• Costa Rica's SIS has two cross-cutting themes: gender and the participation of Indigenous Peoples. In the case of Free, Prior, and Informed Consent with Indigenous Peoples, it is addressed through the Territorial Forest Environmental Plan (PAFT).
• The National Center for Geo-Environmental Information (CENIGA) is a platform with information on multiple aspects of the country's environmental public policy. Since 2015, it has hosted the SIS with more qualitative information about the political and legal framework. However, it does not function as a true operational system with indicators. Therefore, through the RBP Project, the country is working on this new version of the SIS. A company has been hired to develop the new SIS platform, which will be interactive, with an interface for internal information management and open public information dissemination. This system will incorporate existing qualitative information and add quantitative information based on SIS indicators. It will also include a document repository.
• To update the SIS, one of the first exercises conducted was to compare the main REDD+ strategic frameworks in the country: Cancun Safeguards, those of the UNDP, and the World Bank's Operational Rules. Indicators suitable for reporting to all three schemes simultaneously were identified through this comparison. It was observed that Cancun Safeguards are the only ones without explicit references to gender, human rights, or labor conditions. To address this gap, Costa Rica's SIS, based on Cancun Safeguards, incorporates specific indicators to report on these issues (e.g., gender and labor conditions indicators within the participation safeguard).
• The country has made three attempts to create specific SIS indicators, which has been complex, resulting in too many indicators in the initial trials. In the second attempt, 28-30 indicators were identified, but finding safeguards experts to validate them was a challenge. Currently, with the third attempt, a first version of indicators is available, and adjustments to the system are being made.
• Gender is a central focus for REDD+ and Costa Rica's SIS. To promote gender mainstreaming, the decision was made to include at least one gender-sensitive indicator in each of the 7 safeguards, rather than establishing a specific safeguard on the matter.
• An Interinstitutional Body for the SIS was created to address technical aspects and manage system information, consisting of institutions such as the REDD+ Secretariat, CENIGA, and UNDP, among others.
• Regarding SIS information sources, given the complexity of coordination with many institutions, a gradual approach was chosen, starting with some institutions, and aiming to incorporate more as experience is gained.

The country has already produced two Safeguards Information Summaries (1997-2017 and 2018-2020) and is currently working on the third for the period 2021-2023

Once the presentation by the UNDP team from Costa Rica concluded, a space was opened for exchange among the attendees.

Nielsen Pérez, Gender Specialist for Costa Rica's RBP, emphasized the importance of the gender perspective for the SIS, pointing out the various gender-sensitive indicators established and explaining the reasoning behind some of them. Venus Caballero, from the "Paraguay + Verde" Project, similarly highlighted the importance of reinterpreting technical concepts, such as the gender perspective with Indigenous Peoples, through intercultural dialogue. This approach helps to ground the language and facilitate effective participation. Yanory Rojas Morales, a specialist in working with indigenous peoples on the RBP REDD+ Project at UNDP CR, also emphasized the importance of creating spaces for the participation of indigenous women, "by them and for them."

Regarding registration in mechanisms for complaints and dispute resolution, Victoria Suárez, safeguards focal point for UNEP in the UN-REDD Program globally, emphasized the opportunity to disaggregate information not only by gender but also by sector and type of consultation or complaint. This allows for the identification of the most sensitive points in REDD+ activities.

In conclusion, after more than 10 years of experience in REDD+ work in the country, Yanory Rojas highlighted the challenge that indigenous territories often face in addressing all aspects of this complex mechanism, especially in the current context with different approaches and funding sources. In this regard, the UNDP expert emphasized the importance of allocating a specific budget for participation, a demand that indigenous communities themselves are currently making.

Victoria Suárez, from UNEP, oversaw closing the event. In addition to expressing words of gratitude, she mentioned the proposal to establish the "Indicators Lab," where individuals in this Working Group can voluntarily provide feedback on the gender indicators being developed by colleagues at UNDP Costa Rica. This creates a new form of exchange and collaborative work within the framework of this group.