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Archive des Actualités des Partenaires

October 2023

31 Oct

COP28: Call for proposals of side events for the “COMIFAC – Central Africa Initiatives Pavilion”

COMIFAC, the GIZ Regional Support Project for COMIFAC, the Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP) France – Gabon Facilitation, the Central African Forest Initiative (CAFI), the EU Funded Support Project to the Central African Forests Observatory (RIOFAC and The Sangha Tri-National Trust Fund (FTNS)hereby launch a call for proposals to host side events lasting no more than 60 minutes under the « COMIFAC – Central Africa Initiatives », at the COP28 venue from 30th November to 12th December 2023. Applications should be submitted before 31 October 2023.

31 Oct

Declaration from the 2nd Summit of the Three Basins in Brazzaville

In a declaration issued at the end of the Summit of the world's three great basins of the Amazon, the Congo and Borneo-Mekong on Saturday 28 October 2023 in Brazzaville, the Heads of State and Government undertook, among other things, to: to strengthen cooperation between the three basins, which are home to 80% of the world's tropical forests and two-thirds of terrestrial biodiversity; to recognise the unity of enhanced cooperation between the three basins; to recognise the sovereign management of biodiversity, forests and associated resources by the countries that make up the three basins; to pool and capitalise on the knowledge, experience, resources and achievements existing in each of the basins; and to introduce a sustainable system of remuneration for the ecosystem services provided by the three basins".

29 Oct

Programme of CBFP activities at the Three-Basins Summit

Wednesday 25 October 2023, 7pm, French Embassy, Brazzaville (By invitation only) Signing ceremony for a CBFP grant agreement to the UNDP for the organisation of the Summit of the Three Basins... Thursday 26 October 2023, 03:30PM – 04:30PM, Room 3 Kintele Conference Centre, Republic of Congo. Official launch activities of the French and Gabonese Republics Co-Facilitation of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP)...

25 Oct

The Global Legal and Sustainable Timber Forum 2023 will be held on 21-22 November 2023 at the Galaxy International Convention Center in Macao SAR, China.

The aim of the Global Legal and Sustainable Timber Forum is to increase networking, collaboration and business exchange among timber industry stakeholders—producers, buyers, processors and market players—with a view to promoting sustainable forest management, creating legal and sustainable wood product supply chains, facilitating the legal and sustainable use and trade of wood products in a stable, transparent and predictable business environment, and contributing to sustainable development and climate-change mitigation.

21 Oct

Save the Date Congo Basin Forest Partnership Stakeholders Talks 28 October 2023, Kintele conference centre, Congo, 11am-1pm

The CBFP co-facilitation is pleased to invite you to take part in a meeting of CBFP partners attending the Three Basins Summit in the Republic of Congo. This meeting will be held on Saturday 28 October 2023 at the Conference Centre in Kintele, Congo from 11:00 to 13:00. During the event, the CBFP partners present will discuss the operationalization of the CBFP Roadmap for the next two years and prepare for forthcoming international and regional events. The aim is to strengthen the synergies and pooling of resources between the partners, to build a coalition based on a spirit of partnership, and to stimulate an active dynamic between the CBFP's partners and colleges.

21 Oct

Launch of the French and Gabonese Republics Co-Facilitation of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership, Thursday 26th October 2023, 3:30 - 4:30 pm, ROOM 3, Kintele Conference Centre, Congo

Summit of the 3 basins AMAZONIA – CONGO – BORNEO MEKONG SOUTHEAST ASIA, High-level side event. Through this event, the CBFP co-facilitation, in close collaboration with the Economic Commission for Central African States (ECCAS), the Central African Forest Commission (COMIFAC), the Central African Forest Initiative (CAFI) and the leaders of the CBFP colleges, proposes to detail its strategic axes.

19 Oct

Second International Conference of Ministers on Transboundary Transhumance of Yaoundé: the report is now available!

