Use of cookies: We use cookies to optimize our website for you and to be able to improve it continuously. By continuing to use the website you agree to the use of cookies.
For more information on cookies, please see our privacy policy
On 30 September 2022, the CBFP Facilitator of the Federal Republic of Germany, the Honourable Dr Christian Ruck, spoke via videoconference at the "Extraordinary Meeting of the COMIFAC Council of Ministers in preparation for various Conferences of the Parties (CoPs) in 2022: Climate, Biodiversity and CITES. Please download the CBFP Facilitator’s speech...
Please download the COMIFAC ES’ statement
SPEECH BY THE HONOURABLE Dr CHRISTIAN RUCK, FACILITATOR OF THE CONGO BASIN FOREST PARTNERSHIP (CBFP), Brazzaville, 30 September 22
Your Excellency, Prime Minister of the Republic of the Congo
Your Excellency, Minister of Forests and Wildlife of Cameroon,
Current President of the Central African Forest Commission (COMIFAC)
Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen
Commissioner representing the President of the ECCAS Commission
Executive Secretary of COMIFAC
Excellencies, Ambassadors and Representatives of regional, sub-regional and international organizations
Ladies and Gentlemen, all protocols observed,
It gives me great pleasure to have the chance to speak at the beginning of this extraordinary session of COMIFAC Ministers in my capacity as Facilitator of the Federal Republic of Germany of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership. Firstly, allow me to convey the gratitude of the CBFP members for the positive cooperation between the Central African nations and the Federal Republic of Germany CBFP Facilitation.
This extraordinary session of the COMIFAC Council of Ministers is a high-stakes meeting given the items on its agenda pertaining to the Central African countries' preparations to take part in upcoming international meetings, which include: the 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the 15th COP on Biodiversity and the 19th COP to CITES.
The experts of COMIFAC member countries will submit draft statements of common positions for your review and I would like to inform you that the CBFP Facilitation supported this work by participating in the meetings of the COMIFAC working groups and discussions of the CBFP thematic streams.
Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen
It’s been several months since COP 26 took place in Glasgow and the 19th Meeting of CBFP Parties was held in Libreville. Since then, I have engaged in a number of activities and would like to give you a brief rundown of these and some of the results achieved.
In fact, the Glasgow conference marked a major turning point in negotiations, particularly for the Congo Basin, when 12 donors announced funding of up to USD1.5 billion in support of protecting Congo Basin forests. Undoubtedly, the COMIFAC nations expected a "free fund" to be available for mobilization. Allow me to point out that donors have little flexibility in the short term due to varying rules and procedural restrictions. As a result, they are limited to endorsing budgetary decisions that have already been made or are being planned for one or two years in advance.
Regarding the calls for transparency expressed in the three announcements of the financial commitments made by the Glasgow partners (Pledges), specifically on the "protection of Congo Basin forests," "local communities and indigenous peoples," and "forests and land use," I would like to inform you that a detailed report on these announcements to deliver this transparency is still in progress.
Indeed, excluding two donors who have not submitted their forms and have already been contacted in this regard, all the donors have completed and returned the pledge forms that were sent by the British and American Co-Chairs of the CBFP Donor College on Transparency. The British co-chairs will compile them as soon as the remaining donors send in their completed questionnaires.
Form collection will be delayed due to the London government reshuffle that was halted by Queen’s death. Hence the report's findings on the three pledges will only be released during COP 27. However, British Minister Alok Sharma will be presenting a status report next week on behalf of the CBFP Donor College.
Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen
Sustainable and equitable financing for ecological services remains one of the top concerns of the CBFP Facilitation, which is working as requested by the CBFP general assembly in Libreville to establish a task force charged with developing the key arguments for the political debate on the issue of sustainable financing of ecological services between the international community and the Congo Basin. I'm certain that the only way to make forest protection competitive is to ensure fair compensation for ecological services.
In keeping with the COMIFAC Declaration's " Fair Deal, as we call it" more and more donors are prepared to offer the Congo Basin countries much more additional financial resources as compensation for providing ecological services. Nevertheless, this will not come as a "blank check." The donors seek an agreement they can rely on and defend in front of their tax payers.
This is why before making such a commitment over the medium and long term; we must first address crucial and unresolved issues. We have already begun to do so, and now want to link the respective centres of excellence working on these issues, including institutions in Africa, with the Taskforce as soon as it is established in accordance with the Libreville recommendation at the 19th Meeting of Parties of the CBFP, in order to come up with a basic proposal for a more comprehensive "Fair Deal" as soon as possible.
