The Central African Forest Initiative (CAFI) reaffirmed its commitment to creative approaches to managing climate change. Standing alongside the countries of the Congo Basin during the 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30) held in Belém, Brazil, from 10 to 21 November 2025, CAFI supported national delegations and actively contributed to scientific, political and technical discussions aimed at strengthening the sustainable management of forest ecosystems.
Presentation of the 2025 assessment report on the Congo Basin
One of the highlights of the meeting was the presentation of the work of the Scientific Panel for the Congo Basin. This panel brought together scientists, regional experts and indigenous and local knowledge holders. “We welcome this co-creation, which is beneficial to the Congo Basin,” said Arlette Soudan-Nonault, Minister of the Environment of the Republic of Congo, speaking about the 2025 assessment report on the Congo Basin.
This report establishes, for the first time, a global scientific consensus on the strategic importance of the Congo Basin, following in the footsteps of previous assessments that recognised the vital role of the Amazon.
CAFI is one of the donors that supported this report, alongside the Bezos Earth Fund and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund.
Country perspectives on Payments for Environmental Services
Three main panel discussions were organised around Payments for Environmental Services (PES), a revolutionary and transparent mechanism that directly compensates communities for their sustainable practices. An unprecedented advance on a global scale. It was done in collaboration with high-level representatives from Gabon, the Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
These events enabled the DRC to highlight its national PES programme and present its national roadmap, aligned with the country’s priorities, including the implementation of the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and the national REDD+ strategy. Gabon and the Republic of Congo shared their national visions on PES.
A visual presentation of the registration process, contractualisation and initial field results provided a concrete illustration of the mechanism’s impact. Two tools were launched in Kinshasa and operationalised in Belém: the Ground Impact PSE planning tool, which assesses areas, simulates scenarios and measures environmental and socio-economic impacts; and the management tool, a comprehensive digital platform that registers participants, monitors activities and manages payments using real-time data analysis. Together, they facilitate the scaling up of PES in the region. The first mobile payments have been made with confirmed results.
Stakeholders reiterated the critical need to systematically include indigenous peoples in programme design and implementation. “I commend CAFI for this approach, which integrates human rights. This is quite important, especially at a time when the issue of direct access to finance for indigenous peoples is crucial,” Dr Albert Barume, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples.
Two important announcements marked this event: the decision regarding national entities’ access to the CAFI fund, strengthening the direct participation of local actors, and the launch of a regional call for expressions of interest to extend the deployment of PES across Central Africa.
An additional $100 million to support PES
To capitalise on this unprecedented momentum, CAFI announced additional funding of $100 million, bringing the total budget dedicated to PES in Central Africa to $125 million by 2025. This new commitment marks a strategic acceleration of support for the countries of the Congo Basin and bolsters the $25 million already invested in the programme. “This additional funding is a signal that we believe in the approach, and we hope that it will strengthen the partnership between CAFI and the countries of the sub-region.” Dyveke Rogan, Director of the Norwegian International Climate and Forest Initiative (NICFI)
In Belém, the Congo Basin spoke with one voice, and CAFI stood with this coalition of countries committed to turning climate ambition into concrete action.