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The College of International NGOs of the CBFP mobilized, in close line with the Facilitator of the Federal Republic of Germany of the CBFP, Dr. Christian Ruck
The Largest participation of the Members ever of the international NGOs CBFP College and revitalization of the process towards a common position of the Partnership CBFP and way forward, in the framework of this Important ‘year of biodiversity and forests, climate’ with major international conferences: EU/China summit ; EU/Africa summit ; CBD and UNFCCC process as Important opportunity to promote the profile of the Congo Basin and the CBFP and key /Important that the Congo Basin presents with a common voice at these conferences.
The participants exchanged intensively on the following different articulations of the agenda as below:
Co Leaders Welcome Remarks
Federal Republic of Germany CBFP Facilitator Remarks - Synthesis of the CBFP Facilitation Road Map; process for collecting ideas and statements from CBFP´s members; Agenda of CBFP
Covid 19 and Conservation activities in Congo Basin
Nature conservation and Human right in Congo Basin
Next steps
Please find here below the Co-Leaders Notes from CBFP INGO College virtual Meeting with the facilitator
Thanks Andrea Athanas for taking the notes
There were 37 participants. Andrea Athanas, Achille Djeagou, Alistair Pole, Alliance GSAC, Kenneth Angu, Thomas Breuer, Catherine Long, Charles Barber, Charles Bracke, Charly Facheux*, Christian Asanga, Dany Pokem**, Duclaire Mbouna, Elie Hakizumwami, Emma Stoke*, Francois Awounkeu, Fred Kumah, Ilka Herbinger, Iven Schad, Jean-Baptiste Deffontaines, Joe Eisen, Manfred Epanda, Mangouende, Marie-Ange Kalenga, Maud Salber, Mbitikon, Nadege Nzoyem, Clotilde Ngomba, Olivia Rickenbach, Paul Elkan, Paul Kariuki Ndanganga, Roger Fotso, Roland Melisch, Christian Ruck**
Charly Facheux, co-Leader of the College: After the opening of meeting and overview of the agenda the following points were mentioned relating to the agenda:
Kenneth suggested merging the way forward and technical response with the note from the Facilitator and Emma specified that the focus of that agenda point is to agree a process rather than discuss the details of the technical response in detail.
Marie-Ange Kalenga suggested discussing the formal and information responses of the government as part of the Covid 19 discussion.
Dr. Christian Ruck, Facilitator
The Covid 19 situation has prevented planned travel to the region and to the US.
Dr. Ruck completed his PhD on the Economic effects of protected areas in developing countries, or how to make a national park a development project. He served as a member of the German Bundestag and headed the Working Group on Economic Cooperation and Development. In 2013 he took up a KfW role in the Congo Basin working on developing projects supporting protected areas.
The handover from the Belgian Facilitator at the end of 2019, and the taking over of the Facilitation on 1 January 2020. The Road Map has been developed and approved by the COMIFAC President in Office. There is continuing support for the N’Djamena process that was launched by the previous Facilitator and the support to transhumance and transboundary anti-poaching effort, as well as the China dialogue which is more important than ever. The German facilitation is dominated by the EU Africa Summit, the EU China Summit and the CBD and UNFCCC conferences. These present important opportunities for the Congo Basin, and the Facilitator envisages the CBFP as a means of providing a clear and common voice from the Congo Basin at these global platforms. Coming together with one voice also presents the opportunity to create some discipline in coming together to create a shared declaration. The primary focus over next months is to prepare a declaration from the Partnership. In Douala many members expressed an interest to strengthen communication within, between and from the Colleges. It is therefore the purpose of the technical questionnaire is to gather structured input from the Colleges for input into the Declaration and backup information that will substantiate the points made in the Declaration. The normal agenda would have been to collect responses, convene the Council at the end of May and discuss the feedback through workshops and prepare the Declaration which would then be shared at the Member meeting at the end of the year. The German Ministry would then have invited the Congo Basin Ministers to Berlin to announce the Declaration to the world. But this timeline has now shifted with Covid 19. The EU summits with China and with Africa as well as other meetings (e.g. the IUCN World Conservation Congress) are postponed. Another effort that is being proposed is a donor mapping of the support going to protected areas and conservation throughout the region. There is a need to support biodiversity on one hand and the forests of the basin on the other. On biodiversity, there is an initiative of the German government to provide long term finance to protected areas and landscapes which would be particularly well suited to supporting the region. The Glasgow meeting input is targeting an effort to support payments to the region for ecosystem services from the Congo Basin forests. The International NGO college is particularly important for this road map. Dany Pokem is responsible as coach for the College during the facilitation. The Facilitator has received 7 declarations of interest from the College. The contributions can be submitted by 1 July so as to enable the Facilitator to prepare by summer holidays.