Under the High Patronage of His Excellency Mr PAUL BIYA, President of the Republic of Cameroon, Head of State, the High-Level Meeting on the " Second International Conference of Ministers on Transboundary Transhumance" was held in Yaoundé, Republic of Cameroon, from July 10 to 12, 2023. Nexus: transhumance, protected areas and natural resources, development, peace and security". Please, download the report...

17 Oct

25th Meeting of the CBD Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical, and Technological Advice and Resumed Second Part of the 15th Meeting of the CBD Conference of the Parties -END

Calls for synergistic actions to tackle the interlinked crises of biodiversity loss and climate change dominated the meeting’s deliberations. Delegates proposed holistic solutions such as nature-based solutions, ecosystem-based approaches and the OneHealth approach.

17 Oct

DSPA newsletter

Forest elephants are known to form small groups, generally a mother and her dependent offspring. Males can leave their birth group as early as at the age of 7 years, and females around the age of 15-20, or when they have their own first offspring. However, exceptions can be seen at Dzanga Bai such as the Alvah family. Alvah was first seen in 2006 and estimated to have been born in 1962. Alvah has most probably sired more than seven offspring in her life, and she is often seen at the clearing with up to 12 family members, including her daughters Alvah II, Alvah III, Alvah IV, Alvah V and Alvah VI.

East Africa Regional Civil Society Forum

On behalf of the Civil Society and Community Engagement Division of the African Development Bank, we are pleased to announce the holding of the East Africa Regional Civil Society Forum on 18-19 October 2023 in Nairobi, Kenya. This event is part of a series of regional forums to be held in 2023 on the overall theme of "Engaging Civil Society in Mobilising Private Sector Finance for Climate and Green Growth in Africa", alternating with the Bank's biennial Continental Civil Society Forum.

11 Oct

A milestone moment: Uzbekistan and UNCCD team up to tackle land crisis - UCCND

Bonn/Samarkand, 10 October 2023 – Today the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) entered into a landmark agreement with the government of the Republic of Uzbekistan. The Host Country Agreement marks the culminating chapter in the preparations for the upcoming 21st session of the UNCCD Committee on the Review of the Implementation of the Convention (CRIC21), to be held from 13-17 November 2023 in Samarkand.

10 Oct

Scaling-up demand reduction for illegal exotic pets and wildlife products in Europe – TRAFFIC

Brussels, 21 September 2023 – TRAFFIC highlights the crucial role of behavioural science in bolstering demand reduction strategies in alignment with the objectives of the revised EU Action Plan Against Wildlife Trafficking.

10 Oct

UNCCD implementation: Statement by DES Andrea Meza at the 78th Session of the UN General Assembly 2nd Committee - UNCCD

...These intertwined crises of nature-climate-land degradation and conflicts require the implementation of solutions that generate multiple benefits and the mobilization of technical and economic resources at an unprecedented scale. Investing in land restoration and drought resilience are win-win and cost- effective solutions with multiple benefits for a safe and sustainable future. Land restoration and drought resilience are critical to guarantee water and food security, livelihoods, to reduce irregular migration of people and conflicts over resource scarcity. These solutions also constitute building blocks to achieve climate and biodiversity goals....

09 Oct

First-ever Chemicals and Waste Youth Forum Meets During ICCM5 - IISD

Children and young people are hurt the most and often heard the least with respect to chemicals and waste management. To address these challenges, the first-ever youth forum on chemicals and waste sought to engage youth in the design, implementation, monitoring, follow-up, and review of chemicals and waste policies at all levels. Several panel discussions and a moderated intergenerational dialogue with youth and key decision makers took place in the margins of the fifth session of the International Conference on Chemicals Management (ICCM5).

09 Oct

Improving food security in DRC’s Yangambi Landscape - CIFOR

Gliding west for the first time through the silent waters and noisy forests of the Congo River from Kisangani to Yangambi, in the northern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), I couldn’t help but think that this place was all water and trees and fishermen hanging onto their nets, children waving excitedly at people as they passed by. I imagined the abundance of fish we might eat later – and salivated at the thought.

