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In the aftermath of the World Forestry Congress held in Seoul, Republic of Korea, the first African Protected Areas Congress in Kigali, Rwanda, the COP 27 Climate Conference in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, and the COP15 Biodiversity Conference in Montreal, Canada, it is safe to say that Central Africa’s tropical forests were once again prominently featured in global negotiations and that the voice of the sub-region was heard loud and clear during plenary sessions, high-level meetings and side events.
The much advocated "Fair Deal" alliance is gradually becoming a reality as proven by the historic first step taken in Glasgow (COP 26) and the launch of the Task Force for the Fair Deal in Sharm El Sheikh (COP 27). The recent steps respond to the COMIFAC member countries’ pleas for a fair and equitable share of international climate and biodiversity funding as well as incorporation of the economic and environmental value of the Congo Basin forests in the global climate budget in return for the Central African countries’ efforts to protect, sustainably use and properly manage their forest resources, which have become the planet's primary lung.
With the 2022 end of year holiday season in full swing, it gives me great pleasure to convey my gratitude and admiration for everything we were able to accomplish this year. Through our multiple interactions and your enriching, varied contributions, we were able to put the German CBFP Facilitation's roadmap into action. Some of our accomplishments include:
The partnership’s governance consolidated for transformational change, in view of a sustainable future for the Congo Basin forests and their surroundings, their people, flora, and fauna, as evidenced, among other things, by the successful organization of the 19th Meeting of the Parties in July 2022 at Libreville, including the 10th Meeting of the CBFP Governing Council, as well as some sixty related events and the CBFP college meetings. The MoP19 also provided the setting for celebrations marking the 20th anniversary of our remarkable and unique partnership. Happy birthday to all of us! The CBFP leadership would like to take this opportunity to extend its congratulations to the newly appointed Co-Leaders of the following CBFP colleges: Laval University of Quebec in Canada and RIFFEAC (Réseau des Institutions de Formation Forestière et Environnementale en Afrique Centrale [Central African Network of Forestry and Environmental Training Institutions]) for the scientific college; the United Kingdom for the donors' college; REFACOF with RECEIAC for the civil society college; Volcanoes Safaris with Olam for the private sector college.
In terms of membership, we were pleased to welcome the following partners to the CBFP in 2022: the Kingdom of Sweden, Republic of Angola, Republic of Korea, Bezos Earth Fund, INBAR and IFED-Canada.
The common position of the COMIFAC member countries and the expanded international reach of the Congo Basin forests at international events, as expressed in the COMIFAC Declaration, and the "Fair Deal" Task Force which was launched at the COP 27 Climate Conference and its first working session held at the COP 15 Biodiversity Conference.
To achieve this, the countries of the N'Djamena Declaration are expected to develop their own transhumance-related investment plans based on the framework documents produced by the experts' conference in July 2021. Preparation work is underway to create national as well as bilateral and trilateral agreements between the states in order to enhance cross-border management of transhumance and protected areas. The political and institutional organisation of the implementation of the N'Djamena Declaration has also been adopted. ECCAS deserves credit for providing institutional and political support for the N'Djamena Declaration in close coordination with its regional organizations, ECOWAS and IGAD.
The dialogue with China is progressing well as part of the process of creating a triangular collaboration between Germany, China, and COMIFAC on the international trade of tropical timber. This is being achieved through an ongoing project to develop a Tropical Timber Trade Facility.
I look forward to meeting you at the 2nd International Conference of Ministers of Security, Livestock, Agriculture, and Forestry on the nexus between cross-border transhumance, protected areas, natural resources, security and sustainable development. The technical preparatory work is scheduled to take place in the first half of March 2023 and the ministerial conference is scheduled for the week of 21st June 2023. This second high-level meeting could help to accelerate the implementation of the N'Djamena Declaration. An official handover between the outgoing German Facilitation and the incoming French and Gabonese CBFP Facilitation is planned to take place at this transhumance conference.
Together, we have made progress, and the achievements of this year 2022, which is now coming to an end, are proof of that. This is our shared success! Together, we have raised the profile of the Congo Basin and its surroundings.
As one year ends and another one begins, we look towards 2023 which will be an important year with many challenges for the Congo Basin and its surroundings. We look forward to continuing our efforts to protect biodiversity, manage forest ecosystems sustainably, combat climate change and promote sustainable development for the benefit of the Central African people. To this end, we will be working closely with you and the incoming French-Gabonese CBFP Facilitation during the transition period ending in June 2023.
