DR Congo
‘Leave it in the ground!’ Congolese civil society send a strong message to halt auction of oil and gas licensing rights in DRC as COP28 climate summit begins
Kinshasa, 30 November 2023 As the DRC government delegation prepares for crucial COP28 climate talks in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) starting later this week, Congolese civil society and Indigenous organisations have sent to them and to the broader international community a strong message: it is time for the country to move away from oil … Read more
Petrol Non-Merci ! Civil society organisations push presidential candidates on their environmental commitments in the run up to DRC presidential elections
Kinshasa Last week, Congolese civil society organisations knocked at the door of several candidates running for the upcoming DRC presidential elections to ask them to prioritize pressing environmental issues in their electoral campaigns and manifestos. Activists from Extinction Rebellion Movement of the University of Goma (XR), in partnership with North Kivu-based civil society network Reseau … Read more
The Three Basin Summit falls short of bold actions in fight against tropical deforestation
At the closing of the Three Basin Summit on Saturday, governments and leaders vowed to strengthen collaboration to preserve the world’s great rainforest basins but fell short of adopting concrete outcomes to protect tropical forests and forest-dependent communities from the looming threats of industrial and extractive expansion. A reported 3,000 delegates including Heads of States, … Read more
GUEST BLOG: The People of the Congo Basin Peat Swamp Forest
On a tributary of the River Congo, there is a row of houses with thatch roofs under fruit and palm trees with dug-out canoes tied to the river bank. Everything in this village comes from the forest – the food, the wood for construction, palm fronds for thatch, the tree trunks that are hollowed out … Read more
Fresh concerns over huge fossil fuel auction in DRC after government signs first gas production sharing agreements
The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has awarded the first contracts in an auction of 30 oil and gas blocks in the tropical forest country to a forfeited company in the US and to another with no known experience in the industry, renewing concerns over the controversial tender. At a ceremony in … Read more
SUCCESS STORY: Economic Empowerment Through Community Cocoa Production in DRC
Today in the villages of Mibenga and Ilebo, nestled along the edge of the Tumba Lediima Nature Reserve in western Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), community members have been working hard to improve the cocoa production in their Community Forests as a way to boost their income while sustainably managing their forest lands. And … Read more
African Civil Society Decries Corporate Capture of the Africa Climate Summit
African Civil Society Decries Capture of the Africa Climate Summit by Corporate Interests As African leaders gather for the Africa Climate Summit, hundreds of African organisations have expressed concerns about the corporate capture of the event. The inaugural summit – held in Nairobi, Kenya, from 4 to 6 September – is billed as a crucial … Read more
A Step in the Right Direction: Publication of ICCN’s Guidelines for Grievance Mechanisms in DRC
In Kinshasa recently, an important step was taken towards securing the rights of the millions of people who live in the vicinity of national parks in the Democratic Republic of Congo. After a lengthy process involving consultation with local communities and civil society, ICCN (Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature – Congolese Institute … Read more
A Make Or Break Moment: Fossil Fuel Expansion In The Amazon And Congo Basins Is An Existential Threat To Climate And Communities
Financial system decisions now pivotal to ending fossil fuel expansion in the world’s largest tropical rainforests Recent reports spotlight plans for fossil fuel expansion in some of the world’s most important ecosystems, and follow financial flows from major banks Banks, financial institutions, and their regulatory bodies have a key role to play in reducing threats … Read more
Congo in the Crosshairs: Oil and Gas Expansion Threats to Climate, Forests, and Communities
A new comprehensive mapping and analysis by RFUK and Earth Insight shows that oil and gas expansion in the Congo Basin is a rapidly accelerating existential threat to the global climate, and to the world’s second largest rainforest – including the tens of millions of people who live there. There is still time for African … Read more