14 January 2011: The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural organization (UNESCO) organized a high-level meeting in Kinshasa, DRC, on 14 January 2011, to discuss ways of strengthening protection of the five DRC sites inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger.

The meeting was chaired by Adolphe Muzito, Prime Minister of DRC, and Irina Bokova, UNESCO Director-General. The five sites in danger include Virunga, Garamba, Kahuzi-Biega and Salonga National Parks, and the Okapi Wildlife Reserve, which are home to a unique range of flora and fauna including the Mountain Gorilla and the Okapi. The threats faced by the sites include: political instability; massive poaching; deforestation and habitat loss; and illegal artisanal mining. As a result, the Northern White Rhino has been hunted into extinction, while numbers of the remarkable Okapi, Grauer’s gorilla and elephant populations are seriously declining. The meeting examined the state of these natural sites, reinforced the commitment to their restoration and safeguarding by Congolese authorities, and redefined support provided by the international community. Participants included government ministers and representatives from other intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, including major donors.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the Director-General and the Prime Minister signed the Kinshasa Declaration, in which the Congolese Government commits to implement the Strategic Action Plan proposed by the Congolese Wildlife Authority. It involves: enforcing the law, in particular laws concerning nature conservation and the mining code; making sites secure; reinforcing the operational capacity of the Congolese Wildlife Authority; reducing commercial poaching; stopping the illicit exploitation of natural resources; and strengthening the efforts of peaceful evacuation of illegal occupants of protected areas. [UNESCO Press Release 14 January] [UNESCO Press Release 7 January]