Sassou-N’Guesso calls for faster reforestation funding
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on ACI
Denis Sassou-N’Guesso calls on economic and financial partners to fulfil their commitments to the Blue Fund for the Congo Basin and provide more funding for forest conservation. The Congolese president made the call on 6 November in Kintélé at the launch of the UN Decade for Afforestation and Reforestation.
Congolese President Denis Sassou-N’Guesso called on 6 November for more funding to preserve and restore forests, during the launch in Kintélé of the United Nations Decade for Afforestation and Reforestation 2027-2036. He notably asked economic and financial partners to fulfil their commitments to the Blue Fund for the Congo Basin, which is intended to support economies committed to protecting forest ecosystems, according to the Congolese News Agency (ACI).
Denis Sassou-N’Guesso recalled that nearly 600 million Africans do not have access to electricity and depend on wood fuel for their domestic needs. He also highlighted the role of livestock development in reducing pressure on wildlife, according to ACI.
The African Union chairman and President of Burundi, Évariste Ndayishimiye, called on African states to translate their commitment into national programmes with quantified targets, monitoring mechanisms and dedicated budgets. Central African President Faustin-Archange Touadéra called for international financial support for countries in the Congo Basin, while the Gabonese vice-president said these countries would receive only 11% of international resources devoted to tropical forests, according to ACI.
The launch of the decade comes after Touadéra's participation in the launch of the UN Decade for Reforestation, on 6 November. It also follows the announcement, on 1 November, of a Congolese programme providing for 200,000 tree plantings.
