23 October 2013: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) has announced the adoption of the Brazzaville Declaration to combat illegal timber trade in the Congo Basin. The Declaration was agreed to by government representatives, civil society and timber industry representatives at the Forum International sur le Développement Durable de la Filière Bois dans le bassin du Congo.

The Declaration, according to FAO, could help slow deforestation in the Congo Basin, which amounted to 700,000 hectares per year during the period 2000 to 2010. In particular, the Declaration reaffirms commitments to the Yaoundé Declaration, the 1999 Commission des Forets d’Afrique Centrale (COMIFAC) Treaty, the Rio+20 Declaration and other relevant commitments.

The Declaration also recognizes the importance of the landscape approach and calls for increased partnerships, improved access to financing, expanded livelihood options and greater information and technology transfer. The Declaration also calls for the development of local and regional markets for sustainable forest products and support for partnerships between producers to capture economies of scale.

Finally, the Declaration commits to forest certification measures including under the European Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Action Plan, the improved management of plantations and further support for research institutes in the region. [FAO Press Release] [Publication: Déclaration de Brazzaville]