Nepal consists of a land area of approximately 147 thousand square kilometer, housing about 31 million peoples of which about 80% (more than 18,000 groups) depend on the forests for their daily livelihood. Many types of grievances are presently expressed by forest users who are primarily concerned about their access to the forest and user rights, especially because of a rapid shift in land tenure occurring since the 18th century. Besides forest user rights, grievances are also expressed on issues as illegal extraction of products, influence of elites, inequitable resource distribution and exclusion of resources to marginalized groups (women, indigenous peoples and Dalits). Forest users prefer handling grievances by informal grievance mechanisms and refer to customary forums in which accepted leaders conduct a mediation session to settle the dispute. If this is not successful, disputants may submit their grievance to the forest authority - District Forest Officer, Warden or relevant authority– who hears the disputants and has a final say in the dispute.

With the implementation of the REDD+ program, Nepal will construct a grievance feedback and redress mechanism (GRM) in the current structure of the Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation (MoFSC).The GRM is a space for stakeholders to discuss problems and solve problems through an acceptable, independent and institutionalized mechanism for resolving conflict coming from REDD+ implementation. Grievances can be submitted by email, written letter, telephone, SMS and a suggestion/complaint box placed at the District Forest Office (DFO). Support from NGOs, interest groups and other stakeholders is necessary for helping local forest users submit their grievances. Grievances are assessed by subject-experts and DFO staff possessing substantial knowledge about forestry, REDD+ and conflict resolution. In relative difficult cases, an external expert can serve as a mediator in trying to reach agreement between disputing parties. If parties are unable to reach a resolution,they may submit an appeal to the REDD Working Group, who will decide on the case. As a last resort, REDD stakeholders can submit a formal complaint through the DFO or other parts of Nepali’s justice system.

Operationalization of the GRM will take 15 months. In the first 9 months, several activities are undertaken such as staff training and administrative tasks to set up the grievance mechanism for the Terai region. Second level operationalization includes expanding to a nationwide GRM with case officers stationed in all five regional forest offices. The last three months of operationalization are dedicated to creating a digital modality for submission via email. The GRM will be introduced with a comprehensive communication plan, targeted to local communities, private forest holders, NGOS and other interest groups, regional and district level forest offices, experts in environmental and social sciences, REDD+ related structures, and GRM clients.

The study team concludes that with the quasi-judicial structure proposed. The grievance redress mechanism can be seen as an “in-between” step stakeholders can take after informal dispute resolution fails. This step is crucial, given the high amount of existing conflict, and the difficulty local forest users have accessing the formal system because of its complexity or anxiety to use the system.The study team recommends for the GRM to become institutionalized and effective in handling grievances in an impartial and timely manner. On the legal topic, the team recommends to create legal provisions for GRM implementation, including amendment of laws and regulations. To ensure adequate execution of the GRM, the study team recommends to gradually expand the GRM from regional to national focus while learning. This will have to go together with expert guidance, raising awareness and providing incentives for stakeholders using the GRM.