While the debate about the shape of Reduced Emission from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) policy at international level has been developing steadily in the three years since the concept was first introduced, much less consideration has been given to how REDD will be governed and administered at the national level once this policy has been adopted. In international discussions on REDD there has been a strong, if not very explicit, agreement that how a country implements REDD is a matter of national sovereignty, and that this should not be the concern of international bodies. This follows the precedent of the definition and implementation of ‘sustainable development’ in connection with CDM. There is a formal requirement that all CDM projects should produce sustainable development benefits as well as carbon benefits, but the assessment of that and the approval procedure is left to the host country.
