Conclusions of the DRC Independent verification

DRC Independent verification of the milestones of the LoI : conclusions and next steps

1 September 2019: The Letter of Intent between the DRC and CAFI called for an independent verification of the "intermediary"(2018) milestones. The DRC and CAFI mutually agreed on the methodology for the verification and a team of four independent consultants from TEREA concluded its work in early November 2019 with an Analytical report that looked at progress milestones per milestone, and a shorter Recommendation report that proposed ways to overcome identified challenges. The independent verification process was extremely comprehensive, with 168 documents consulted and over 130 people interviewed or consulted.

Key findings

1)  Over 70% of the milestones fully or partially met by 31 December 2018 

Of the 29 intermediary milestones in the Letter of Intent, the independent verification concluded that 4 were assessed as fully met, 17 partially met, 7 unmet and 1 was considered non-assessable.

2)  Progress witnessed across (almost) all sectors

The 8 objectives of the Letter of Intent have varying numbers of milestones associated with them (for example, 3 for agriculture and 9 for the forest sector). However, practically all sectors have seen concrete progress towards the achievement of milestones. 

3)  Major political and technical results achieved in a limited time

Major accomplishments were highlighted, both at the political and the technical levels. 

4) The DRC- CAFI partnership commended as unique in the continent 

The DRC - CAFI partnership is commended as unique for its structure, innovation and inclusiveness. 

5) Challenges to be addressed in a newly adopted Action plan 

A number of challenges were identified. In response to these challenges, recommendations were made and a Joint Action plan to reach the milestones of the Letter of Intent was developed between CAFI and the DRC, and approved by the Steering Committee of the DRC National REDD+ Fund on 5 December 2019. The approval of this Action plan means that the 2nd tranche of CAFI funding can now be programmed. 

6) Lessons learned from the DRC independent verification process will help CAFI's partnerships with other countries

The timeline associated with some of the milestones of the Letter of Intent with DRC was purposely ambitious to create political momentum, but did not always factor in the time it takes to reach full programme implementation, especially where national ownership is actively sought and the consultation of many stakeholders necessary.  

Milestones, in addition, are a mix of technical targets and political ambitions. While the former are more easily measurable, the latter are sometimes harder to gauge and subject to interpretation. Learning from this experience, the development of specific indicators to better measure the achievement of milestones is planned in the Letter of Intent concluded in September 2019 with the Republic of Congo.