Kinshasa, August 27, 2024 – On Tuesday, the organization Actions for the Promotion and Protection of Threatened Peoples and Species (APEM) held a crucial workshop in Kinshasa as part of the Environmental and Human Rights Network (EDH). The purpose of this event was to review recent reports on illegal logging in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
This civil society workshop aimed to assess the measures and sanctions taken against companies responsible for this exploitation, considering the impacts on local communities and indigenous Pygmy peoples. Given the context, the DRC, with its vast tropical forests representing 60% of the Congo Basin, plays a crucial role in maintaining global climate balance. However, deforestation caused by industrial logging, often illegal, severely threatens these vital ecosystems and the livelihoods of the indigenous peoples who depend on them.
The workshop provided an update on recent initiatives to improve forest concession management. Since the adoption of the 2002 Forest Code, the DRC has seen several reforms, including the legal review of forest concessions launched in April 2021, supported by the European Union. This review aimed to identify non-compliant contracts and propose corrective measures.
The report from the Ministerial Commission, established by Ministerial Order No. 16/CAB/VPM-MIN/EDD/EBM/CMB-TSB-PDK/02/2022, played a crucial role in reassessing forest concessions to ensure their compliance with current laws. The report recommended severe actions, such as the cancellation of illegally obtained contracts, suspension of non-compliant contracts, and legal action against offending companies. Despite these ambitious measures, implementation remains a major challenge. The General Inspectorate of Finances (IGF) also highlighted significant irregularities in concession management and recommended suspending all new concession allocations until the sector is fully cleaned up.
The workshop report highlighted several key outcomes, satisfying both the organizers and stakeholders. Blaise MUDODOSI, APEM’s coordinator, expressed his satisfaction with the progress made through the workshop. According to him: “Today, we had the opportunity to gather with various civil society actors to thoroughly analyze reports on logging in the DRC. We examined the conclusions of the legal review, the results of the General Inspectorate of Finances audit, and the recommendations of the Ministerial Commission. The goal of this meeting was to understand how these recommendations have been received and implemented on the ground, and whether they are truly being followed. This meeting also allowed us to connect with actors from different provinces to enrich our perspectives and complement the reports with additional information. We hope these exchanges will help us develop concrete actions to support the government in cleaning up the forest sector, which is crucial for the sustainable development of local communities and the protection of the rights of indigenous Pygmy peoples.”
This workshop organized by APEM as part of the Environmental and Human Rights Network (EDH) represents a significant step in the fight for more transparent and sustainable logging practices in the DRC. The ongoing reforms are promising, but their success will depend on rigorous implementation and continued support from civil society. The DRC must now face the challenge of turning recommendations into concrete actions to protect its forests and ensure justice for local communities and indigenous Pygmy peoples.
By Franck Zongwe Lukama