08 Oct

At the Africa Climate Summit, leaders outline a common vision for drought resilience - UCCND

Nairobi, 5 September 2023. Acknowledging that severe drought affects Africa more than any other continent, leaders at the Africa Climate Summit in Nairobi have put forward a common vision for drought resilience in the run up to the next climate and desertification summits — UNFCCC COP28 in November 2023 and UNCCD COP16 in December 2024. The objective is to reduce the costs of future droughts for societies and economies through strategic investments in sustainable land and water management.

06 Oct

A “Power Package” to Enhance Quality Public Administration and Governance - IISD

With the huge challenge for public institutions to steer towards sustainability in a world characterised by multiple crises, the quality of public administration and governance (PAG) is higher on the political agenda than ever. After decades of relative neglect, countries have realized that sustainable development can only be achieved with strong, effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions at all levels. Well-formulated Goals and policy targets will only go so far if governance systems are inadequate.

06 Oct

UN Initiative Aims to Hold Companies Accountable for SDG Commitments -IISD

The UN Global Compact has launched a global platform for credible and ambitious corporate action to guide companies on “where they can make the biggest, fastest impact for 2030.” The Forward Faster initiative challenges companies to publicly commit to transparency and accountability across one or more critical areas that can accelerate progress across all 17 SDGs – gender equality, climate action, living wage, water resilience, and SDG-aligned finance and investment.

06 Oct

Indigenous rights recognition a “work in progress” in Central Africa -CIFOR

Legal recognition of the rights of local communities and Indigenous people – including nomadic herders and hunter-gatherers, who are highly vulnerable and extremely marginalized – remains “a work in progress” in Central Africa, said the authors of a new report on the state of Congo Basin forests. However, they also acknowledged that many policymakers and forest managers in the region have begun to put discussions about rights – and the need for a specific status to protect Indigenous people from threats to their cultures, ways of life, and territories – at the top of their agendas.

05 Oct

UN General Assembly High-level Week 2023 - UN

The 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly marks a crucial milestone in the journey towards achieving the 2030 Agenda and the urgent need to put the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) back on track. Everything you need to know about the upcoming UN General Assembly High-level Week 2023...

05 Oct

Joint Statement by the UN Mechanisms of Indigenous Peoples - UN

Joint statement by the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, July 2023: The 100-year commemoration of the Deskaheh mission's attempt to reach the League of Nations in Geneva is a moment to remember that Indigenous Peoples have existed long before States were formed. They have always fought to preserve their governance structures, autonomy, and inherent right of self-determination.

05 Oct

The Resilience of Agrobiodiversity: The Story of Nepal's Chabeli Farmer Group - FAO

A new report from IIED showcases how traditional knowledge combined with innovative new approaches improves local agrobiodiversity and resilience. In the Middle Hills of Nepal, within the Bhimphedi Rural Municipality of the Makawanpur District, the Chabeli Farmer Group, a collective of 20 smallholder farmers, is transforming local lives and economies by undertaking sustainable agricultural practices that boost agrobiodiversity.

05 Oct

SDSN’s Multidimensional Index Assesses Structural Vulnerability in SIDS - IISD

The Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) published a special edition of its SDG Index to evaluate progress of small island developing States (SIDS) towards the Global Goals. The report also introduces the Multidimensional Structural Vulnerability Index (MSVI) to assess the structural vulnerability of 180 countries, including 33 SIDS.

04 Oct

CIFOR-ICRAF CEO appointed to Hamburg Sustainability Conference advisory board

CIFOR-ICRAF CEO Dr Éliane Ubalijoro has been appointed to the advisory board for the Hamburg Sustainability Conference (HSC), a newly announced initiative to build global solutions for the social-ecological transformation our planet desperately needs.

04 Oct

RELEASE: WRI Appoints Ambassador Melanie Robinson to Lead Global Climate Program - WRI

WASHINGTON (September 25, 2023) — World Resources Institute (WRI) is pleased to announce the appointment of Melanie Robinson as WRI’s new Global Climate Program Director. Starting this week, Robinson will work with WRI’s global staff and partners to advance ambitious climate action. She will be based at WRI’s office in Nairobi, Kenya.

