Congolese Environmental Civil Society’s advocacy around the major ongoing reforms in the Forest Sector: drafting of the new Forest Policy, the revision of the Forest Code, and the lifting of the Moratorium on the issuance of new logging concessions - Rights + Resources - Supporting Forest Tenure, Policy, and Market Reforms

Country:

DRC

Region:

Africa

Date:

June 1 - October 1, 2018

Implementor:

Coalition of Women Leaders for the Environment and for Sustainable Development (CFLEDD)

Funding Amount:

$35,000

Details:

In 2018, the government of the DRC announced its intentions to revise its Forest Code and threatened to lift the moratorium on forest concessions. Using the SRM, CFLEDD sought to create and implement a strategic advocacy and consensual action plan for use by civil society groups to secure their inclusion and participation in these processes. This was created with input from approximately 115 civil society members. CFLEDD also recruited three consultants to write technical notes on the Congolese Forest Policy, Forest Code revisions, the lifting of the forest moratorium, and the place of transversal themes and rights of local populations and civil society throughout these processes.

These policy notes were then validated at national level workshops and formatted into brochures for wider public distribution. The information is formatted so that it is easier for communities to understand. CFLEDD also had exchanges with FONAREDD and the Congolese parliament to validate the technical notes. As a result of this activity and cooperation with administrative institutions, civil society and communities are much more strongly implicated in the advocacy process for the forest governance policies.