Democratic Republic of Congo: The "Forest" Thematic Group works on rehabilitating the forest sector

In parallel to the Thematic Group on Rural Development and Food Security, a Thematic Group on "Forests" has been established in order to rehabilitate the forest sector in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The objective of the Group is to promote regular dialogue on the Government's priority agenda for the forestry sector, with the view of harmonizing initiatives in this domain, and of creating synergies between the interventions of different development partners and to bring about a favourable environment, indicative to the improvement of the forestry sector in the context of development that is socially and economically sustainable.

During 2002, the group met five times with an increasing number of participants over the course of year. The FAO representative managed the coordination of the group, which includes representatives from UNDP, UNESCO, Féderation des ONGs Laïques à Vocation Economique du Congo (FOLECO -Federation of Non-religious and Economic NGOs), Central African Regional Programme for the Environment (CARPE), the World Bank, USAID, the European Commission, the Embassies of Germany, Belgium, Canada, France, Japan, Sweden and the Italian Cooperation. The group remains open to other partners interested in rehabilitating the forest sector.

The Government's medium term priority agenda (3 years) was prepared and discussed amongst the principle stakeholders in the sector. The study is envisaged to ensure the required capacity building for the sustainable management of forest resources, notably an industrial revenue from the forestry sector and a study on the tax system that is being planned by the World Bank. A coordination committee to discuss the National Forestry plan will be implemented.

In June and October 2002, two sub-regional meetings relative to the 4th "Conférence sur les Ecosystèmes des Forêts Denses Humides d'Afrique Centrale" (CEFDHAC-Conference on Ecosystems of the dense tropical forests of Central Africa) and the 20th session of the "Organisation Africaine des bois" (OAB - African Timber Organization) were held in Kinshasa. The Democratic Republic of Congo will chair these two initiatives for the next two years. Above all, an immense initiative for the Congo river basin, of which the largest surface area falls within the Democratic Republic of Congo, was launched at the close of the World Summit on Sustainable Development, Johannesburg. A high-level government delegation will participate in the coordination meeting of the Partnership for the forest management and conservation in the Congo Basin, being hosted by the French government, 21-23 January 2003 in Paris.

In 2003, the group will follow the implementation of the FAO support project for the rehabilitation of the forestry sector, which is planning the preparation of several laws, with recommendations for enforcing the law, the establishment of an indicative title for forestry zoning and the production of standards/rules for the sustainable management of exploitable forests. They will participate in the development of a national forestry plan including activities for the conservation of nature. Emergency funds for rehabilitation, managed by the Bureau Central de Coordination (BCECO - Central Bureau of Coordination), should be available to support the preparation and the start of the implementation of a coherent, flexible national programme that can be reviewed annually through a system of follow-up evaluation. Particular attention should be granted to the private sector who are considered as partners in development, and should therefore be associates in the decision making process in order to guarantee their support with its implementation.

For the full report of the outcomes of the activities of the group meetings in 2002, please contact the FAO representative in the Democratic Republic of Congo: FAO-CD@fao.org.