International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples – August 9, 2025: The CBFP, an Unwavering Ally of the Indigenous Peoples of the Congo Basin

Every year on August 9, the world celebrates the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. It is an opportunity to highlight their vital role in preserving global biodiversity, especially in rich and strategic regions like the Congo Basin.

On this occasion, the Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP) reaffirms its unwavering commitment to stand alongside indigenous peoples and local communities, in line with the priorities outlined in the Franco-Gabonese Co-Facilitation roadmap.

A Roadmap Focused on Rights and Recognition

In its 2023–2025 roadmap, the Franco-Gabonese Co-Facilitation of the CBFP places indigenous peoples at the heart of its priorities, structured around five key pillars:

• Dialogue and Scientific Cooperation: Promote participatory research that integrates indigenous knowledge for sustainable forest management.
• Land-Use Planning and Sustainable Value Chains: Support inclusive management of forest territories that respects customary rights and meets the economic needs of indigenous peoples and local communities.
• Innovative Financing: Develop financial mechanisms that directly benefit local communities and strengthen their capacities.
• International Visibility and Advocacy: Elevate the voice of indigenous peoples and local communities on the global stage to ensure better recognition of their rights.
• Synergies and Partnerships: Strengthen dialogue with indigenous networks and build lasting alliances with other partners committed to protecting forests and the communities that depend on them.

Concrete Actions by the CBFP

• Integration of Indigenous Peoples in Forest Governance: The CBFP supports the inclusion of indigenous voices and knowledge within decision-making bodies and forest management policies, in collaboration with networks such as REPALEAC.
• Dedicated Advocacy and Financing: The CBFP mobilizes its partners to sustainably improve the living conditions of indigenous communities and to support targeted initiatives in education, health, and conservation. One component of the developing Global Pact for the Forests of Central Africa focuses specifically on the indigenous peoples and local communities of the Congo Basin.
• Active Participation in International Forums: Through strong presence and support for major events—such as the July 2025 Conference on Environmental Crime and Human-Wildlife Conflict Management in Libreville, Gabon; the First World Congress of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities of Forest Basins in May 2025 in Brazzaville, Congo; the RDP20 – Declaration of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities; the December 2024 Workshop on Sustainable Value Chains in Douala, Cameroon; the One Forest Summit; and funding participation of indigenous and local community representatives of the Congo Basin in UN Climate Change Conferences—the CBFP promotes the role and contribution of indigenous peoples in all conservation and climate change strategies.

A Clear Commitment for 2025 and Beyond

On this International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples 2025, the CBFP sends a clear message:

“Indigenous peoples and local communities are indispensable actors in conservation. Their expertise, ancestral connection to the land, and commitment to forests deserve recognition, protection, and support.”

By fostering more inclusive forest governance, the CBFP contributes to building a future in which the rights, dignity, and culture of indigenous peoples are fully respected.

Together, let us carry this commitment forward.
For the peoples. For the forests. For our planet.