Questions raised by the College members:
Emma Stokes asked how the Facilitator would like the inputs from the College members and whether there is an expectation of how the College will compile inputs. Response – the points of interest in the questionnaire are indicative, and other thoughts are also welcome. The most important points are insights into what is needed to conserve the forests of the Congo Basin, to secure land use, and to finance conservation as well as pre-conditions of the Congo Basin countries. It is not sufficient to call for more protected areas, integration of local communities, or support in light of Covid, but really need to have the rationale behind the big points from International NGO perspective. There are many projects with success stories as well as failures and we need to know how we can do better…what is necessary administratively, and politically to get support for protected areas, to get financial flows (e.g. through payments for ecosystem services). Its not necessary for everyone to answer every question, but the Facilitation is looking for your experiences. We also need to discuss in the college and between the colleges.
Marie Ange from Fern asked how the College will be able to consult with local CSO partners in the Basin to ensure inclusiveness of the CBFP membership. How will the Facilitation enable those who are left with no/limited connection to input into the process. Response: the Facilitator is struggling to have access to members of the CSO college given the Covid 19 situation. The initial idea was to discuss the issues in the College and then discuss across the other Colleges. CSO are an important College, and they are working in some difficulty at this point in time…and how to reach them. Raymond Mbitikon, the new CBFP Facilitator is coaching and supporting CSO inputs.
Covid 19 situation and response: Fred Kumah provide a report of meeting with African Protected Area Directors and the impacts of Covid 19 and responses: The protected areas have been significantly impacted by the pandemic, with key issues including impacts on patrols, community engagement, and wildlife surveys. There are no standards and guidelines for protected area responses, there is a desire for a protected area network to come together share lessons and develop an emergency preparedness policy and guidelines and lobby governments to invest more in nature conservation at the center of crisis response. There is also a call to look across multiple sectors for a cohesive response. AWF will share the final report with the CBFP Membership. Paul Elkan of WCS pointed out that responses are different across the continent depending on different ecosystems, and that there is community awareness going on around different protected areas. Marie Ange pointed out that logging operations have been impacted, and independent forest monitoring work been affected. The impact of any crisis on logging activities and forest management needs further investigation. The European Parliament is discussing issues of disruptions of governance and management in the forest systems and how to sustain systems in times of crisis. Roland Melisch from TRAFFIC pointed out the continuation of trade, though at a reduced level, and the continued efforts to monitor trade through TWIX across the region. Field visits and capacity building have been impacted, but the web-based instruments are still working supported by webinars for capacity building. Kenneth Angu of IUCN clarified the connection between the protected area meeting and the Africa Protected Areas Congress.
Human Rights: Marie Ange alerted the group to the statement that Fern and a group of other organizations made to the European Commission. The paper will be shared with the Membership. The College will come together to share approaches to addressing rights in the course of our work and to consolidating our response to those aspects of the technical questionnaire ( statement about the EU’s response to the COVID-19 crisis and déclaration sur la réponse mondiale de l’UE à la crise du COVID-19)
Nadege asked what the role of the agro-industries in the Facilitation Plan. This is very much part of the plan of the Facilitation going forward.
Way Forward: Iven Schad from BMZ expressed gratitude to the International NGO College for the discussion, and stressed the importance of substantive responses to the technical questionnaire to provide input into the Declaration but also to vitalize the council meetings and get a sense of where there is broader interest among the Colleges and stimulate future discussions. Regarding the level of ambitions in the Declarations, there is an aim to have honest Declarations that lead to meaningful contributions to agreements on what each stakeholder group can do to contribute to a solution.
Closing remarks: Emma Stokes, Co Leader, thanked the Facilitator for his presentation and to the Members of the College for the largest participation ever of the College and revitalizes the process towards the Declaration and way forward. Please also keep us involved through virtual interactions in the absence of being able to meet in person.
