Analysis of development policies and national and international commitments by Congo Basin countries to combat climate change, preserve biodiversity and protect the rights of local communities and Indigenous peoples
- INTRODUCTION
Greenpeace Africa is seeking the services of an experienced consultant to carry out an analysis of the development policies and national and international commitments of the countries of the Congo Basin with regard to combating climate change, preserving biodiversity and protecting the rights of local communities and indigenous people. The study will focus on Cameroon, Gabon, the Central African Republic, the DRC and the Republic of Congo. It will essentially consist of a literature review, but the analysis produced will inform future work and advocacy efforts.
- BACKGROUND/CONTEXT
The Congo Basin, home to the world’s second-largest tropical rainforest after Amazonia, is remarkably biodiverse and home to a wide range of iconic animal species. The region’s forests, covering some 269.7 million hectares, sequester nearly 40 gigatonnes of carbon and store the equivalent of six years of global greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, they play a crucial role in regulating the world’s climate and tackling the climate crisis.
The Congo Basin is also home to the world’s largest tropical peatland complex, covering 167,600 km². Located in the central basin between the Republic of the Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, these peatlands account for about 36% of the world’s tropical peatlands and sequester nearly 29 billion tonnes of carbon (29Gt C).
Finally, the Congo Basin is home to 60,000 local communities and indigenous peoples whose social, economic, cultural, and political development is closely linked to the conservation of their natural habitat. Thanks to their ancestral knowledge, these communities play a fundamental role in protecting biodiversity and the sustainable management of forests.
These forests and the resources they contain are also the natural basis on which the governments of Congo Basin countries rely to achieve their development goals. These countries began exploiting these resources decades ago and intend to continue to do so, transforming them into useful wealth for development projects.
Unfortunately, the exploitation of natural resources perpetuates the colonial system of natural resource management. The colonial system was designed to benefit settlers and their homelands to the detriment of the local population. It promotes extractivism, large-scale exploitation of natural resources that are non-renewable on a human timescale, land insecurity for local populations and inequitable sharing of the benefits. So, this has many negative consequences. It contributes to deforestation, the loss of biodiversity, the destruction of the environment and natural habitats, land grabbing and degradation, and the impoverishment of thousands of people, including indigenous peoples and local communities.
On the other hand, the governments of the Congo Basin have committed to combating climate change, conserving biodiversity, and protecting the rights of local communities and indigenous peoples. In this context, it is essential to carry out an in-depth analysis of the impact and compliance of the development policies of the Congo Basin countries with their international commitments to protect the rights of local communities and indigenous peoples and to preserve the environment.
- OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSIGNMENT
The main objective of the assignment is to carry out an in-depth and comprehensive analysis of the development policies of Congo Basin Countries, private investments, and their commitments to contributing to local and national development, protecting the rights of IPLCs, preserving the environment, and combating climate change.
The specific objectives are:
To better understand the current and new threats and challenges in the forest governance sector, this will involve;
- Analyzing forest management models in the countries of the Congo Basin, focusing on their real contribution to local and national development
- Analyzing the environmental sustainability of the forest exploitation models, questioning their contribution to protecting biodiversity and combating climate change
- Analyzing the social sustainability of forest management and exploitation models, highlighting their impact on Indigenous people and local communities
To provide information that can help improve the forest governance in the Congo Basin countries. This involves
- Recommendations for harmonizing national policies first and secondly national legislation with international commitments
- Strong recommendations for forest governance that simultaneously:
- Contribute to local and national development
- Ensure conservation of biodiversity
- Guarantee protection of the rights of lPs and LCs and improve their participation in forest governance
- Assure an effective fight against climate change
- Priority actions that the Congo Basin CSOs and Greenpeace Africa could do to contribute to the social, environmental and economic sustainability of forest governance in the Congo Basin countries
- METHODOLOGY
- literature review: The analysed data must not be over 10 years old.
- For each country, first, review:
- Sectoral policies and legal frameworks for forest management
- The legal framework for exploiting natural resources (including National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans – NBSAPs)
- Relevant reports from civil society organisations and research institution working on forest governance
- Next, analyse the commitments made by Congo Basin governments with regard to:
- The fight against climate change with the contribution of forest
- Conservation of biodiversity and the environment in the exploitation of natural resources
- Protecting local communities and Indigenous peoples in forest areas
- Comparative analysis
Compare the legal frameworks of the different countries in the Congo Basin and identify best forest governance policies and legislation that best ensure
- Local and national development
- Protection of IPLC rights
- Conservation of biodiversity and the environment
- Combat climate change
- Analyze existing policies and legislation to determine whether they are harmonious
- Examine the compatibility between legislation with the countries’ international commitments to
- Protect the rights of IPLCs
- Conserve biodiversity and the environment
- Combat climate change
- Write and present the report
Submit a comprehensive report with a detailed analysis of development policies and legal frameworks, as well as concrete recommendations for each country in the Congo Basin to harmonize policies and legislation, strengthen the protection of CLPAs’ rights, better conserve forests and their biodiversity, and combat climate change.
- EXPERTISE and SCOPE OF WORK
Congo Basin countries covered by the study: DRC, Gabon, Cameroon, Republic of Congo, Central African Republic
Requirements:
- Demonstrated experience in research related to natural resource governance
- Demonstrated knowledge of the forest governance context in Congo Basin countries
- Expertise in analyzing development policies and legislation
- Demonstrated experience in producing research products to inform policy advocacy
- Strong writing and analytical skills
- Ability to work independently and to meet tight deadlines
Work language: the work will be in French, but the consultant must have a level of English that enables him/her to interact fluently with the Greenpeace team.
Schedule :
- Between May to June 2025 (30 days business days)
- To be discussed with successful candidates and based on seniority , experience and industry credibility.
- DELIVERABLES
A project Inception Report: After recruitment and the scoping meeting, the consultant must present, among other things and if necessary, updated work and study plans
The Initial report is to be submitted within 25 days.
- Analysis of development policies based on forest use
- Analysis of national and international legal frameworks related to forest use, environment, promotion and protection of IPLCs rights and biodiversity conservation.r
- Stakeholder consultation framework and process for the groundwork
The final report (4 days) consolidates the comments on the initial report. It should include the elements of the documentary review and the comparative analysis (see section 3). It will also highlight the priority actions that Greenpeace Africa and civil society in the Congo Basin can take to contribute to forest management’s social, environmental, and economic sustainability.
Power-Point presentation (1 day) to Greenpeace Africa on an agreed date.
Annexes of the report :
- Key legal texts analyzed.
- List of persons or institutions to be consulted during the phase 2 of this study
- Reference documents (international conventions, national policy articles, etc.).
- MANAGEMENT ARRANGEMENTS
The work will be supervised by a Forest Campaigner and the Research Lead
- PAYMENT MODALITIES as applicable
30% payment on contract signing, 40% on completion and submission of 1st draft of the report and the remaining 30% after approval of final works – to include in the contract
- APPLICATIONS
Interested bilingual researchers should submit
- A cover letter expressing interest, availability and suitability for the assignment (1 page)
- A CV detailing relevant experience (max 4 pages)
- A short technical and financial proposal (max 5 pages), including methodology, work plan, and budget
Submission: Interested bilingual applicants should submit proposals by email to: [email protected] with subject line: Literature Review, Policies and International Commitments, Congo Basin
Deadline for applications: 2 weeks after publication of the offer
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
