Seminar of the French and Gabonese Co-facilitation of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership.

The second seminar of the French and Gabonese Co-facilitation of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP) held from February 17 to 18, 2025 in Libreville, Congo.

The seminar aimed at evaluating and strengthening the operationalisation of the French and Gabonese co-facilitation of the CBFP. This precisely implies:

- Drafting a balance sheet for the first implementation year of the CBFP French and Gabonese co-facilitation road map for 2023-2025;

- Define and approve activities and work plan for 2025;

- Determine and vote the CBFP co-facilitation budget for 2025;

- Evaluate the study on CBFP governance;

- Determine political markers of the end of the French and Gabonese co-facilitation and elaborate the political agenda.

To this end, the seminar was held in two phases. The first took place on 17 February 2025 in Libreville at the Ministry of Water and Forestry, in charge of the Human-Wildlife Conflict‑and the second on 18 February 2025 in Cap Caravane, Akande.

Present were:

-Dr. Aurélie Flore Koumba Pambo, CBFP Co-Facilitator of the Republic of Gabon

- Mrs. Ambassador Salina Grenet-Catalano, CBPF Co-facilitator of the Republic of France.

- Mr. Emmanuel BAYANI NGOYI, CBFP technical adviser for Gabon;

- Mr. Jean Bruno MIKISSA, CBFP technical adviser for Gabon;

- Mr. Marc SITTER, Head of the Biodiversity Pole at the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs; 

- Mr. Romain DOMPS, Editor – Tropical Forests and International Partnerships, Min. Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs;

-  Mr. Christophe DUCASTEL, in charge of Forest and Biodiversity, AFD;

- Mr Dany POKEM, Technical Coordinator, CBFP;

- Mrs Merline Touko Tchoko, in charge of Communication, CBFP;

- Mrs Christelle MAFOTIE, in charge of CBFP Administration, Finances and logistics.

Day one of the CBFP’s team in Gabon was marked by the visit of the Brigadier General Maurice Ntossui Allogo, Gabon’s Minister of Water and Forestry.

 The Minister had a meeting with both facilitators amongst other issues on the importance of forests in purifying air and regulating climate.

The second phase took place in Cap Caravane in Akanda, Gabon. The team made progress on the organisation of the next meeting of Directors’ Council and major CBFP events for 2025 such as the conference on environmental crimes and the Cabinda scientific workshop.

The seminar enabled the elaboration of the work plan and the 2025 CBFP co-facilitation budget. The seminar equally enabled the reviewing the study on CBFP governance and finally, to define CBFP’s 2025 political agenda.