I would like to seize this opportunity to wish you happy holidays and convey my best wishes for 2023.
Thank you
We are partners
The Honourable Dr Christian Ruck
CBFP Facilitator of the Federal Republic of Germany
Berlin, Germany
With the support of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, BMZ, Germany
Please download here below the message of greetings from the CBFP Facilitator of the Federal Republic of Germany the Honorable Dr. Christian Ruck...
At the 26th IUFRO World Congress in Stockholm from 23-29 June 2024, the booth hosted by the Scientific and Academic College of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP) provided an opportunity for Crispin Ilunga-Mulala Mushagalusa, a PhD student at the University of Liège (Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech), to present his research as part of the UFA - Reforest project (Reforestation in the Forest Management Units of Cameroon).
This study addresses the need to explore the attitude and perception of local residents toward wildlife and conservation. Questionnaires, surveys and field observations were used in data collection. A total of 400 people was conveniently selected in 16 villages from October to December 2015. Data analysis relied mainly on factor analysis and structural equation modelling in SPSS 21 and Smart-PLS software.
The objective of this side event on 4 June 2024 was move away from rapid conflict mitigation and prevention towards to holistic and integrated coexistence programs between human and forest elephants in rainforest of the Congo Basin.
The theme for International Youth Day 2024 (12 August) is “From Clicks to Progress: Youth Digital Pathways for Sustainable Development.” This theme highlights the key connection between digitalization and accelerating the progress of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), emphasizing the crucial contributions of young people in this transformative process.
On 23 December 1994, the United Nations General Assembly decided, in its resolution 49/214, that the International Day of the World’s Indigenous People shall be observed on 9 August every year. The date marks the first meeting, in 1982, of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations. The International Day observance will take place online on Friday, 9 August 2024. This year’s theme is: Protecting the rights of Indigenous Peoples in Voluntary Isolation and Initial Contact.
CBFP, which is one of the oldest Type 2 partnerships in the United Nations system, registered in the ECOSOC and UN DESA partnerships, and strengthened in SDG 17, is calling on its partners to make the conclusions of the High-Level Political Forum for Sustainable Development their own... the call is crystallised in advocacy for Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership with diverse stakeholders for sustainable developmen. In Fact, Partnerships are the glue for SDG implementation and is been essential to making the Agenda a reality.
This hybrid event aims to set the stage for the 2025 IYC, which will be officially launched during the ICA Global Cooperative Conference, scheduled for November 25-29, 2024, in New Delhi, India. The New York event will serve as a platform to deepen the theme of IYC2025, unveil the media package, discuss the UN resolutions outlining the modalities for the IYC launch.
Side event organized by the Sustainable Wildlife Management Programme on the 04/06 from 8h30 to 9h30 am. United Nations member states are committed to reducing hunger, improving health, and conserving natural resources through the Sustainable Development Goals. Additionally, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework aims to conserve 30% of terrestrial and marine areas by 2030, promoting sustainable wildlife management and equitable benefits. However, in Central Africa, the unsustainable wild meat trade threatens food security and biodiversity, making these goals challenging to achieve.
The Sustainable Wildlife Management (SWM) Programme presented its innovative Legal Hub at the recent 20th Meeting of Parties (MoP20) of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership. This event was held in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), from 3 to 5 June, 2024. A specific side-event titled "A Tool to Connect Different Sources of Law" showcased the Legal Hub’s critical role in enhancing the legal frameworks governing wildlife management across multiple countries, including the sub-region.
In this 20th meeting, the consortium comprising the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), RIKOLTO, and the Catholic University of Bukavu (UCB) actively participated in the sessions held from June 3 to 5, 2024, at the Pullman Hotel in Kinshasa. During a panel focused on agroforestry and agribusiness, the consortium presented solutions for sustainable and effective land management around the Itombwe Reserve and the Kahuzi-Biega National Park through two main themes...
A platform named “Congo Basin Monitoring and Evaluation Database” combining several key sources of information has been developed by WWF to support the management and development of conservation and research projects. This tool has the advantage of being transversal to several possible topics and themes in the field of natural resource management.
Approximately 5% for Central African countries and the bulk for other geographical zones... towards an "Accelerator for the preservation of the Congo Basin forests and peripheries" towards Belém COP 30 Climate post Glasgow?
