Kinshasa, 6 July 2026 – A coalition of more than 70 environmental and human rights organisations are calling on the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to maintain the national moratorium on the allocation of new industrial logging concessions.  Through an open letter addressed to the Prime Minister [1], the coalition urges the government to immediately suspend all ongoing efforts to lift the moratorium after it emerged that plans to lift the ban through draft legislation are at an advanced stage, potentially opening tens of millions of hectares of tropical forests to the timber industry. [2]

This call comes at a pivotal moment as the DRC seeks to strengthen its position as a global "solutions country" in addressing the climate and biodiversity crises. Flagship initiatives such as the Kivu-Kinshasa Green Corridor, ongoing land and forest governance reforms, the recognition of Indigenous Peoples' and Local Communities' rights, and the country's international environmental commitments demonstrate a clear ambition to build a development model that combines conservation, social justice and sustainable economic growth.

The coalition believes that prematurely lifting the moratorium would undermine this positive momentum, threatening the Congo Basin's globally important ecosystems, the rights and livelihoods of forest-dependent communities, and the DRC's international credibility as a leader in climate action and sustainable forest governance.

"Lifting the moratorium today without effective governance mechanisms—including robust monitoring and enforcement systems—would open the door to industrial expansion with disproportionate consequences for the communities that depend directly on forests. Greenpeace Africa has joined this coalition because protecting the Congo Basin forests means protecting our collective future," said Bonaventure Bondo, Congo Basin Forest Campaigner at Greenpeace Africa.

The technical analysis [3] accompanying the open letter demonstrates that the legal conditions required to lift the moratorium have not yet been fulfilled. It also highlights persistent weaknesses in forest governance, significant risks of land-use conflicts, the limited economic contribution of industrial logging, and the environmental and social impacts associated with allocating new logging concessions.

The coalition stresses that, rather than expanding an extractive model with limited long-term benefits, the DRC has a unique opportunity to strengthen community forestry, improve forest governance, secure community land rights, and attract greater investment in conservation and sustainable development.

"Opening these climate-critical forests to more industrial logging would severely undermine the DRC's standing as a 'solutions country' at a time when it has taken several positive steps to improve forest governance and recognise the rights of Indigenous Peoples and other forest-dependent communities. The DRC and its international partners should stick to this path rather than pursuing failed extractive models that deliver little benefit for forests or rural Congolese communities," said Joe Eisen, Executive Director of Rainforest Foundation UK.

For the Congolese organisations within the coalition, protecting forests begins with protecting the rights of the people who have safeguarded them for generations.

"Most existing logging concessions have already been converted into conservation concessions, while more than half of those that remain have ceased operations. This raises a legitimate question: who would truly benefit from lifting the moratorium? " said Blaise Mudodosi Muhigwa, Actions pour la Promotion et la Protection des Peuples et Espèces Menacés (APEM).

The coalition calls on the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to halt all ongoing initiatives aimed at lifting the moratorium until the legal conditions have been fulfilled, to advance the country's forest governance, land-use planning and Indigenous Peoples' rights reforms, and strengthen transparency, oversight and law enforcement throughout the forestry sector.

The coalition also calls on the DRC's technical and financial partners to continue supporting sustainable forest management models based on community forestry, biodiversity conservation, respect for human rights and inclusive local development.

The signatory organisations reaffirm their commitment to working alongside the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Indigenous Peoples, Local Communities, civil society organisations and international partners to strengthen ongoing reforms, protect the Congo Basin forests, and promote a development model grounded in climate justice, good governance and the sustainable management of natural resources.

[1] The letter from more than 70 organisations to the prime minister.

[2] The government map with zones for industrial logging and another map produced by RFUK showing the overlap with other land uses.

[3] The briefing accompanying the letter.

Contacts:

Raphael Mavambu
Communication & Storytelling Manager - Greenpeace Africa
rmavambu@greenpeace.org

Joe Eisen
Executive Director - Rainforest Foundation UK (RFUK)
joe@rainforestuk.org

Blaise Mudodosi Muhigwa
National coordinator - Actions pour la Promotion et la Protection des Peuples et Espèces Menacés (APEM)
blaisemmnt@gmail.com