This is part of the results of the parallel event on forest and environmental training held alongside the 16^th International Colloquium on Environmental Assessment (SIFEE), in Yaounde, Cameroon (from 12 to 15 September) under the theme: Forests, Energy, Climate Change and Environmental Assessment: For sustainable management, from global to local.

Yaounde (Cameroon), 12 September 2011 – Holding of a consultation meeting of Technical and Financial partners to the “TRAINING” line of COMIFAC convergence plan alongside the 16th International Colloquium on Environmental Assessment (SIFEE), Yaounde, Cameroon (from 11 to 15 September) under the theme: Forests, Energy, Climate Change and Environmental Assessment: For Sustainable Management, from Global to Local. The meeting was attended by about thirty participants, including RIFFAC coordination, representatives of the Francophonie forest and environmental training institutions, national and international organizations, CBFP Facilitation, resource persons and some country representatives.

The opening ceremony was marked by an address, by the RIFFEAC coordinator represented by his vice, Dr LINJOUOM Ibrahim who, on the behalf of Mr. Souleymane Ibrahim SAMBO, RIFFEAC Regional Coordinator, warmly welcomed all the participants and especially all RIFFEAC active or potential partner actors. According to him, participants enhance by their presence interest and commitment in building capacities and modernizing forest and environmental training programmes in the Central Africa sub-region. Further in his speech, he recalled the history and the context of the meeting before emphasizing that without quality training of actors in the forest sector, the sustainable management of forests cannot be envisaged at a time when governance and traceability are an imperative to States in the framework of the FLEGT process and forest certification requirements imposed by the international wood market. To conclude, Dr LINJOUOM Ibrahim recalled the objectives of the meeting which consist in an advocacy on the main reasons of the “Training” Partnership, including: (1) To sensitize partners on the major orientations of COMIFAC- RIFFEAC around the “training” line and on RIFFEAC strategic framework. (2) To emphasize an approach based on results aiming to improve forest and environmental training in Central Africa (3) To mutualize efforts in order to solve intervention coordination problems and to reinforce complementarity, and promote synergies in project and programme implementation (4) To exchange on the drafting and the adoption of a sub-regional policy in forest and environmental training.

Following this opening ceremony, participants were introduced, and the agenda adopted. Deliberations continued with thematic presentations on training in five major lines, namely: (1) an introductory exposé on: The issues of forest and environmental training at the service of sustainable development in the Congo Basin (Cléto Ndikumagenge, CBFP Delegate Facilitator) (2) The RIFFEAC: From strategic vision to concrete actions – PE-FORGRN-BC: State of progress in the implementation of the project and perspectives – (Dr Ibrahim LINJOUOM, PEFOGRN-BC) (3) PAPESAC: RIFFEAC Club history – Support from Support Pole to RIFFEAC for the Professionalization of higher education in Central Africa (Flavien Anno, PAPESAC) (4) The Forest Trust (TFT): Experience of ongoing training in favour of sustainable management (Marianne Martinet, TFT) (5) Secretariat for Environmental Assessment in Central Africa (SEEAC): Consideration of environmental assessment in the ongoing training of actors (Dr Bitondo, SEEAC) (Photograph on the right: History of RIFFEAC Club presented by Favien Anno from PAPESAC project).

Discussions focused on six major points: (1) Specialisation pole in Central Africa (how to set up excellence poles) (2) Lecturers and students mobility – How to mobilize lecturers and students (3) Adequacy between training and users (labour) (4) Implementation of the sub-regional directive relating to forest and environmental training (5) Political inking (6) Environmental assessment during training (Photograph on the right: Training Session at CES - Marianne Martinet).

Following intense and fruitful deliberations, the meeting moderated by Dr Ibrahim LINJOUOM, PEFOGRN-BC, enabled the definition of a common vision of technical and financial partners and a road map towards the mutualization of efforts of technical and financial partners in order to solve intervention coordination issues. It was recommended to reinforce complementarity and to promote synergies in the implementation of projects and programmes in the framework of “Training”.

To this effect, and as a first step, a consultation group of partners in the training “line” was set up by participants. It is preferably consultative and shall gather a representative of RIFFEAC, France, PEFOGRN project, Japan, Germany, Canada, SEEAC, TFT, JMN consulting and of the CBFP. This group is opened to other partners interested by this training theme. The meetings of this group shall hold regularly in order to rekindle dialogue among partners involved in forest training. The next meeting shall be convened by RIFFEAC coordination, in close collaboration with COMIFAC Executive Secretariat and CBFP Facilitation.

Furthermore, please find attached PAPESAC Project presentation brochure, information on Social Excellence Centre (Here), FOGRN-BC Project form and two links on the GIZ-RIFFEAC partnership (1 – 2).

You can download the following presentations:

(0) Opening Address of the meeting

(1) Orientation Document of the consultation meeting of Technical and Financial Partners to the “TRAINING” line of COMIFAC convergence plan

(2) Final Agenda of the Meeting

(3) The Issues of Forest and Environmental Training at the Service of Sustainable Development in the Congo Basin (Cléto Ndikumagenge, CBFP Delegate Facilitator)

(4) The RIFFEAC: From Strategic Vision to Concrete Actions – PE-FORGRN-BC: State of Progress in the Implementation of the Project and Perspectives –Dr Ibrahim LINJOUOM, PEFOGRN-BC)

(5) RIFFEAC Club history – Support from Support Pole to RIFFEAC for the Professionalization of higher education in Central Africa (Flavien Anno, PAPESAC)

(6) Experience of ongoing training in favour of sustainable management (Marianne Martinet, TFT)

(7) Secretariat for Environmental Assessment in Central Africa (SEEAC): Consideration of environmental assessment in the ongoing training of actors (Dr Bitondo, SEEAC)