Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, 12 June 2019:  A high-level Policy Dialogue was held between the members of the CBFP Regional College (Member states, COMIFAC and ECCAS) and the technical and financial partners of the CBFP Donors’ College. 

The High-Level Policy Dialogue was chaired by His Excellency Mr. François-Xavier de Donnea, Minister of State, CBFP Facilitator of the Kingdom of Belgium. The main aim of the meeting was to provide a setting for the partners to share their views on ways and means of strengthening their collaboration, notably in identifying and planning efforts to improve management, conservation and adding value to Congo Basin forests.

Participants included:

• E. Ms. Rosalie Matondo, Minister of Forest Economy of Congo and Acting President, OCFSA
• E. Mr. Jules Doret Ndongo, Minister of Forests and Wildlife, Cameroon
• E. Mr. NICOLÁS HOUTONJI ACAPO, Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Forests and Environment, Equatorial Guinea
• E. Mr. Jules Doret Ndongo, Vice-Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Forests and Environment, Equatorial Guinea
• E. Mr. Amit IDRISS, Minister of Water, Forests, Hunting and Fisheries, Central African Republic
• E.M Sidick Abdelkérim Haggar, Minister of Environment, Water and Fisheries, Chad
• Pastor Dr Cosma WILUNGULA, General Manager, Administrator and President, DRC
• Mukongo Remy, Technical expert, Representing Ambassador Ahmad Allam-Mi, Secretary General of ECCAS
• Primes NGABONZIZA, General Manager of the Water and forests Department of Rwanda, Representing the H.E. Mr. Hon. Dr Biruta Vincent, Minister of Environment of Rwanda
• Itsoua-Madzous Gervais Ludovic, Deputy Executive Secretary of COMIFAC
• Ibrahim Linjouom, Permanent Secretary of OCFSA

Other attendees included representatives of the Donors’ College including Germany, Belgium, the United States, France and the European Union. In addition to the ministers and financial partners, the meeting attracted Heads of diplomatic missions, COMIFAC National Coordinators and Representatives of regional organizations and institutions and experts from the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Forests and Environment of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea.

During the Policy Dialogue, the member countries and organizations of the CBFP Regional College discussed additional strategic programming guidelines, including among others: ensuring that the partners’ support is in line with priorities identified at national level in the countries concerned and at sub-regional level: placing the development objective of the local populations in forest areas at the heart of concerns and strategies geared towards sustainable management and conservation of Congo Basin forests; placing the development of value chains that sustainably add value to natural resources, at the heart of future financial programming; supporting capacity building initiatives; providing management methods suited to the identification, formulation and deployment of the projects concerned...

The partners of the CBFP Donors’ College for their part, commended the States for their efforts to preserve and sustainably manage the Congo Basin forests, and added that their discussions during the policy dialogue had enabled them to finalize their ongoing multi-year programming process. They urged the regional organizations to initiate and organize similar thematic, follow-up and policy consultation discussions within their own organizations, both between the States in the sub-region on the one hand and with their technical and financial partners on the other hand.

The Policy dialogue was organized on the initiative of the CBFP Facilitation of the Kingdom of Belgium, in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Forests and Environment of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea.

Please download the CBFP Facilitator’s speech below