Please download the Documents here below:

Agenda-CM.4_1-V.22.05.2018_En.pdf (136.7 KiB)

Agenda-CM.4_1-V22.05.2018_Fr.pdf (142.4 KiB)

FR-Info-media-Conseil-PFBC.pdf (249.4 KiB)

IMG_0584.jpg (127.4 KiB)

 

 

The Kingdom of Belgium Facilitation of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP) is pleased to announce that the fourth CBFP Council meeting will take place on 1 June 2018 in Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo.

 

 

The CBFP Council meeting will be chaired by Mr. François-Xavier de Donnea, Minister of State and CBFP Facilitator of the Kingdom of Belgium. It will be graced by the following political figures: Her Excellency Ms. Rosalie Matondo, Minister of Forest Economy of the Republic of the Congo; Her Excellency Ms. Marie Thérèse Chantal MFOULA, Deputy Secretary General of ECCAS; Her Excellency Ms. Arlette Soudan-Nonault, Minister of Tourism and Environment, Technical Coordinator of the Congo Basin Climate Commission; Her Exellency Ms Francine Tumushime, the Rwandan Minister of Land and Forests and His Excellency Mr Henri Djombo, Minister of State in charge of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries and outgoing President of the African Union Technical Committee on Wildlife, Environment and Agriculture.

 

 Representatives of the following seven CBFP colleges are also expected to take an active part in the meeting: 

 

• The CBFP Regional College: ECCAS, COMIFAC and the Congo
• The CBFP Civil Society College: REFADD and the Community Rights Network (CRN)
• The CBFP College of International NGOs: AWF and WWF
• The CBFP Private sector College: ATIBT, TFT
• The CBFP Donor College: The EU and the US
• The CBFP Scientific and Academic College: CIRAD and UCLA
• The CBFP College of Multilateral Actors: FAO and GVTC and UNESCO

 

Some of the college representatives will come with advisers.  The meeting will bring together close to 50 participants and will witness the noteworthy participation of a large delegation from the Republic of the Congo.

 

 

As announced in its roadmap, the Belgian CBFP Facilitation is fully committed to consolidating the results achieved during the CBFP governance reform process initiated by the EU Facilitation and all of the partners during the period 2016-17 and will thus rely on the smooth functioning of the CBFP Council and partners’ colleges, and the effective organization of the annual meetings of CBFP partners in 2018 and 2019.

 

 

In fact, the new CBFP cooperation framework adopted during the 16th Meeting of Parties in Kigali in November 2016, provides that the "CBFP Council shall meet twice a year, back to back with the annual meeting of the Parties, and once in-between these meetings".  Thus, this Fourth Council meeting will come to further strengthen CBFP governance and provide the ideal framework for promoting broadened dialogue and effective cooperation between all stakeholders within the partnership whose membership has grown significantly since it was established.

 

 

 

Outline of meeting agenda

 

The agenda of the fourth Council CBFP meeting will be built around a first segment devoted to the opening ceremony of the CBFP Council which will include a presentation on the Blue Fund and the Fund for the Green Economy, another one on the activities of the Ministry of Forest Economy and an exposé on the Belgian CBFP Facilitation’s Roadmap and Work Plan 2018 and the status of implementation of CBFP governance. Each CBFP College will then take the floor to present an update on the College (news), including its future prospects or planned activities. The focus will be on the Regional College. Lastly, the meeting will consider matters relating to the guidelines for the organization of the 18^th CBFP Meeting of the Parties or the 2018 Meeting of the Parties (revised format) and the meeting agendas for -2018, 2019, 2020.

 

 

Throughout the meeting, the members of the CBFP Council will be provided space and time for discussions and exchanges.

 

 

On the sidelines of this meeting, the FAO will host a validation workshop on the Roadmap for more efficient participatory forestry in Central Africa: "The Brazzaville Roadmap ". The workshop aligns with the implementation of recommendation 2 of Stream 1 of MOP 17 of the CBFP.

 

 

Furthermore, FERN will be screening a movie on community forestry in a side event. When efficiently implemented, community forestry can help communities and foster Climate Goals and sustainable development objectives.  Watch our new movie to discover the role the EU is supposed to play : Promoting community forestry in the Congo Basin: Where does the European Union’s come into play? (12min) by FERN

 

 

The detailed agenda of the fourth CBFP Council meeting as well as practical and logistic information will be available on the CBFP website as soon as they are finalized.

