The critical role of forests for tackling climate change was highlighted at COP26, with over 100 leaders signing the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration to halt and reverse deforestation and land degradation by 2030. It was in this context that the Congo Basin Pledge was developed. This sought to shine a spotlight on the region’s forests as their importance for global and regional climate systems had not been sufficiently recognised by the international community. Under the Pledge, 12 donors made an initial commitment to provide at least $1.5 billion of financing over the period 2021-2025 to support efforts to protect and maintain the region’s forests and peatlands.
This financial commitment was met in 2023, with $1.8 billion dispersed to the region by the end of that year1 , and it has since been exceeded. In reflecting on the achievements of the Pledge, participants noted that it had served to raise the profile of the region internationally, improving understanding of the global importance of its forests, both internationally and in the region. Furthermore, it had increased awareness of the critical role of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) as stewards of the region’s forests. Political will amongst the region’s leaders to protect and improve management of the region’s forests was also considered to have increased, and a wide range of governance reforms had resulted.
However, it was highlighted that certain aspects of the Pledge and its implementation could have been improved. A lack of coordination amongst donors was noted, which led to some duplication of effort. Funding was also at times unpredictable, and the processes for accessing funds were often complex and lengthy. In particular, it often proved challenging for funding to reach locally-led initiatives, including those driven by IPLCs.
The development of proposals was initially slow, hindering the disbursement of funds. It was commented that an important factor underlying this was the lack of involvement of the governments of the Congo Basin in developing the Pledge. Information about the allocation and disbursement of funds was also considered to be insufficient, as well as a lack of detail on what the impacts of the Pledge should be. This lack of transparency hindered efforts to monitor outcomes and to evaluate the effectiveness of the various interventions.
What should the vision be for a future partnership?
In spite of some of the shortfalls in its implementation, there was strong support for building on the Pledge and for establishing a new framework for regional and international partnership for the region. It was highlighted that the region continues to face a huge shortfall in both financial resources and in capacity despite the importance of its forests. Thus, the need for a fair deal for the Congo Basin’s people and forests was emphasised.
A priority for any future commitment was that it must be based on genuine partnership between all of the parties involved, from its development through to implementation. In particular, there is a need to move away from donor-recipient relationships, both in the language used and in practice. The establishment of systems for transparency and accountability were considered an integral part of this.
Any future commitment should not only focus on the provision of funding but should also include other forms of cooperation, such as policy and technical dialogues and exchanges, and capacity building. To reflect this, rather than using the term ‘pledge’, it was suggested that other terminology such as ‘compact’ or ‘fair deal’ might be more appropriate.
In considering the scope of a future partnership, this needs to look beyond conservation, to also encompass livelihoods, prosperity and economic development. Meeting the priorities of those living in and around the region’s forests are fundamental to ensuring their protection, and these forests should be considered for their potential in enabling sustainable economic growth.
The current geo-political context, with a decline in support for multilateralism and a significant reduction in Official Development Assistance (ODA), will present challenges for any successor to the Pledge. Thus, additional sources of finance will be needed, requiring the engagement of new donors, and the use of a wide range of financing mechanisms, including innovative instruments to access new sources of finance. Any future financing will need to be predictable and sustainable into the long-term, both of which will be facilitated by expanding and diversifying sources of finance.
Despite the challenging global context, the importance of maintaining a strong commitment to the region was emphasised. COP30 presents an important opportunity to launch a renewed commitment, given the high-profile that will be given to tropical forests by its hosts, Brazil.
- Congo Basin Forest Partnership (2024) Congo Basin Pledge Report 2023. November 2024. https://pfbc-cbfp.org/en/thematics/congo-basin-pledge ↩︎