The Government of Norway’s International Climate and Forest Initiative pledges substantial financial support towards efforts to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries (REDD+). Ethiopia is a key REDD+ country benefitting significantly from Norwegian support. This support includes the funding of REDD+ projects that aim to generate multiple benefits at the local level, including poverty reduction, green employment generation, climate mitigation while building community resilience. UNIQUE was contracted to appraise two large-scale REDD+ projects that applied for Norwegian funding in Ethiopia. The appraisal evaluated the project proposals for their relevance, potential impacts, stakeholder engagement, feasibility and sustainability.

• Assess the contribution to Ethiopia’s forest sector development goals.
• Assess the relevance of the project’s to Norway’s REDD+ and forestry portfolio in Ethiopia.
• Conduct stakeholder consultations in the proposed project sites to appraise engagement.
• Engage in high-level dialogues to evaluate project compatibility with other donor programs.
• Produce concise appraisal report providing recommendations to improve project proposals.