However, I must also kindly request our Central African partners to allow us enough time to achieve this. I must say that this project cannot be completed without you; all your inputs and thoughts are therefore welcome. This will enable us to present the donor community with a sustained, reliable framework that is devoid of any governance bias and which would gladly welcome their pledges.
.
Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen
The Central African nations have had a voice since Glasgow and continue to do so. Let's keep the momentum and work together to achieve our shared objective of securing the long-term funding required to enable the Congo Basin's forests to compete with other land uses. I have reason for optimism and my recent statements on this topic before the German Federal Parliament, the European Union Parliament, and other Western capitals, confirm that we are moving in the right direction.
In this connection, we suggest holding the next High Level Political Dialogue during the second week of COP 27. The dialogue will centre on crucial topics related to the Glasgow Pledge, the "Fair Deal" the Taskforce, etc…
In addition, I'm thrilled to share that Bezos Earth Fund recently joined the CBFP as its 125th member. The Republic of Korea has also joined, making all of the Glasgow Donor Group's members full members of the CBFP Donor College, where discussions are currently taking place. A second announcement I'd like to make is that the CBFP now includes the International Bamboo Organization (INBAR).
In regards to uneven financial distribution and unbalanced cooperation with Central African nations—many of which are still not included—I would like to let you know that I have brought up this issue during discussions with the Donor College, which has been made aware of the issue and agrees that more discussion is necessary.
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen
The German CBFP Facilitation has begun organizing the second International Conference of Ministers on Transhumance, also known as "N'Djamena 2" in compliance with a recommendation from the 19th Meeting of Parties of the CBFP.
I am aware that the Congo Basin nations are now making their voice heard in important international discussions, and that the value of Central African forests and their contribution to climate regulation are being acknowledged. This is a step forward that the CBFP partners will continue to support together.
On this note, I wish you every success in your discussions.
Long live the Congo Basin Forest Partnership
Long live the Central African Forest Commission
Long live the Economic Community of Central African States
Thank you for your kind attention.
This thematic summary and Compendium serve to compile the discussions, recommendations and conclusions reached over 4 intensive days of work in thematic ateliers (Streams), plenary, side events and political discussions.
Mr Christophe Guilhou, Director of Sustainable Development, Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, France, and Mr Ghislain Moussavou, Director General of Forests, Ministry of Water, Forests, the Sea and the Environment, in charge of the Climate Plan and the Land Use Plan, Gabon, were officially installed as CBFP Facilitators on 12 July 2023 during a ceremony to hand over the CBFP Facilitation from Germany to Gabon and France, presided over by Prof. Sanctus Niragira, Minister of the Environment, Agriculture and Livestock, Burundi, and current Chairman of COMIFAC.
At the 11th Meeting of the Governing Council of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP) on 12 July 2023, the Honourable Dr. Christian Ruck presented to the members of the said Council an 11 point summary of the activities carried out by the CBFP Facilitation of the Federal Republic of Germany during its mandate....
The French-Gabonese facilitation is part of this unprecedented framework. Firstly, because this is the first time since the creation of the Partnership that this work has been carried out jointly by a donor country, France, and a Congo Basin forest country, Gabon. In addition, the One Forest Summit, held in Libreville in March 2023, reiterated the importance of Central Africa's forests, promoting greater scientific cooperation, sustainable value chains and the development of innovative financing mechanisms.
The 11th meeting of the CBFP Governing Council was held on July 12, 2023 in Yaoundé, Cameroon. This "statutory" meeting in the organised by the CBFP, of which the objective was to present the Roadmap of the Franco-Gabonese Facilitation to the members of the CBFP Governing Council, took place just after the handover of the CBFP Facilitation from Germany to France and Gabon.
M. Christophe GUILHOU was recently appointed Co-Facilitator of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP) by the Government of the French Republic for the period July 2023 to 2025. Please download his biography...
The presentations of the CBFP geographical blocks at the Second International Conference of Ministers on Transboundary Transhumance Nexus: transhumance, protected areas and natural resources, development, peace and security from 10 to 12 July in Yaoundé Cameroon are available. Please download the presentations of the Country Investment Plans (PIP) of the different blocks....
