Kinshasa, November 12th, 2026 (CPA).-A working session between the Executive Secretariat of the National REDD+ Fund (Fonaredd) and representatives of the Kingdom of Norway was held in Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), to assess the support program for the Executive Secretariat, domestic resource mobilization and the legal formalization of the Fund, according to a document consulted Thursday by the CPA.
“The Executive Secretariat of the National REDD+ Fund (SE-Fonaredd) met with representatives of the Kingdom of Norway, which sits on the board of the Central African Forest Initiative (CAFI). Discussions focused on the support program for the Executive Secretariat, domestic resource mobilization and the legal formalization of the Fund (…). This working session followed the meeting held on November 5, 2026, chaired by the Deputy Minister in charge of Finance. Discussions focused in particular on the government’s commitment to strengthening its cooperation with CAFI under the second phase of their second partnership,” the document stated.Regarding the 2026-2027 support program, the document indicated that “the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo had paid its counterpart contribution of USD 1.2 million into the account of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the implementing agency of the support program for the Executive Secretariat.” It further stated that “the 2026-2027 Annual Work Plan and Budget (AWPB) will be submitted to the Technical Steering Committee for review and approval, with a view to disbursing the second tranche of the program.” Fonaredd Executive Secretary Bavon N’Sa Mputu also expressed the wish to obtain, by the end of 2026, approval for the extension of the Project to Support the Achievement of Milestones (PAAJ), together with additional funding, as well as the disbursement of the second tranches of the Plateau Integrated REDD+ Program(PIREDD) and PROMIS-2, the source reported. In this regard, according to the document, “CAFI indicated that it would examine the files once all the required documents had been submitted, including disbursement requests from the agencies, resolutions of programme review committees and disbursement decisions.”Norway, for its part, “expressed its willingness to support the efforts aimed at securing these disbursements.” Regarding domestic resource mobilization, the Fonaredd Executive Secretariat reported progress in developing its strategy, having “identified Para fiscal revenues that could contribute to financing the Fund.” The resource mobilization plan will be assessed at the next meeting of the Technical Steering Committee. The National Executive Secretary also highlighted “the opportunity offered by the opening of budget chapters for the 2027 fiscal year, which should ensure the government’s contribution to financing programs in the Fonaredd portfolio on a sustainable basis.” Concerning legal formalization, Bavon N’Sa Mputu recalled the follow-up measures taken after the inter-ministerial decree signed on April 30, 2026, and published in the Official Gazette on July 14th, 2026. He explained that this framework “provides for the opening of a budget chapter for the 2027 fiscal year and establishes Fonaredd as an instrument for mobilizing resources to implement the National REDD+ Strategy Investment Plan,” the document indicated.Furthermore, on August 30th, 2026, the Ministry in charge of Finance and the UNDP Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office (MPTFO), the implementing agency, signed an amendment to their memorandum of understanding in order to better safeguard the resources mobilized from partners, the document concluded.