 

 

A word to the editors:

 

THE CONGO BASIN FOREST PARTNERSHIP:

 

The Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP) was launched by Colin Powell, a former Secretary of State of the United States, at the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg.  It is a multi-stakeholder partnership which enables member organizations to cooperate on a voluntary basis. The Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP) comprises 105 members, including 10 countries in Central Africa and close to a hundred partners concerned with the forest ecosystems of the Congo Basin (ECCAS, COMIFAC, partner countries, civil society of the Congo Basin, international NGOS, multilateral organizations, research and training institutions, private sector actors). It is the most comprehensive regional platform dedicated to protecting and sustainably managing the Congo Basin forests.

 

 

With the signing of the Treaty on the Central African Forest Commission (COMIFAC) and the adoption of COMIFAC’s sub-regional Convergence Plan in 2005 in Brazzaville, the Heads of State and Government of the Congo Basin countries reaffirmed their commitment to the principles of biodiversity conservation and sustainable management of forest ecosystems in Central Africa, the fundamental rights of their peoples to rely on forest resources and as well as their awareness of the need to strike a balance between development needs and the demands of conservation in the framework of international cooperation.

 

 

Cooperation within the CBFP aims to support this common vision of the Central African Heads of States, notably by improving the effectiveness of the measures taken, including technical and financial support, to promote biodiversity conservation and sustainable management of forest ecosystems, the fight against climate change and poverty reduction in Central African countries in accordance with the COMIFAC Convergence Plan.

 

 

What is the role of the CBFP Council?

 

The CBFP Council is a forum for promoting effective consultation between the partners. By bringing together representatives of colleges (comprising two representatives from each of the seven colleges) the Council allows the viewpoints of various partners who make up the CBFP to be expressed and considered more effectively. It aims to promote the expression of collectively held views on issues of importance to the protection and sustainable management of the forests, including key issues, priorities and efforts to foster concerted action.  It should also allow for more regular follow-up on key issues discussed by all the partners.

 

The Council will meet twice a year (once back-to-back with the annual Meeting of Parties and once in between such meetings), It will assist the Facilitation in preparing and following up on the annual Meetings of CBFP Parties.   

 

The Council will operate with a high degree of transparency and all CBFP members will be informed of the outcome of all Council meetings.

 

 

What are the role and responsibilities of partners who are chosen by their peers to represent their college, for a limited period of time, within the CBFP Council?

 

 

CBFP partners chosen by their peers to act as college representatives will be responsible for ensuring a smooth-functioning exchange of information between members of their respective college.

 

 

Within the CBFP Council the college representatives should act as “the voice and the ears” of their college peers.  When participating in the Council discussions, college representatives must act in line with the guidelines agreed upon beforehand by the college they represent.  They must also faithfully report on all Council meetings to all members of their college.

 

 

In light of the significant responsibilities that will be placed on the college representatives, their selection by their peers in a given college should take into account the substantial investment amount of time and resources that will be required of these partners to adequately fulfill this role. Their duties will entail participation in two CBFP Council meetings per year, which may be held in Central Africa or Europe, in addition to animating dialogue and exchanges within their college all year round.  It is therefore key to ensure that the chosen representatives are capable of fully carrying out this role. 

 

 

How often do the Council and colleges meet?

 

The Council will meet twice a year, once back-to-back with the annual Meeting of Parties and once in between such meetings.

 

The colleges meet physically at least once a year, at the annual Meeting of CBFP Parties, but further meetings can be envisioned on the margins of various events where many college members participate, such as conferences of parties to relevant UN initiatives, some regional conferences etc. The frequency of meetings will vary from one college to another. Colleges will not necessarily meet before each CBFP Council meeting. What matters is that they should be able to work together to prepare their view points on the Council’s agenda items, without necessarily having a physical meeting.

 

 

It is foreseen that the official program of the annual CBFP Meetings of Parties will include meetings of the CBFP colleges and the CBFP Council.  

 

 

The Facilitation of the Kingdom of Belgium during the period 2018-2019

 

The fourth CBFP Council meeting will be the first formal CBFP meeting held during the 2018 to 2019 period, during which the Kingdom of Belgium will be running the partnership and serving as its Facilitator.

 

 

 

For more information on the CBFP Facilitation roadmap, please click on the link below:

 Facilitation belge du PFBC - Feuille de route-FR.pdf (58.0 Ko)

 

 

Please download the press release below:

 Communiqué de presse - 1er mars 2018 - La Belgique reprend la facilitation du PFBC.pdf (86.8 Ko) 

 

 

For more information on the CBFP’s  governance structures, please see :  Questions-Reponses-College-conseil-PFBC-FR.pdf (75.1 Ko)

 

 

For more Information, please consult the following PDF Documents: