions
Reporting forest reference emission levels and forest reference levels
Technical assessment of forest reference emission levels and forest reference levels
Reporting results of REDD+ activities
Technical analysis of the REDD+ annex to the BUR
Additional advice on REDD+ reporting and verification
Guiding Principles – Reporting and verification of emissions and removals
Financial considerations
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6.2 Reporting forest reference emission levels and forest reference levels
Decisions 12/CP.17
and 13/CP.19
invite countries to submit, voluntarily and in the context of results-based payments, proposed FREL/FRLs. These decisions address modalities for FREL/FRLs, established taking into account decision 4/CP.15
and maintaining consistency with each country’s GHGI(1). An annex to 12/CP.17
specifies information to be submitted on the development of FREL/FRLs, including details of national circumstances (Chapter 2, Section 2.3.3 which discusses the interpretation of technical terms associated with FREL/FRLs).




The annex to decision 12/CP.17
says that information, amongst other things should:

- be guided by the most recent IPCC guidance and guidelines as adopted or encouraged by the COP;
- include in a comprehensive way information used in constructing the FREL/FRL, including historical data;
- be transparent, complete, consistent and accurate and include information on any changes from previous submissions;
- include pools, gases and activities listed in paragraph 70 of decision 1/CP.16
which have been included in the FREL/FRL and any reasons for omitting pools or activities from the construction of FREL/FRLs, noting that significant pools and/or activities should not be excluded;
- include the definition of forest used and if this is different from the definition used in the national greenhouse gas inventory or in reporting to other international organizations, an explanation why.
Submitted FREL/FRLs are published on the UNFCCC website
, together with any updated versions of the FREL/FRLs made as a result of the technical assessment process, or subsequently(2).

(1) | Maintaining consistency with National Greenhouse Inventory approaches for AFOLU reporting is vital to meeting the IPCC good practice principles (Chapter 2). Effective institutional arrangements that foster close coordination between agencies involved in REDD+ and National greenhouse Inventory reporting, where they are not the same agencies, will ensure effective use of resources and improve consistency in reporting (Chapter 1) |
(2) | Decision 12/CP.17, paragraph 12 ![]() |