Other Events

Hamburg, 7 October 2024 – At the Hamburg Sustainability Conference, the Government of Cameroon and the Central African Forest Initiative (CAFI) signed a 2025–2035 Letter of Intent (LoI), marking the start of a decade-long partnership to protect forests while advancing a green economic transition. Resulting from a year-long, inclusive consultation process across ministries, private sector actors and civil society, the LoI lays the foundation for up to USD 2.5 billion in investments to tackle deforestation, promote climate-resilient agriculture and align Cameroon’s development strategies with its international climate commitments. The signing brought together high-level representatives from CAFI donor countries, including State Secretary Jochen Flasbarth (Germany) and Minister Andrew Dodds (United Kingdom), and was highlighted as a model for long-term, country-driven forest and climate finance.

Bangui, 14 October 2024 – Under the patronage of President Faustin-Archange Touadéra, the Central African Republic hosted a High-Level Dialogue on climate finance, afforestation and biodiversity, co-convened with CAFI. The event marked a political milestone in the country’s forest agenda and renewed momentum for sustainable land management. Key outcomes included the creation of FONACAR, a national climate finance fund; the appointment of three ministerial focal points to coordinate with CAFI; and a clear commitment to advance integrated land-use planning, strengthen land tenure security and promote zero-deforestation agriculture. National institutions, development partners and civil society participated broadly, signalling CAR’s determination to place forests at the heart of its development strategy and access new results-based climate finance.

Kinshasa, 3–5 June 2024 – The 20th Meeting of the Parties of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP) convened in Kinshasa, brought together more than 600 leaders, activists, researchers, and government representatives from across the Congo Basin and beyond. CAFI played a visible role throughout the meeting, contributing to panels and side-events on innovative financing, sustainable land use, public-private partnership models, and forest governance. Among those in attendance were H.E. Eve Bazaïba, Minister of the Environment and Sustainable Development of the DRC, and H.E. Rosalie Matondo, Minister of Forest Economy of the Republic of Congo. CAFI also convened a side event titled “Catalysing Sustainable Growth in Central Africa’s Tropical Forests through Deforestation-Free Investments,” featuring six private sector enterprises supported through CAFI’s Regional Facility for Private Sector Investment. During the “Accelerating the Development of Innovative Financing Mechanisms” workshop, CAFI joined ministers such as H.E. Arlette Soudan-Nonault (Republic of Congo) and H.E. Diosdado Obiang Mbomio Nfono (Equatorial Guinea) to highlight opportunities and challenges in forest finance across the region.