DRC/Congo Basin: Government informed of country’s accession to co-facilitation of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership (Cabinet)

Kinshasa, June 28^th, 2026 (CPA).- The Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) was informed on Friday of the country’s accession to the co-facilitation of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP) for the 2026–2028 mandate, during the Cabinet meeting held in Kinshasa, according to the official report read by the acting Government spokesperson. « The Minister in charge of Environment, Sustainable Development and the New Climate Economy informed the Cabinet of the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s accession to the co-facilitation of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership for the 2026–2028 mandate, as well as the need to strengthen the country’s diplomatic framework, » said Augustin Kibassa, Minister in charge of Digital Economy. According to the Cabinet report, the Minister of Environment stressed that the DRC’s assumption of this responsibility is of particular significance, considering that the country is home to more than 50 percent of the Congo Basin forests as well as the world’s largest tropical peatlands. She noted that this co-facilitation represents an exceptional opportunity to strengthen the DRC’s regional and international leadership on climate, forests, and biodiversity and water resource issues. She added that it would also help position the Congo Basin at the center of international negotiations on climate change and sustainable development, while strengthening the mobilization of financial resources for major national programs, including the National Forestry Program, the Kivu-Kinshasa Green Corridor, forest landscape restoration initiatives, and payment mechanisms for ecosystem services. To this end, the Minister of Environment advocated the establishment of a multi-sectoral task force to support the co-facilitation process, alongside other related initiatives.