Context:
The Republic of the Congo is home to more than 22 million hectares of forests, covering nearly 65 per cent of its territory. These forests play a major role in climate regulation and biodiversity conservation. However, the country 's environmental governance faces several structural challenges, including weak institutional coordination, insufficient budget planning, lack of transparency, and inadequate monitoring of environmental policies. To respond, the project is part of the country's efforts under the Central African Forest Initiative (CAFI), as well as the implementation of the National REDD+ Strategy to reduce deforestation and protect forests.
Objective:
Environmental governance in the Republic of the Congo has improved to ensure responsible and participatory management of natural resources that supports climate action and development goals.
Approach:
Co-financed by the CAFI Trust Fund, the project works closely with the Ministry of Environment, Sustainable Development, and the Congo Basin (MEDDBC). It covers the whole of the national territory of the Republic of the Congo, focusing on areas with high forest value and pilot regions supported by CAFI. The project’s approach includes:
Enhancing institutional functions and governance practices
Improving monitoring, evaluation, and environmental transparency
Facilitating multi-stakeholder dialogue and inclusive participation.
The work promotes harmonisation of monitoring tools, sharing of environmental data, and the involvement of civil society, while integrating gender consideration and principles of inclusive governance.