04 Oct

African Development Bank launches country-by-country reports on Africa's climate change, green growth financing needs ahead of COP28 - AFBD

Ahead of the 28th United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP 28), the African Development Bank Group has launched country-by-country economic reports to guide African policymakers in their discussions at the global event.

04 Oct

Greening Building and Construction for Sustainable Development -IISD

Chemicals of concern (CoC) in the building and construction sector is not a new issue. Childhood lead poisoning and chronic lung disease from the inhalation of asbestos fibers are well-known impacts of chemicals that have afflicted the sector over the decades. Building and construction is one of the most chemical-intensive sectors downstream of the chemical industry and the largest end market for chemicals, generating the highest chemical revenue of all sectors. Driven by rapidly accelerating urbanization, the global construction sector is expected to grow by 3.5% annually, with its chemicals market growing by 6.2% annually between 2018 and 2023.

04 Oct

Final Communiqué of the twelfth workshop of the COMIFAC Working Group of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (WGCCD)

The twelfth workshop of the Working Group for the Follow-up of the Implementation of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) of the Central African Forests Commission (COMIFAC) was held from 27 to 29 September 2023 in Malabo, Republic of Equatorial Guinea.

03 Oct

What Is Peat Subsidence and How Can Countries Prevent this Environmental Disaster? - WRI

Peatlands are among the most valuable ecosystems on Earth. The carbon-rich ecosystems, located near wetlands around the globe, store almost a third of the world’s terrestrial carbon, creates a great habitat for wildlife and plays an important role in water management. It also provides livelihoods for communities by supporting agricultural activities and producing natural products, such as medicinal plants or honey. Sadly, peatlands are also prone to disturbance, both from natural and human activity.

03 Oct

We Must Value the Role of Forests in the Global Food System - IISD

Many people are aware now of the value of forests in supporting biodiversity and mitigating the effects of climate change. But how many people fully understand the fundamental role forests play in the global food system? The global population is expected to reach almost 10 billion by 2050, and demand for food is projected to rise by 50%. Forests are going to be key in ensuring there is enough food for everyone.

03 Oct

In East Africa, boosting monitoring to help curb climate challenges - CIFOR

East Africa’s multitude of forested ecosystems – which include woodlands, savannah, coastal areas, mangroves, and more – hold important global reserves of biodiversity, and play critical roles for local communities, too. But climate change impacts such as prolonged drought, unpredictable rain, food insecurity, and health hazards are all taking their toll on its ecosystems and people.

02 Oct

Three Basins Summit on Biodiversity and Tropical Forest Ecosystems in Brazzaville: 24 days to go

From 26 to 28 October, Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of Congo, will host the summit of the world's three tropical forest basins (Congo, Amazonia and Borneo Mekong). The aim of the summit is to create a global alliance of ecosystems with governance based on South-South cooperation.

02 Oct

Maxime Nzita, former co-facilitator of the CBFP, is now Head of Strategic Partnerships at WCS and advisor to the Bezos Earth Fund in the Congo Basin

From 2016 to 2019, Maxime Nzita spent two terms as co-facilitator of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership of the European Union and Belgium. Immediately afterwards, Maxime became the Regional Head of Mission in Libreville, Gabon, for the European Commission's ECOFAC6 programme - a green economy initiative for conservation in priority landscapes across Africa.

02 Oct

Restoration monitoring adds up for Kenya’s rangeland advocates - CIFOR

On 8 August 2023, twenty-six restoration practitioners and stakeholders set off from Oloitokitok – a small town on the green slopes of Kenya’s Mount Kilimanjaro – to Mbirikani Group Ranch in Kajiado County. There, the Centre for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF) and Big Life Foundation were holding a field visit as part of a two-day learning event on monitoring rangeland restoration – specifically on the assessment methods, data, and evidence base that is critical for long-term restoration impact.