UN-REDD Supports Joint Declaration of Intent for REDD+ in the Congo Basin at COP17

The UN-REDD Programme is pleased to share the following press release in support of the Joint Declaration of Intent for REDD+ in the Congo Basin made today (7 December) at COP17 in Durban, South Africa.

Read the press release in English and French.

Here’s a brief summary of the Declaration:

The UN-REDD Programme was co-host of the process and, together with UNDP, played a crucial role in the negotiations and adoption of this Joint Declaration, that was agreed between 15 Central African and donor countries, and publicly announced on 7 December 2011 by several ministers and ambassadors. 

The endorsing parties are as follows: Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo and Rwanda, as members of Central Africa, and Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Norway, United Kingdom, United States of America and the European Commission, on the side of donor partners.

This Joint Declaration represents a political gateway to scale up financial and technical support for REDD+ in the Congo basin, which hosts the second largest tract of tropical forest in the world – forests that extend over many countries and provide home and livelihoods for more than 50 million people. The objectives are “to stimulate progress on REDD+ activities in the Congo Basin,” and “to support the development and implementation of national REDD+ strategies,” uniting parties for an “ambitious, pragmatic and close cooperation through political support and increased mobilization of financial and technical resources.”

More specifically, Central African countries assume the need to, “develop policies, strategies and programs for sustainable development (green economy) that include ‘low-carbon’ development approaches for all key sectors including forests, agriculture, energy, mining and transportation,” including “REDD+ strategies that address the main drivers of deforestation and forest degradation,” and to “strengthen forest governance“, incluing “adherence to applicable international fiduciary, social and environmental standards,” and to “pursue land use planning and zoning processes that are participatory and holistic.“

On their side, partner countries commit to “increasing and scaling up the total overall level of technical and financial support available for the development and implementation of the REDD+ strategies of Central African countries,” and to remain reliable partners for the countries of the Congo basin in their REDD+ efforts.

Finally, all endorsing countries stated as follows: “We intend to follow-up on this Joint Declaration starting in early 2012 in order to convert our intentions into actions that will advance REDD+ in the Congo Basin either through bilateral and/or multilateral cooperation.”