On Friday, June 11, 2021, Ambassadors of the CAFI member states (Central African Forest Initiative), namely the Ambassador of the United Kingdom, Emily MALTMAN, the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany, Oliver SCHNAKENBERG, and the Ambassador of Norway, Jon OYSLEBO, exchanged with the Minister of Finance, Nicolas KAZADI, to clarify matters concerning the relentless fight against deforestation and poverty in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The brainstorming between the DRC Finance Minister and the three Diplomats, opens up negotiations for a signed agreement over the next ten years. It also presents an opportunity to examine suitable mechanisms to address the protection of biodiversity and the fight against endemic poverty in some Congolese communities.
For the German Ambassador (presiding country of the CAFI Board of Directors), the common denominator of all CAFI member countries is to protect the tropical forests in the Congo Basin from destruction and to contribute to the development of the forest ecosystem in the long term. Simultaneously, it should be noted that the mission of observation and protection of the protected areas of Central Africa is entrusted, on one hand, to the concerned countries and, on the other hand, to all the strategic partners under the leadership of the United Nations, such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The Ambassador of the United Kingdom, believes that forest resources are vital for the DRC in their influence on the level of rainfall for agriculture to meet challenges related to food self-sufficiency. If DRC is stripped of its forests, she stressed, agriculture and biodiversity will wither, resulting in an irreversible economic failure, due to global warming. It is necessary to raise awareness about the survival of several African countries that rely on the good health of the DRC rainforest.
As part of COP26, the Norwegian Ambassador confirmed in this interview, a global conference scheduled for November 1-12, 2021, in Glasgow, Scotland, to allow signatory countries of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to explore innovative approaches to secure the planet earth. The United Nations has the responsibility to dissuade the indecisive among forest-owning states and institutions that must finance the negotiations and the preservation of forests in the Congo Basin.
The challenge is tough, but the 26th Conference of the Parties, which will play a major role in marking the path that will bring CAFI member states to consensus on forest preservation, will have to invest heavily in the preparations.