... WRI’s Global Restoration Initiative and researchers from Land & Carbon Lab have partnered with Meta to develop a groundbreaking AI foundation model that we’ve used to produce the world’s first global map of tree canopy height at a 1-meter resolution, allowing the detection of single trees at a global scale...
The 20th CBFP Meeting of Parties (MoP20) held in Kinshasa, DRC from 3 to 5 June 2024 The Co-Facilitation of the Republic of France and Gabon for the Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP) organised five high-level round tables, on different topics during the MoP20.
The 20th Meeting of the Parties (MOP20) was a high point, marked by the participation of eight ministers from the Congo Basin and more than 600 participants, illustrating the importance and scope of our partnership. The CBFP proved once again that it is an essential forum for dialogue and cooperation. The diversity and commitment of the stakeholders present were a driving force for emulation and fruitful collaboration. Finally, the exemplary cooperation with the Congolese authorities greatly contributed to the success of this meeting.
Kinshasa, MOP 20 of the CBFP At the end of the proceedings, among other major resolutions, Ms Cécile Ndjebet, Champion of Forests and Champion of the Earth, Co-Leader of the CBFP civil society college, was elected by consensus to head the "Regional Civil Society Coalition for Forests and the Environment of the Congo Basin".
The Scientific and Academic College of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP) is actively participating in the 26th IUFRO World Congress from 23 to 29 June 2024 in Stockholm, Sweden, with a booth located at A01:01 in Exhibition Hall A at Stockholmsmässan, Mässvägen 1, 125 80 Stockholm. Over the course of the week, a series of workshops will be held to present the platforms of forestry science in the Congo Basin and highlight the latest research, innovations and applied sciences.
10 June 2024: ITTO has urged more attention to the need for capacity building and training in the Congo Basin to ensure that the region’s vital forest sector and timber industry will be able to meet the requirements of the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) and other international trade measures.
It is with great respect and a deep sense of responsibility that we, the Africa Climate Action Initiative (ACAI), support the 20th Meeting of the Parties of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership (RDP20) which will be held from 3 to June 5, 2024 in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. This approach aims to strengthen our collective commitment to the sustainable management and conservation of the Congo Basin, a critical global resource, and to catalyze transformative actions that align with a shared vision for a sustainable and prosperous future.
The USAID FABS Project is organising 4 captivating webinars in French and English on the theme of nature-based tourism in the Congo Basin. These events will take place on Tuesday 11 and Thursday 13 June 2024. The aim of these webinars is to communicate the challenges and opportunities of sustainable tourism in Central Africa, while promoting mutual learning for the development of tourism in protected areas. The sessions will focus in particular on studies carried out in the DRC, Gabon, Cameroon, the Central African Republic and Congo Brazzaville.
Libreville, Gabon 22 April 2024, Rainforest Trust has officially joined the Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP). Rainforest Trust is now one of 129 member countries and organizations working together in the Congo Basin Forest Partnership to promote sustainable resource management, combat climate change and its impacts, improve living conditions and protect the unique biodiversity of Central Africa’s tropical forest.
The French-Gabonese Co-Facilitation of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP) is pleased to inform you that the 20th Meeting of Parties (MoP20) of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership will be held in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, from 3-5 June 2024. If you wish to attend the 20th Meeting of Parties (MoP) of the CBFP and related events, please register before 05 May, 23:59, 2024 by completing the form below and clicking on the button “register”. It will not be possible to attend the meeting without a properly completed registration procedure.
The 20th Meeting of the Parties to the CBFP (MOP20) will be held in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, from 3 to 5 June 2024. The MOP20 is organised by the Co-Facilitation of the French and Gabonese Republics of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP). Please find the provisional programme of the 20th Meeting of the Parties of the CBFP (MOP20).
The French-Gabonese Co-Facilitation of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP) is pleased to inform you that the 20th Meeting of Parties (MoP20) of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership will be held in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, from 3-5 June 2024. If you wish to cover the 20th Meeting of the Parties (MOP) of the CBFP and associated meetings, please register before 16 May 2024 by filling in the form below and clicking on the "register" button.
