Some thirty Congolese civil society organisations convened in Brazzaville on 18 February to forge a shared position ahead of forthcoming discussions with the Central African Forest Initiative (CAFI), centred on the management and conservation of the Congo Basin forests.
A Coordinated Stance Before Engaging an International Partner
The gathering of roughly thirty organisations reflected a deliberate effort to speak with one voice before sitting down with CAFI. By harmonising their positions in advance, these groups sought to ensure that their concerns and proposals would carry coherent weight in a negotiation whose outcomes bear directly on how the Republic of the Congo’s forests are governed and preserved.
Why the Congo Basin Forests Sit at the Heart of the Talks
The discussions with CAFI concern the stewardship and conservation of the Congo Basin forests, an ecological expanse of continental and global significance. For civil society actors in Congo-Brazzaville, the stakes lie in shaping a framework in which conservation objectives are reconciled with the interests of the communities and institutions most closely tied to these forests. The choice to consolidate a common platform underscores how seriously these organisations regard their role in that conversation.
