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Published by the International Institute for Sustainable Development
(IISD) in collaboration with The World
Bank
Vol. 129 No. 1
Wednesday, 25 October 2006
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE FIRST INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT ON
THE SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF CENTRAL AFRICAN FOREST
ECOSYSTEMS:
TUESDAY,
24 OCTOBER 2006
The First International
Conference of Members of Parliament on the Sustainable Management of
Central African Forest Ecosystems commenced proceedings Tuesday, 24
October, in Yaoundé, Cameroon. Attended by parliamentarians and issue
experts from inter-governmental and non-governmental organizations (NGOs),
the conference
focuses on good forest governance and poverty alleviation, with the
objective of further defining the role of the Central African Forest Commission (COMIFAC) and
sub-regional parliaments regarding the sustainable forest management
(SFM).
In the morning, participants attended the opening ceremony with
speeches delivered by the Speaker of the National Assembly
of Cameroon, government delegations and a range of intergovernmental
organizations. In the afternoon, participants explored the conference’s first theme,
“Harmonization of Forest Policy and Laws, and Sustainable Management of
Transboundary Areas,” through country case studies. In the evening,
participants broke into working groups to discuss issues concerning forest
governance.
OPENING CEREMONY
Ibinda Clôbert, Coordinator of the
Parliamentarians Network for the Sustainable Management of Central African
Forest Ecosystem (REPAR), stressed that the conservation and sustainable
management of Central African forest ecosystems remains a major concern
for all stakeholders. He highlighted the importance of economic
development in the region and improving local communities’ living
conditions while respecting conservation standards. Clôbert said
parliamentarians should play a greater role in establishing partnership
agreements on natural resource conservation in Central Africa.
Teodoro Obiang Nguena, COMIFAC, noted that COMIFAC
provides orientation and coordination for planning conservation and
sustainable management of forests in Central Africa. He said the
involvement of parliamentarians can foster the implementation of COMIFAC’s Convergence Plan, enhancing the conservation
of forests and their contribution to national economies.
Cavaye Yeguie Dijibril, Speaker of the National Assembly of Cameroon, welcomed delegates and
remarked that the strong attendance was indicative of the interest in SFM.
Outlining the actions undermining the preservation of forest resources,
including illegal exploitation, poaching, shifting cultivation and slash
and burn agriculture, he explained that the challenges are considerable
and that the responsibility of parliamentarians is
great.
Jonas Nagahuedi, COMIFAC, described the development of COMIFAC and its role in coordinating forest policy
development in its member countries, namely: Burundi, Cameroon, Central
African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon,
Equatorial Guinea, the Congo, Rwanda, and São Tomé and Príncipe. He
described COMIFAC’s
sub-regional Convergence Plan, including the harmonization of forest
policies, noting the financial contributions made by member countries and
partners. He highlighted the important role of parliamentarians within
this process, including ratification of relevant international treaties
and conventions and requested that they act as advocates in this
regard.
Giuseppe Topa, World Bank, noted that
the Bank recognizes the importance of engaging the
legislators in reforming processes, reforms remain fragile. Samuel
Nguiffo, Centre for Environment and Development (CED), summarized
the survey findings from a sub-regional survey, including an analysis of
the perception of forestry in each country and an action plan. Nguiffo
detailed the three components of their action plan: strengthening the
network of Parliamentarians; increasing their involvement in follow-up
activities; and addressing transboundary forest crime. He highlighted
challenges associated with involving parliamentarians, such as: ensuring
coherence between policy and reality; the sustainability of management
activities; promotion of equity and governance; and improving quality of
information.
Jean Yves Pirot, IUCN, said that the Convention on
Biological Diversity (CBD) is the most relevant multilateral
environmental convention to forests, including the management of
transboundary protected areas. He also noted the relevance of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), due
to the pivotal role that forests play within the global carbon cycle. He
lamented that despite these conventions, biodiversity loss and climate
change have not been adequately addressed, and called upon
parliamentarians to ensure that international commitments legislations are
adopted and actively supported. He underlined the importance of supporting
the COMIFAC
Convergence Plan, and reconciling inter-sectoral
conflicts.
Niels Marquardt, US
Ambassador to the Republic of Cameroon, gave an overview of the Central Africa Regional Programme for Environment
(CARPE) approach to natural resource management, observing that the programme was informed by the premise that conservation
of Central African forests can only be effective within the framework of
good governance at all levels. Regarding CARPE’s role in
strengthening and supporting governance, he explained how it supported
legislative processes by also facilitating regional dialogue for
parliamentarians.
Elaborating on the forestry law adopted in 2002,
René Sébastien Bofaya-Botak-Baende, Senator, DRC, discussed innovative
strategies such as concession contracts which allow local communities to
exploit forests attributed to them under the law. He highlighted the
importance of non-timber forest products (NTFPs), such as medicinal
plants.
Mike Packer, Global Legislators Organizing for a
Better Environment (GLOBE), explained that GLOBE facilitates high-level
dialogue among legislators on key environmental issues. Referring to the
illegal logging dialogue launched in September 2005, he said that markets
were a potent way to resolve the problem of illegal logging by creating
barriers for the entry of illegal timber into consumer countries. He
stressed GLOBE's status as an informal legislative-driven process
operating outside the governmental negotiating process, which could
potentially feed into the G-8 dialogue for illegal
logging.
Christopher Besacier, PFBC, stressed the need to
identify activities and costs in order to mobilize financial resources for
implementing the convergence plan. He urged parliamentarians to exchange
views and experiences on debt relief and access to financial resources for
the environment.
