For sustainable management of Congo Basin forests: Central African MPs, scientists brainstorm on data-driven policy-making, governance.

The three-day confab, held at the National Assembly in Yaounde, is organised by Parliamentary Network for the Sustainable Management of Forest Ecosystems in Central Africa, known as REPAR. It is being organised in collaboration with the Central African Forest Commission with the support of the European Union, EU. 

The gathering was opened Tuesday by the Senior Vice Speaker of the National Assembly, Hon Hilarion Etong, on behalf of the House Speaker, Rt Hon Datouo Theodore. 

This was in the presence of the Minister of Environment, Nature Protection and Sustainable Development, Hele Pierre, and the Environment, Agriculture, and Climate Change Team Lead at the EU Delegation, Stephen Peedell. It has brought together parliamentarians from Chad, Central Africa, Gabon, DR Congo, Republic of Congo, and Cameroon 

Enter House Speaker’s representative 

Speaking during the opening ceremony, the Senior Vice Speaker, Hon Hilarion Etong, acknowledged the exceptional heritage value that the Congo Basin forests possess, which help to regulate the climate, preserve biodiversity and secure the livelihoods of millions of people. 

In a bid to mobilise emerging financial resources, Hon Etong highlighted the need to strengthen national capacities and improve the preparation of credible, bankable projects.

He called for cooperation between states, institutions, parliamentarians, the scientific community, private sector and technical and financial partners to ensure that results achieved are better documented and effectively promoted. 

“For Central Africa, it is a matter of actively participating in these institutions. It is about making a united voice heard,” the lawmaker indicated, stressing that the united voice must be based on its realities. 

“Parliamentary cooperation, in our view, must naturally drive this process. And through this forum, our parliaments have a unique opportunity to share their experiences, contribute to the development of legislation and address the common concerns of the region,” he added. 

Scientific data as catalyst for legislative reform

The National Coordinator of REPAR, Hon Jean-Jacques Zam, said the conference was initiated as a unifying sub-regional forum where scientific data serves as a catalyst for legislative reform, environmental budgeting, accountability and the mobilisation of climate finance for Central Africa.

The REPAR leader pointed out that the objective is to strengthen political and parliamentary leadership in Central Africa, by placing scientific data, analyses of the Observatory for the Forests of Central Africa, OFAC, a technical unit of COMIFAC, and research findings at the heart of decision-making on environmental governance, sustainable forest management and the effective mobilisation of climate finance.

During the three days of reflection, he assured that discussions will be centred on enhancing parliamentarians’ understanding of climate finance, access to international funding, carbon markets, biodiversity credits and the financing of sustainable forestry and defining a sub-regional approach to strengthening endogenous capacity for mobilising finance and conducting international negotiations.

“Its forests cover approximately 269 million hectares, of which nearly 200 million hectares are vulnerable to disturbance. They support the livelihoods of around 80 million people, contribute to climate regulation and are home to exceptional biodiversity. This is why Central Africa’s contribution to the planet’s ecological balance is at risk,” Hon Zam said.

Insignificant international climate finance mechanisms

COMIFAC Executive Secretary, Hervé Martial Maïdou, said the sub-regional parliamentary conference represents a strategic opportunity to strengthen political and parliamentary leadership in support of the forests of the Congo Basin. 

He opined that the confab is taking place against a backdrop of insufficient recognition and support within international climate finance mechanisms for the Congo Basin, despite the region providing environmental services of global significance.

Hervé Martial Maïdou said out of the forests cover of approximately 269 million hectares, nearly 200 million hectares are vulnerable to fracas. 

He also acknowledged that despite its contribution to global climate regulation and home to exceptional biodiversity, it does not receive financial recognition commensurate with the environmental services it provides to the planet. 

“Access to funding in general, and to climate finance in particular, remains difficult, and domestic resources are still insufficient. We must therefore strengthen our public policies, our negotiating capacities and our financing mechanisms,” the COMIFAC official noted.

EU commits to conservation efforts

For the EU Delegation representative, the diplomatic bloc remains committed as a key partner, to the preservation efforts of the forest in Central Africa by working with COMIFAC, OFAC, amongst others. 

“It’s not just about the traditional way of doing things, of funding projects, but also about exploring innovative financing, looking at carbon credits, looking at biodiversity credits, and seeing how we can truly enhance the value of forests, first and foremost for the communities living in and around these important ecosystems,” Stephen Peedell said.

Minister lauds initiative

The minister said monitoring of forests, through the data provided, serves as a vital means of strengthening capacity to drive forward climate negotiations on the environment, in accordance with the commitments made by States under the various conventions.

Minister Hélé Pierre then described the initiative as a genuine platform for reflection, designed to facilitate exchange and cooperation between the scientific community and political decision-makers. 

“This highlights the role of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the scientific bodies that act as the primary scientific authority for the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change through their regular assessment reports,” he stated.

While commending the remarkable efforts of REPAR and other partners for initiating the confab, Minister Hele Pierre urged the entire lawmakers to adhere to an approach which enables science to underpin policy-making, strengthens environmental governance tools and facilitates the measures required for the definitive mobilisation of financial resources for environmental protection. 

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3919 of Thursday September 24, 2026