Papua New Guinea (PNG) has one of the most significant areas of largely-intact tropical forest in the world, although these forests appear to be facing acute and imminent threats. Forests are also a vital resource for the local population particularly in the remote rural areas of PNG, providing food, fibre, building materials, and support a variety of wildlife and ecosystem services. The Papua New Guinea Forest Authority (PNGFA) estimates that approximately 60% of the total area of the country is covered by natural forests, of which 52% are considered production forests (for timber and other products), and 48% are for conservation (not for timber extraction due to inaccessibility or ecological constraints).

PNG has been a leading proponent of REDD+ at the international level, and was one of the original UN-REDD "pilot" countries. UN-REDD activities to date have focused on supporting effective stakeholder engagement, including through the development of guidelines for Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) and on developing technical elements of the country's national forest monitoring system. In 2013, UN-REDD will provide technical input to the methodological design of the country's first national forest inventory, in collaboration with PNG Forest Authority; as well as support the operationalization of PNG's satellite forest monitoring system, with the Office for Climate Change and Development.