The World Resources Institute has announced that it is partnering with the Central African Forest Commission, the United Nations Environment Program, and the Rainforest Alliance, as well as officials from government, NGOs, the private sector, and international development organizations, to launch a regional Global Environment Facility focused on improving forest management and conservation in the Congo Basin.

Over four years and under the name "A Regional Focus on Sustainable Timber Management in the Congo Basin," the project will roll out a set of activities at the regional level and in three pilot countries: the Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, and the Republic of Congo. Partners in the effort will be tasked with collaborating to address illegal logging and ensure that the management of producing forests in the region is carried out in a sustainable manner. The project, part of the GEF Congo Basin Strategic Program, will contribute to the implementation of the Convergence Plan and reinforce the capacity of COMIFAC.

According to Adamou Bouhari, UNEP/GEF task manager, initiatives at the national level have had significant impact but are focused on the "formal" sector rather than the "informal" sector and thus have not addressed regional and cross-border issues. The involvement of GEF and UNEP is expected to ensure that global environment benefits are maintained and enhanced through a regional approach.

"WRI is very excited and proud to undertake this important and challenging four-year project to serve as a regional catalyst and work to promote a harmonized approach to the sustainable management of production forests," said Pierre Methot, project director and WRI's director of forestry for Central Asia. "This project will reinforce WRI's already strong presence in the region and enhance our efforts to improve transparency and governance in the Congo Basin that focus on timber management, reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation, and other aspects of sustainable forest development."