Korup United, the Voluntary Association of ex-personnel of the Korup Project (1998-2003), is organizing a two-day Symposium October 31 - November 01, 2024, on Conservation and Sustainable Development in the Lower Guinea Congolian Forest Ecosystem. This event also commemorates the 38th Anniversary of the creation of the Korup National Park in October 1986 by Presidential Decree as the first rainforest IUCN Category II National Park in Cameroon.
Mrs Salina GRENET-CATALANO was appointed on July 5, 2024, by decrees of the Prime Minister and the Minister in charge of Europe and Foreign Affairs, the Director of Global Affairs of the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs. It is in this light that she takes over Mr Christophe GUILHOU and becomes French’s new Co-facilitator for the Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP).
PANGEA investigates variation between and within Earth’s two largest tropical forests in the Americas and Central Africa while integrating datasets and research from existing and complementary activities across the tropics. PANGEA’s research questions focus on five thematic areas, Biogeochemical Cycles; Biodiversity; Climate Interactions and Feedbacks; Social-Ecological Systems; and Disturbance Dynamics.
The Science Panel for the Congo Basin (SPCB) was launched on 3rd December 2023, at COP28 in Dubai. The SPCB is an independent platform for scientists from the region to synthesize the existing knowledge including Indigenous peoples and autochthonous knowledge, on the functioning of, and threats to, the Congo Basin and its ecosystems.
The DYNAFAC collective was created to develop common skills and technical and scientific complementarities. Its goal: to develop activities that will ultimately improve development plans and ensure better management of production forests in Central Africa.
The Congo Basin Science Initiative (CBSI) is an independent scientist-led platform that promotes long-term investment in science in the Congo Basin with a mission to transform our understanding of the world’s second largest extent of tropical forest, build scientific capacity in the region, and use this knowledge to support sustainable development.
In his book, "How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need,” Bill Gates singled out CGIAR centers, which have been at the forefront of supporting the world to feed itself through research including developing improved higher-yielding varieties of important staples such as maize and rice, as doing work that is “indispensable in creating new climate-smart crops and livestock for the world’s poor farmers.”
The PANGEA Scoping Campaign had a strong presence at the 20th Meeting of the Parties of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership from May 31 – June 5, 2024 in Kinshasa, DRC. The conference exchanges between civil servants, scientists, and philanthropic organizations in the Congo Basin provided a special opportunity to address the need for strengthening collaborative partnerships in the region and pan-tropically.
The CBFP and the coordination of the Western Bloc are pleased to invite you to a face-to-face exchange session, to be held on Friday 4 October from 8:00 to 10:00 at the Hôtel de l'Amitié, in N'Djamena, on the occasion of the conference on pastoralism and protected areas. The event will provide an opportunity to reflect on how the CBFP can continue to lead discussions on the most topical issues in the sub-region.
The Conference aims at: Presenting the state of knowledge on the causes and consequences of tensions between agropastoral activities and protected areas within the Sahelian and Sudano-Guinean ecosystems; Reviewing the modes of governance and technical innovations making it possible to better manage the interface zones between agropastoral areas and protected areas, in order to promote the sustainable development of agropastoral territories...
After a series of broken silence procedures in the lead-up to the Summit, the Summit of the Future (SOF) opened under a cloud of uncertainty when the Russian Federation made a last-minute proposal for an amendment to the outcome document. However, following a quick voting round, delegates adopted the Summit’s negotiated outcome, the Pact for the Future, and its two annexes: the Global Digital Compact and the Declaration of Future Generations. The rest of the day then proceeded largely as planned, with general statements by high-level representatives taking place in parallel with two interactive dialogues on the Summit’s themes.
The Summit of the Future opened with some drama when the Russian Federation tabled its objection to several paragraphs in the outcome documents: the Pact for the Future, the Global Digital Compact, and Declaration on Future Generations. In the end, after months of negotiations, the Pact was adopted. UN General Assembly (UNGA) President Philémon Yang thanked the Co-Facilitators for steering a complex negotiating process and described the just-adopted Pact as a reflection of “our pledge” to lay the foundation for a sustainable, inclusive, and peaceful global order.
The Central African Biodiversity Working Group adopts common views for COP-16 at the CBD and related meetings at the end of their 38 meeting held from September 9 to 13, 2024 in Brazzaville. The Central African Biodiversity Working Group held its thirty-eighth meeting (GTBAC-38) from September 9 to 13, 2024 in Brazzaville, the Republic of Congo. These meetings organised by the Executive Secretariat of the Central African Forests Commission (COMIFAC) with technical and financial support from the GIZ Regional Support Project to COMIFAC, brought together members of the GTBAC.