The "Youth Forum for the Forests of Central Africa 2024" is scheduled to take place over 2 days from 31 May to 1 June in Kinshasa. It will bring together 150 young people from Central Africa and Europe who are committed to protecting forests and preserving the environment. This forum is organised by the Franco-Gabonese facilitation of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP), a 128-member initiative that serves as a platform for multi-sectoral dialogue on forest conservation. The Youth Forum will be a preliminary event to the CBFP Meeting of the Parties, which will take place from 3 to 5 June in Kinshasa, and will serve as a general assembly for its members.
Abuja, 19 April 2024, His Excellency Alhaji Balarabe Lawal, Federal Minister of the Environment of Nigeria and His Excellency Jules Doret Ndongo, Minister of Forestry and Wildlife of Cameroon sign a Memorandum of Understanding on the conservation of transborder ecosystems and the sustainable management of forest and wildlife resources along their common border of more than 1,500 km.
The Facilitation of the French and Gabonese Republics is pleased to launch a call for proposals to host side events during the 20th Meeting of the Parties (MOP20) in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, from 3-5 June 2024. In line with the themes of MOP20 of the CBFP, side events provide opportunities for information exchange, dialogue, cooperation and the creation of synergies between CBFP partners. Deadline for submissions: 19 April 2024. Applicants for selected proposals will be contacted on 30 April 2024.
The Co-Facilitation of the French and Gabonese Republics of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP) is pleased to inform you that the "Signing Ceremony of the Framework Cooperation Agreement on the Conservation of Transboundary Ecosystems and Sustainable Management of Forest and Wildlife Resources between the Governments of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Republic of Cameroon" will take place on Friday 19 April 2024 at 10:00 am at the Continental Hotel in Abuja, Nigeria. In conjunction with this signing ceremony, a technical round table on the implementation of the framework cooperation agreement on the conservation of transboundary ecosystems and the sustainable management of forest and wildlife resources between Nigeria and Cameroon will be held at 12 noon on Thursday 18 April at the same hotel.
The Central African Forests Commission (COMIFAC) is deeply saddened to announce the death of Mrs Sylvie Louisette NGO YEBEL Epse FOUNGA, Communications Expert of Cameroonian nationality, at the COMIFAC Executive Secretariat. She was murdered and her body found on Sunday 7 April 2024 at around 8.30 am in Yaoundé, Cameroon.
The CBFP Youth Forum and Meeting of Parties will take place from 31 May to 5 June 2024 in Kinshasa and will bring together more than 700 stakeholders committed to preserving the forests of the Congo Basin. The Meeting of Parties and the Youth Forum will be co-chaired by Ambassador Christophe Guilhou (France) and Ambassador Flore Koumba Pambo (Gabon) and the current President of COMIFAC, His Excellency Mr Prosper Dodiko, with the participation of senior representatives of the DRC.
CIDT wishes to recruit an enthusiastic, people-centred international development professional to join our dynamic, multidisciplinary team. To be considered for this post you will have an understanding and experience of global sustainable development work and be prepared to work both in UK and overseas. You will be qualified to master’s level in one or more of the following core areas of our work: Global Sustainable /International development/ Development Studies, Development Effectiveness, Gender and Social Inclusion, Sustainable Livelihoods, Natural Resource Management, Forest Governance or Education and Development and have expertise in the related fields.
This brief note sets out the principle of an ecological bonus-malus mechanism, designed to change behaviour by modifying the relative prices of products, while aiming for budget neutrality (no tax losses for the State). It applies in particular to the agricultural and forestry sectors, but can also be applied to other areas. We are currently working with various colleagues on the timber and cocoa sectors, and on an automated simulator with a user-friendly interface that can be easily used by government departments and their partners who would like to test the tool and, if necessary, implement it.
The Co-Facilitation of France and Gabon of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP) is pleased to announce the selection of COMIFAC by the CBD Secretariat as a centre for technical and scientific cooperation for the implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Global Framework for Biodiversity in Central Africa. With the highest score in Africa, COMIFAC ranks 4th in the world. The co-facilitation congratulates COMIFAC on this major distinction.
On Tuesday 12 March 2024, from 16:30-18:00 CET, the first dialogue between the College of Donors and the Scientific and Academic College (SAC) of the CBFP was held in virtual form. Over 70 people participated actively in the dialogue. The aim of the meeting was to promote cooperation as well as scientific and academic dialogue on the forests of the Congo Basin as part of the implementation of strategic priority 1 of the 2023-2025 roadmap of the CBFP.