The Congo Basin, sometimes referred to as the “heart of Africa” and “lungs of the world,” absorbs more carbon than the tropical forests of the Amazon and Southeast Asia combined. It's home to 75 million people and species found nowhere else on Earth. Yet these forests are disappearing at alarming rates.
We hereby cordially invite you to our regional launch of the German cooperation project "Peaceful and inclusive transhumance in Cameroon, Niger, Nigeria, and Chad" at the Second International Conference of Ministers on Transboundary Transhumance.
Dear Panelists, dear Guests, You are invited to take part in the sharing and reflection workshop that IOM Cameroon and KAS are organizing on the theme: "Practical solutions to migration, security and climate change: Initiatives and commitments by civil society and the United Nations to address and resolve challenges". As part of the Second International Ministerial Conference on Transboundary Transhumance - Nexus.
Yaoundé, July 4, 2023 - From July 10 to 12, 2023, under the high patronage of the President of the Republic of Cameroon, His Excellency Paul Biya, Cameroon will host the Second International Conference of Ministers on Transboundary Transhumance Nexus: transhumance, protected areas and natural resources, development, peace and security. Please download the Document...
The Global Environment Facility’s governing board has approved plans to establish a “game-changing” new fund to finance the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, which aims to put nature on a recovery path by the end of this decade. The GEF Council decision, taken during a meeting in Brazil, clears the way for the launch of the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund at the Seventh GEF Assembly, to take place in Vancouver, Canada, in August.
The purpose of the visit on Friday June 23, 2023 was for the team from the Ministry of External Relations of Cameroon (MIREX) to make sure that the Hilton's facilities are adequate to welcome the ministers and participants expected to attend the Ministers' Conference on transborder Transhumance from July 10 to 12, 2023.
This is the objective of the virtual meeting held this Monday, June 19, 2023, between the CBFP Facilitation of the Federal Republic of Germany, headed by the Honorable Dr. Christian Ruck, and some fifteen networks and forums that are members of the CBFP Civil Society College.
"I've already attended the COP in France, in Egypt, and everyone kept talking about the Amazon. So I said to myself: why not hold the conference here, so that everyone knows about the Amazon?", justified Lula. A climate summit in the middle of the Amazon rainforest. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva announced on Friday May 26 that the UN had chosen the Amazonian town of Belem to host the COP30 climate conference in 2025. "It will be an honor for Brazil to receive representatives from all over the world in our Amazon," Lula wrote on social networks.
The Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF) and Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF) will deploy $63 million in urgent funding for countries on the frontlines of climate change following a meeting of the Global Environment Facility-managed funds in Brazil.
Douala, Cameroon, May 24-26, 2023. As part of the implementation of the recommendations of the first high-level concertation for peaceful transborder transhumance in the Lake Chad Basin, held in Ndjamena in September 2019, ECCAS and ECOWAS have undertaken a mapping study of actions and initiatives contributing to the prevention and resolution of conflicts linked to competition for access to resources in the Lake Chad Basin, CAR and DRC. This study was financed by the ECCAS Border Program Support Project (APF-CEEAC).
To read: DRIVING AFRICAN-LED CONSERVATION THROUGH THE POWER OF PARTNERSHIP – Letter from CEO … A Landmark conservation gathering… APAC highlights… The power of network-building…
This workshop took place from June 13 to 15, 2023 in the conference room of the ZION BEACH hotel in Bujumbura, Burundi. The aim of the sub-regional meeting was to develop a RECEIAC action strategy to reinforce the promotion and ownership of the revised COMIFAC convergence plan by stakeholders.
The online training course in Botanical Garden management was created and financed as part of the SEP2D Program (Sud-Expert Plantes - Développement Durable/ Sud-Expert Plants - Sustainable development). The SEP2D program is part of the international drive to support and accompany scientific communities in the South, reaffirmed at the 10th Conference of the Convention on Biological Diversity in Nagoya in 2010. It aims to strengthen interactions and partnerships in plant biodiversity between research, teaching and the demands of society.
Yaoundé, Cameroon, June 9, 2023- The COMIFAC Gender Committee, created by a memorandum dated January 11, 2023, held its first meeting at the COMIFAC Executive Secretariat Head Office. The meeting was attended by some twenty members representing the COMIFAC Executive Secretariat, technical partners and civil society organizations, including FAO, FTNS, GIZ, Rain Forest Alliance, REFADD, RIFFEAC and IUCN.