President of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) Philemon Yang has made available an updated programme of the Summit of the Future (SoF), along with a logistics note, an announcement of the co-chairs for the interactive dialogues to take place during the Summit, and lists of speakers for the interactive dialogues. The SoF is taking place in New York, US, from 22-23 September 2024.
New York, 10 September 2024 – Philémon Yang, former Prime Minister of the Republic of Cameroon, took office today as President of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly at a time when the urgent need to strengthen multilateralism respond to new and emerging challenges is increasingly acute. The theme of President Yang’s mandate is “Unity in diversity, for the advancement of peace, sustainable development and human dignity for everyone, everywhere”. His priorities range from boosting gender equality, advancing multilingualism to combatting terrorism. Under his leadership, efforts will focus on fostering more effective collaboration and finding effective solutions to global challenges.
On 10 September 2024, the UN General Assembly (UNGA) closed its 78th session. Addressing the Assembly for the last time as its President, Dennis Francis (Trinidad and Tobago) underscored the important role of the multilateral system in overcoming complex challenges. Philemon Yang (Cameroon), President-elect of the 79th session of the UNGA, subsequently took an oath of office, pledging to perform his duties “in all loyalty, discretion and conscience.” This was followed by the opening of the Assembly’s 79th session.
07 September, Abidjan - African Environment Ministers meeting in Abidjan have called for the establishment of a legally binding protocol on drought management under the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), with a special focus on Africa. The call for action comes amid growing concerns over the detrimental impact of land degradation, drought and desertification on the continent’s socio-economic stability, food security, and environmental sustainability.
A search was carried out using Google Scholar and Scopus (for the period 2000-2023) and official reports (from the inscription of the site until 2024) submitted by countries on the state of conservation of natural UNESCO World Heritage sites in Africa. The scientific literature does not sufficiently address the determinants of armed conflicts affecting African Natural World Heritage sites or the connections between the quality of governance of Protected Areas and the emergence and/ or resolution of armed conflicts. Understanding the origins and foundations of these armed conflicts requires an in-depth analysis of several determinants linked to the existence of these protected areas and an assessment of the effectiveness of the governance systems, which is rarely available.
Abidjan, 3–6 September 2024 : Leveraging financing and partnerships for combating drought, land degradation and desertification in Africa The note available to dowload explores the critical role of financing and partnerships in addressing the interrelated challenges of drought, land degradation, and desertification in Africa.
Bonn / Laramie, 4 September 2024 - Today, a groundbreaking online map was launched showing the migration paths of land animals around the world. An international team of over 80 scientists has collaborated to create the first-ever interactive migration map of hooved mammals such as antelopes, guanacos and zebras, that routinely travel large distances at different times in the year. Such animals are collectively called “ungulates".
The African Forest Forum (AFF) in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)’s Regional office for Africa, is organizing a three-week Community of Practice (CoP) on “Climate Change in African Forestry and Wildlife Sectors”. The CoP will be held from9 - 27 September 2024, from 12:00 noon - 3.00 pm Nairobi time/ 9:00 am -12.00 noon GMT., via Howspace – a virtual ‘African Forestry Community’ platform – for knowledge sharing and learning.
To prepare the next post-Malabo plan, the ECCAS Regional Economic Community (REC), in partnership with AU, and the Feed the Future Policy LINK Program organized regional stakeholder consultations for the Central Africa region. The participants at the consultation were: the CAADP focal points and government representatives of different countries, as well as private sector and non-state actor representatives from the seven ECCAS Member States. Please download the report...
The tenth special session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN) and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) regional consultations will be held in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, from 30 August to 6 September 2024, under the theme “Raising Africa’s Ambition to Reduce Land Degradation, Desertification, and Drought.” The theme underscores the critical need to address the current state of land degradation in the region and restore this vital resource.
Rome – A new roadmap guiding the work of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) on forests was endorsed on Wednesday by members at the 27th Session of the Committee on Forestry (COFO 27) in Rome. The FAO Forestry Roadmap - From Vision to Action 2024-2031 sets out how FAO will work to enhance the role forests play in meeting forestry-related goals and targets and in addressing global challenges in coming years.
In recent years, the international community and countries in central Africa have developed various initiatives and programmes to halt biodiversity and natural resource degradation, and to address challenges to sustainable development in forest ecosystems.
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...
