The annual meeting of the Congo Basin Forest Partners opened this Monday in Kinshasa, bringing together more than 500 participants from the Congo Basin countries and Europe. The main objective of this 20th edition of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP) is to discuss the protection and sustainable management of forest ecosystems in Central Africa.
During the opening ceremony, the Congolese Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development, Eve Bazaiba, stressed the importance of reconciling the preservation of forests with the needs of the local populations who depend on them. She stressed the need to find a balance between environmental protection and the socio-economic imperatives of forest dwellers.
For his part, the Burundian Minister of Environment, Agriculture and Livestock, and President of the Council of Ministers of the Central African Forest Commission (COMIFAC), Prosper Dodiko, warned of the dramatic effects of climate change. He called for urgent action to combat this phenomenon and safeguard our forest ecosystems.
Christophe Guilhou, Director of Global Affairs at the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and Co-Facilitator of the CBFP for France, stressed the importance of raising awareness on the services that the Congo Basin forests provide to humanity. He highlighted the exceptional biodiversity, the crucial social, economic and environmental role of these forests, while calling for collective mobilization for their protection.
This meeting, which takes place in several segments including political, technical and plenary sessions, is also marked by side events and networking sessions. The importance of the CBFP as a platform for dialogue between different actors, including policy makers, experts, the private sector and civil society, is highlighted to foster fruitful cooperation and support conservation actions for the Congo Basin forests.
In conclusion, this meeting of partners for the Congo Basin forests is of crucial importance in the fight against climate change, the preservation of biodiversity and the sustainable management of forest ecosystems in Central Africa. It calls for collective mobilization and concrete actions to ensure the protection of these precious natural resources for present and future generations.