16 January 2014: The eighth meeting of the Council of Ministers to the Commission des Forets d’Afrique Centrale (COMIFAC) met to provide advice and guidance to members and partners as well as the Executive Secretariat, approve the COMIFAC budget, and consider strategic directions.

Overall, the Council of Ministers approved a 2015-2016 budget of more than US$2.3 million calling on all members to meet their funding obligations. The Council of Ministers also encouraged members to make use of guides on transboundary protected areas in Central Africa, integrated landscape management, the management of extractive resource zones, community-based natural resources management, and protected areas management. Finally they adopted the sub-regional strategy paper on the sustainable use of wildlife by indigenous and local communities in Central African countries.

Issues of concern noted by the Council of Ministers included the lack of transparency and information exchange among partners, unclear roles and responsibilities within the Central Africa Protected Areas Network (RAPAC), and the high number of members currently in arrears.

With regard to positive developments, the Council welcomed ongoing collaboration with the Governments of Germany and China, noted advances in planning for the Third Summit of Central African Heads of State and Government on the conservation and sustainable management of Central African forest ecosystems, and praised the revitalization process for the Organization for Conservation of Wildlife in Africa (OCFSA). The Council of Ministers also called for continued collaboration among the Congo, Amazon and Southeast Asia forest basins noting the importance of the draft cooperation agreement. [Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP) Press Release] [Publication: Communique Final – 8th Session Ordinaire du Conseil des Ministres]