COMIFAC Ministers for Forests and Environment adopt the 2012-2017 sub-regional action plan of COMIFAC countries for the strengthening of national wildlife law enforcement (PAPECALF) and harmonize their view points on REED-related and COMIFAC and partner institutions’ secured funding issues. They decided on the holding of the seventh ordinary session of Ministers’ Council which is scheduled to hold from November 17 to 21, 2012 in Chad.

N’djamena (Chad Republic), June 6, 2012 – Holding of an extraordinary session of COMIFAC ministers for Environment and Forests. This session was preceded from June 4 to 5, 2011 by the Expert Consultative Commission on: (1) Preparatory expert segments to the tripartite ministerial consultation between Cameroon, CAR and Chad on the intensification of the fight against cross-border poaching; (2) Preparatory expert meeting to the extraordinary session of COMIFAC Forest and Environment Ministers.

The following countries attended the meeting: Burundi, Cameroon, Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo (RDC), and Chad. Also attending were representatives of the following sub-regional institutions and initiatives and international organisations: CEEAC, COMIFAC, RAPAC, CEFDHAC and its affiliated networks, ADIE, the Canadian CBFP Facilitation, GIZ, JICA, WWF, TRAFFIC, TNS Foundation, PACEBCo.

The opening of the meeting was marked by three speeches: the speech by the representative of CEEAC Secretary General, the Chadian minister for Environment and Water Resources and of COMIFAC serving President, the DRC minister for Environment, Nature Conservation and Tourism. In his address, Mr. Honoré TABUNA, representative of CEEAC Secretary General, was pleased with the interest of Chadian authorities both for environment-related issues and the functioning of sub-regional institutions. He mentioned the subsidies and the support provided to COMIFAC by CEEAC, one of its specialised organs, while stating the fact that CEEAC available means are limited. His Excellency, Mr. MAHAMAT BECHIR OKORMI, the Chadian Minister for Environment and Water Resources lauded the holding, for the first time, of a COMIFAC meeting in Chad, before pointing out that, Chad, as an enclosed country, is sandwiched between Sahelian and forest Africa, and is thus the their last resort to stop desertification. In the same line, His Excellency Mr. BAVON N’SA MPUTU ELIMA, COMIFAC serving President, the DRC Minister for Environment, Nature Conservation and Tourism, in his opening address, mentioned the difficulties faced by COMIFAC in its functioning and stated the importance of having a viable and strong COMIFAC on which the sub-region can rely for a good harmonisation and coordination of policies and programmes for the conservation and sustainable management of our ecosystems.

The putting in place of the bureau of Ministers’ Council was followed by the reading of the report of experts’ meeting. The latter took note of these reports and congratulated the experts for their quality.

Following intense deliberations, resolutions were taken and recommendations formulated and structured around items on the agenda of the council, including the following main points:

♦ Approval of the road map for the implementation of COMIFAC countries’ and partner countries’ joint declaration on Durban REDD+

♦ Adoption of the N’Djamena Declaration relating to the joint position of the Environment and Forest Ministers of Central Africa on the preparation of Doha (Qatar) climate change events in December 2012.

♦ Adoption of the COMIFAC 2012-2017 sub-regional Action Plan for the strengthening of the implementation of national laws on wildlife (PAPECALF). The Ministers’ Council requests the holding of an international conference on environmental crimes under the patronage of the African Union in 2013 and with the collaboration of CEEAC, CEA/BSR-AC, ADB, FAO, UNEP, Interpol, the Lusaka Agreement, ASEAN, the Japanese, Chinese and Korean cooperation agencies in order to join efforts and means to control the poaching of emblematic wildlife species (elephant, rhinoceros, gorilla, chimpanzee, etc.).

♦ Approval of the Report on the appraisal of experiences in the sustainable management of Central African forest ecosystems and their contribution to the implementation of Agenda 21.

♦ The council encourages the Republic of Congo to further consultations so that the cooperation agreement among the countries of the three global tropical forest basins would be signed without delay.

♦ Seventh ordinary session of the Council of Ministers on November 17 to 21, 2012 in Chad

Alongside the ministers’ extraordinary session, there was a tripartite ministerial consultation between Cameroon, CAR and Chad on the strengthening of collaboration for the fight against cross-border poaching. Following this consultation for exchange of experiences, a declaration on the strengthening of collaboration for the fight against cross-border poaching between the three countries was signed and the road map for the monitoring of its implementation adopted.

Please, download the documentation of the COMIFAC Ministers Extraordinary Session in N’Djamena (Chad)

♦ The Official Communiqué

♦ The joint position declaration of the Environment and Forest Ministers of Central Africa on the preparation of Doha (Qatar) climate change events in December 2012.

♦ Road map for the implementation of COMIFAC countries’ and partner countries’ joint declaration on Durban REDD+

♦ EXPERT PREPARATORY MEETING - N’DJAMENA, JUNE 4-5, 2012

♦ Experts’ segments in preparation of the tripartite meeting between Cameroon, the Central African Republic (CAR) and Chad on strengthening cross-border collaboration for the fight against poaching. N’DJAMENA JUNE 4 & 5, 2012 - FINAL REPORT