Timber and Rubber Finance in the Lower Mekong Region

The pulp and paper, timber, and rubber companies in the Lower Mekong Region face a pervasive risk of involvement in deforestation, human rights violations, and other unsustainable practices in their operations and supply chains. To mitigate this risk, companies and the financial sector must be aware of the harm associated with financing activities that negatively impact natural capital and recognize the benefits of preventing such destruction.

In August, the UN-REDD programme published a research paper mapping the main companies in these sectors, and their financiers, assessing their policies for mitigating deforestation risks, evaluating the effectiveness of the region's financial sector policy environment, and providing recommendations for collaborating with the financial sector and regulators to protect natural capital while promoting economic development.