The second edition of the report on the summary of forest and wildlife offences published by the Field Legality Advisory Group (FLAG) in 2021 analyses Cameroon's forest and wildlife litigation based on the summaries (a document presenting court cases and files monitored by the forest and wildlife administration over a given period) published by the Ministry of Forests and Wildlife and obtained by FLAG over the period 2019-2020.
The quality of a blue carbon ecosystem project, essential for investor appeal, must be judged by strong social outcomes, benefit sharing, and community support, all of which can ultimately determine the project’s sustainability and contribution to climate change mitigation and adaptation.
When it meets this month in Brasilia, the Global Environment Facility’s governing body will consider a record $1.4 billion work program and set the contours of a new Global Biodiversity Framework Fund, speeding up international efforts to confront species loss and related crises.
The Climate Chance Summit Africa 2023 will bring together on the 23rd, 24th and 2th of October 2023 at the Palais des Congrès in Yaounde 1,500 African actors from the "climate community": high-level personalities, experts, actors in the field, representatives of local governments, businesses and organised civil society.
Celebrations for World Environment Day 2023 kicked off in host-country Cote d’Ivoire, as millions of people prepare for similar activities across the world. Venues across the capital city, Abidjan – from its historic lagoon to its first modern art museum - shone the spotlight on this year’s theme #Beat Plastic Pollution.
Congo Basin Carbon brings together information on various research and education projects in the Yangambi and Luki MAB Reserves in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Through this website we hope to strengthen research networks and improve project visibility, specifically for carbon research. Tropical rainforests such as the forests of the Congo Basin comprise nearly half of the world’s vegetation carbon. Intact tropical forests represent a carbon sink at a level that is higher than other vegetation types. The issues of carbon stocks, sinks and sources in tropical forests are therefore a central topic in international policy debates on climate changes.
At last year’s United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP26), 141 leaders committed to halt and reverse forest loss and degradation by 2030. Forests, particularly tropical ones, are known to play a crucial role in removing carbon from the atmosphere, partially offsetting the effect of greenhouse gas emissions. This is a highly valuable service to the global climate, meaning the world should be willing to pay to ensure it happens. In this policy note, we look at just how valuable that service is, and put that in the context of aid efforts to protect forests.
During the process of photosynthesis, trees naturally absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Rainforests act as important 'carbon sinks' stemming global heating. The Congo rainforest is the planet’s most important “lung,” new data has revealed. The world’s rainforests absorb huge amounts of carbon dioxide, slowing down global warming.
The world is getting a better understanding of just how important forests are in the global fight against climate change. New research, published in Nature Climate Change and available on Global Forest Watch, found that the world’s forests sequestered about twice as much carbon dioxide as they emitted between 2001 and 2019. In other words, forests provide a “carbon sink” that absorbs a net 7.6 billion metric tonnes of CO2 per year, 1.5 times more carbon than the United States emits annually.
This brief describes the first efforts to integrate agroforestry with charcoal production in the Yangambi tropical forest landscape. Activities resulted in both increased food crop production and reforestation, as well as the establishment of producer-led local associations and greater collaboration between communities and local authorities.
The GEF Secretariat prepared this document to summarize the GEF’s potential role in a financial mechanism for the internationally legally binding instrument under negotiation under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ). The document is prepared to help inform deliberations. It also includes questions and answers to key issues raised thus far by countries. GEF’s role as Convention Financial Mechanism: The GEF serves as a/the financial mechanism for five Conventions, namely the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), Minamata Convention on Mercury, Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Chemicals, UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), and UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
On May 8, 2023, in the BOUN'S Hotel conference, in Yaoundé, a workshop was held to launch the process of drawing up the Cameroon Country Investment Plan (CIP) on the nexus of transboundary transhumance, protected areas, peace and security, and development. Please download the final communiqué of the workshop...
Geneva and Yaoundé, 26 May 2023. The Ministry of Economy, Planning and Land Planning of Cameroon (MINEPAT) and CAFI are launching two Calls for Expressions of Interest today to all relevant implementing organisations concerned, representing a maximum of 60 million US$.
WWF is supporting the Government of Cameroon in her effort to restore more than 12 million hectares of degraded landscapes in the country. In 2017, the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife committed, on behalf of the Government of Cameroon, to restore 12,062,768 ha of degraded landscapes under AFR100 and the Bonn Challenge by 2030. Of these, 80% are in the three northern regions of Adamaoua, North and Far North; with the remainder in the high plateau, Centre region, vast forest and coastal areas (Mangroves).