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COP27 Side Event: Realizing the pledge – How can we make the $1.7 bn pledge a reality for IPLCs
The event will take place on November 10th at 4:45 pm at the Hatshepsut Room, side event room 3, Blue Zone. We will have a networking reception following the event. Realizing the pledge: How can we make it a reality for IPLCs? At COP26, governments and private foundations pledged $1.7bn to support indigenous and local communities in … Read more
Congolese civil society releases position paper calling into question the legality of DRC oil and gas auction
A group of environmental civil society organisations in the Democratic Republic of Congo have just released a position paper detailing the multitude of issues with the government’s auction of oil and gas blocks covering the country’s forests, threatening its carbon-rich peatlands, several protected areas and millions of local livelihoods. The CSOs express concern not only … Read more
Two landmark community forests awarded in the buffer zone of the Lomami National Park in DRC
In exciting news, two forest communities in the Maniema Province of the Democratic Republic of Congo have finally won the legal right to manage their ancestral lands, by setting them up as ‘Community Forests.’ These important legal titles give communities formal recognition and collective rights to the forests that they have traditionally lived in, and … Read more
Community Forests Bring Tangible Change: Reflections of Local Leaders from the DR Congo
Local representatives from the provinces of Equateur, Maniema, North Kivu, South Kivu and Mai Ndombe have all spoken on how securing their lands with community forests has brought palpable change for their communities. To sustain and build on the progress made, they also request continued support, and that promises of increased climate and biodiversity … Read more
Leading scientists back Congolese civil society call to increase forest community land rights to combat climate change
Ahead of crucial upcoming climate talks in Egypt this November, a gathering of international scientists has backed a Congolese civil society call to scale up recognition of indigenous peoples and other local communities’ rights as a key strategy in the fight against climate change. This month, RFUK’s community forest partners joined leading scientists from around … Read more
Celebrating the Ashaninka: a look into our sustainable livelihoods project
Last month marked the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples 2022, globally recognising the contributions, achievements and vast knowledge of the indigenous populations of the world. To celebrate, we wanted to share what some of the communities we work with have been doing to secure sustainable livelihoods and protect their globally vital rainforest homes. … Read more
In Cameroon, the critically important Ebo forest is under threat from a road building project
A 200,000 hectare intact forest in Cameroon is under threat from a road-building project, which could lead to devastating impacts on critically endangered wildlife and more than 40 communities who call Ebo home. While the road-building project is purported to bring development opportunities to the villages affected, closer inspection of the plan shows that this … Read more
Press Release: Petition of 100,000 signatures handed to DRC President to stop new oil development
Kinshasa, 25 July 2022 – More than 100,000 people have signed a petition calling on President Félix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to end the development of new oil and gas fields in the country. The petition was launched earlier this month by Congolese and international NGOs and was handed over today … Read more
Trial begins of timber company accused of shooting and maiming locals
The Congo Sunflower Forestry Development company is currently on trial, accused of orchestrating a series of reprisals and physical violence against the villagers of Tokoma in the Tshuapa province of DRC, after they seized some of the company’s equipment from a site illegally being operated on their lands. According to Mr. Iyoko Elungu, an inhabitant of … Read more
Calls for President Felix Tshisekedi to cancel plans for oil drilling in DRC’s tropical rainforests
RFUK together with Rainforest Rescue, Greenpeace Africa, 350.org and other African civil society groups have launched a petition calling on President Felix Tschisekedi to cancel the upcoming July 28-29 auction of oil exploration rights to some of DRC’s most sensitive tropical forests. The planned auction of 16 oil blocks across the country is a deeply … Read more