Please download the Concept Note of the Side Event: 'Promotion of forest governance in Central Africa' - Tuesday, September 08, 19: 45 - 21:00, at the "Coast of Dreams, Exhibition Centre"

Side Event COMIFAC, Session n ° 2:

'Promotion of forest governance in Central Africa'

Tuesday, September 08, 19: 45 - 21:00, at the "Coast of Dreams, Exhibition Centre"

Organizers: COMIFAC / PPECF                                                               Moderator: EU

Central African tropical forests cover nearly 140 million hectares and abound, in addition to lumber, great potential in NWFP of plant and animal origin for the well-being of the people. In addition to the constituting Treaty on the conservation and sustainable management of the forestry ecosystems of Central Africa adopted by the heads of State in Brazzaville in 2005, the convergence plan brings together priority interventions in forests in the sub region.

At the national level, each country of the COMIFAC has a legislative and legal arsenal for the sustainable management of forests that can measure progress on: (a) the increase in the areas of forest production under development and the area of certified forests, (b) the improvement of the recovery for the benefit of the country (taxes) and surrounding populations (load workbooks) (c) increase the area of protected areas (creation of new protected areas) valued at more than 50 million ha, (d) the signature of voluntary partnership agreements between certain countries and the European Union under the FLEGT process to strengthen forest governance. However, these advances are facing many challenges of governance, some of which have a direct impact on the sustainability of forests and populations who live there include: i) the development of illegal logging and poaching. (ii) the low participation of local and vulnerable populations in the sustainable management of forests); (iii) new uses of forest land-related threats to legislate.

This Side event will therefore provide the opportunity to present some of these challenges and alternatives through practitioner’s information and then discuss to open the reflection on the possibilities of reconciling the interests of all parties.

The main objective of the session therefore present and discuss the COMIFAC and efforts of the countries of Central Africa for the sustainable management of the forests of the Congo basin and the well-being of indigenous peoples. Specifically, it will be: i) present the COMIFAC initiatives and its partners in the promotion of forest governance in Central Africa; (ii) present efforts by the countries of Central Africa forest governance; (iii) discuss related key issues, including those related to markets, legality, participation and profit-sharing and new uses of land, iv) propose measures to improve and strengthen forest governance for the well-being of the people

The session format: 02 joints parts. First part: 40 mn of presentations including a statement of 10 minutes, followed by 6 shorts communications / second part: Questions and answers (35 mn)

Program of the Second Session

Other information:

• Distribution of reference documents: new the COMIFAC convergence plan and CIFOR occasional papers); promotion of the new edition of the Handbook on the CIRAD forestry; etc.
• Distribution of gadgets of partners: Flyer, briefcases, pens & the PPECF t-shirt, blocks the project notes GEF/UNEP-WRI/RA;
• Cocktail offered at the end of the work.

Contacts : Elie NGOA  Elie.Ngoa@gfa-group.de  ; Romain LORENT Romain.Lorent@gfa-group.de