Clare Brogan, Department for International
Development (DfID), said DfID activities focuses
on ensuring that natural resources are exploited in a sustainable manner,
outlining indirect support provided to projects in Burundi and the
Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). She highlighted DfID work in Ghana for enhancing parliamentarians’
ability to understand international agreements on the environment, forests
and partnerships before ratifying them.
DISCUSSION: Participants discussed, inter
alia: a proposed synergistic approach to tackle illegal logging in
partnership with the EU, to be managed by the
Central African Parliament; the need for capacity building; calls for
pledges and commitments from development partners to strengthen the
network of parliamentarians; and the need to compensate local communities
for protecting their forests.
SUB-THEME 1: HARMONIZATION OF FOREST POLICY AND
LAW
René Sébastien Bofaya-Botak-Baende, Senator,
DRC, moderated a session on the harmonization of forest policy and
management of transboundary protected areas.
Syaka Sadio, FAO, and Roger Roteur, FAO, described a joint initiative between COMIFAC and FAO to harmonize forest
policy in the region, noting the importance of engaging parliamentarians.
He identified benefits of harmonization, including hindering the movement
of unscrupulous forest companies.
Gerald Ozagiriza, Burundi, observed his
country’s forests have been degraded due to bush fires, clearing for
agriculture, the 1993 political crisis and the over reliance on wood for
fuel. He outlined strategies undertaken to mitigate these threats,
including: awareness raising; improved management of transboundary areas;
and the development of alternative income generating activities for forest
dwellers. Noting that the COMIFAC
treaty is currently before Parliament for adoption, he elaborated on
initiatives undertaken to harmonization environmental laws and the
management of transboundary resources. He also mentioned the environmental
officers who engage in dissuasive dialogue to prevent degradation of the
natural resource base.
Fotabe Basoua, Cameroon, described his country’s
action plan for managing forest resources, noting the synergy between the
Cameroon parliament and the Ministry of Forestry. Observing the effective
decentralization of forestry management and the right of communities to
manage their forests, she lamented setbacks suffered due to illegal
logging, corruption and lack of capacity. She highlighted Cameroon’s
efforts to facilitate sub regional cooperation, such as hosting the
present conference and ratification of the COMIFAC treaty.
Jean Marie Mokole, Central African Republic,
said that forests account for approximately 16% of the Central African
Republic’s gross domestic product (GDP). He noted the need to harmonize
conservation strategies and balance protection of natural resources with
development. Mokole summarized national efforts to promote cooperation and
to establish transboundary resource management
partnerships.
Ibinda Clôbert, Congo, summarized the
development of Congo’s national forest legislation, which aims to promote
transparency in administration, fulfill community needs and generate State
revenue.
René Sébastien Bofaya-Botak-Baende, Senator,
DRC, proposed a declaration asserting the commitment of countries present
to strengthen the network of parliamentarians and create a more permanent
organization to coordinate and sustain the network.
Boussengue Joseph Marie, Gabon, outlined the
international agreements ratified by Gabon and the transboundary
conservation projects. He detailed Gabon’s participation in an FAO survey on harmonization of fiscal processes, and
discussed Gabon’s desire to increase the involvement of local populations
in forest management.
Teodoro Obiang Nguena, Equatorial Guinea,
stressed that the sustainable use of natural resources must result in
benefits to local communities. He noted national legislation protecting
biodiversity and fostering the importance of rational exploitation of
wood.
Jaime José da Costa, São Tomé and Príncipe
stressed that environmental legislations in Central Africa are not well
enforced, noting the absence of a common forestry strategy, and effective
monitoring of forest resources.
DISCUSSION: Participants expressed concern over
the need for international assistance to strengthen the parliamentarian
network, and noted the destructive environmental impact of armed
conflict.
PARALLEL SESSIONS ON FOREST
GOVERNANCE
EBOLOWA
FORUM: In a session on the Ebolowa Forum: Multi-Actor Dialogue on
Forest Concession 1050, the IUCN, the Ministry
of the Environment and Forest Cameroon, FIFCAM, local councilors and NGOs
made presentations detailing the experiences of the Ebolowa initiative.
Delegates discussed Ebolowa, agreed it was an excellent pilot project, and
whether it could be replicated in other areas.
FOREST CONCESSION MONITORING
SYSTEMS: A
session on forest concession monitoring systems, anti-poaching operations
and control for the legality of timber in Cameroon was coordinated by
Claus Falkenberg, GTZ. Florent Dirk Thies, GTZ, outlined the Forest Law Enforcement and Governance (FLEG) strategy in
Cameroon for combating poverty and promoting judiciary security in the
forest sector. Karl Morrison, World Resource Institute
(WRI) stressed that certification is a step towards sustainability and
legality, and highlighted the importance of verification. Elie
Hakizumwami, WWF-Central Africa Regional Programme Office (CARPO)
presented the results of a project to define legality within the timber
trade, used to prepare guidelines to verify the legality of timber
products in 10 countries across Africa and Asia. Caroline Happi,
IUCN-BRAC, outlined activities
resulting from a joint partnership between the government of Cameroon and
CAMRAIL to combat anti-poaching and the control of timber
legality.
REFADD: Delegates met in a session on African Women Network for
Sustainable Development (REFADD), chaired by Bashige Eulalie. Participants
were given an overview of REFADD, projects implemented, achievements and
constraints, and focal points from Cameroon, Burundi and the Central
African Republic shared experiences. Yigbedek Bisseck highlighted how
REFADD, a network of NGOs consisting mainly of women, works towards the
sustainable management of natural resources as well as implementing and
monitoring conservation projects in Central African sub-regions. She
underscored that the main areas of intervention include lobbying and
advocacy on law enforcement and good governance in the management of
natural resources.
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