General

The overall objective of the concept proposal “Sustainable Use of Natural Resources for Environment and Economic Development, shortly SUNREED” is to increase the sustainable use of private forest resources and value chain development on renewable energy based on wood biomass (district heating system) that will generate a higher volume of forest goods and income opportunities to rural households. The project proposals goal will be achieved through the following two outcomes: Outcome 1: Private forest owners have increased value and sustainability of the forest stand ecosystems. Outcome 2: Value chains actors have increased wood biomass production, processing and final use. The implementing partner is CNVP Foundation. The project will be focused on addressing key constraint faced by the private forest owners and provide support to them in collecting evidence and advocating for policy and legal changes with public institutions in favor of private forestry.

Objectives

The overall objective of the program is: Poverty reduction for both women and men in forest areas through additional income and jobs from sustainably managed forests including wood biomass, Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (MAPs), Non-Wood Forest Product (NWFPs) and carbon backed up by an enabling policy environment and supported by sustainable service provision by National Association of Private Forest Owners (NAPFO) and Association of Private Forest Owners (APFOs). To reach this objective the following outputs and outcomes have been proposed: Outcome 1: Increased incomes for Private Forest Owners (PFO) including women as a result of improved forest management and engagement in NWFP / MAP market systems There are 4 outputs that relate to this outcome: Output 1.1: Increased and diversified production from sustainably managed forest land; Output 1.2: Enhanced and sustainable service delivery by APFOs and the NAPFO to their members; Output 1.3: Women and youth living in rural areas engaged in forest-related market systems; Output 1.4: Enabling policy environment promoted, including a road-map for developing a carbon market. Outcome 2: A market system for wood biomass (wood chips), providing incentives for proper forest management and income generation for PFOs, and leading to reduced greenhouse gas impact Interventions that will lead to the realisation of this outcome can be grouped into 4 key outputs: Output 2.1: Output 2.1 Development of a national roadmap on wood biomass production, marketing and use Output 2.2: Establishment of four pilot wood biomass collection points supported; Output 2.3: At least 10 heating systems based on wood biomass promoted; Output 2.4: Increased information, capacities and learning on wood biomass market systems.

General

Interpeace has submitted a concept note to the Embassy of Sweden, that falls under objective three of the current Swedish strategy for cooperation with DRC (2021-2025) concerning Peaceful, inclusive and sustainable societies. It aims for the local, provincial and national authorities in DRC to lead, supervise, and facilitate inclusive peacebuilding processes and promote sustainably. The project will work on the recommendations from the EU-funded study carried out by Interpeace in 2020 in Kasai and Kasai Central to enhance horizontal (between citizens, communities and social groups) and vertical (between the latter and authorities, formal and informal, and at local, provincial and national level), through increased participation, communication, understanding, trust and collaboration. This is only possible if some policies can be improved and don't function as triggers or amplifiers of conflicts. Ongoing analysis will be put in place to reveal discriminatory and non-transparent facts and policies that are dividing factors at the community level and/or between communities and state institutions. To achieve this, Interpeace plans to build on government leadership and ownership to achieve results in a sustainable manner. The larger assumption is that peacebuilding efforts often fail to produce lasting results because they lack the support, involvement and backing of the highest levels of government. This has an impact on the confidence and commitment of stakeholders in peace processes. This means that identifying the reforms and decisions necessary to tackle the drivers of conflict cannot be negotiated. Thus, it is necessary to engage the DRC government in a coherent, constructive and innovative manner in order to contribute to effective governance for peace. Among the concerns that have remained unanswered for a long time are the issue of governance of the security and justice sectors, the securing of land rights by communities, equitable and sustainable access to spaces and natural resources for the promotion of economic development. and social, and the fight against corruption. The project will be implement in 4 provinces, namely Kasaï, Kasaï central, Mai-Ndombe and Kinshasa. It is important to point out that the violent conflict in Kasai and Kasai Central between 2016 and 2018 began with clashes between supporters of a customary chief and the police and then turned into generalized violence between communities, customary chiefs, authorities and law enforcement. The conflict in Yumbi was an intercommunity clash between the Banunu and Batende linked to customary power and land conflicts.

Objectives

The main goal of this project is to stimulate the will, capacity and relations of authorities at all levels to meet the complex challenges of peace in the provinces of Kasaï, Kasaï Central and Yumbi and even in all the DRC. This will set the preconditions for structural changes that must translate into new attitudes and practices of governance for peace. The project is based on an observation that in the current fragile situation - despite this kind of stability, where the interests of the people and the institutions don't match, it will be difficult to ensure the active participation of state actors to invest in participatory governance which is the main guarantee  for sustainable peace. This project will focus on the Kasai and Yumbi region, in order to reduce violence in the communities to the state actors but also to support peacebuilding efforts relying on a conflict scan before undertaking any specific initiative in the communities. Through this option, research and analysis, combined with capacity building, will create the building blocks to change governance as a channel of peacebuilding in a more structural way. In addition, the present rulers of the DRC are focusing on the next elections in 2023. The opportunity should be offered to mobilize political actors around the culture of peace and to bring together the authorities, communities and civil society to lay the foundations for peaceful elections. The overall objective of the project is to contribute to strengthened inclusive peace governance by state actors and non-state actors in the DRC, particularly in Kasai, Kasai Central, Mai-Ndombe and at the national level. The specific objectives of this intervention are to: Outcome 1: Increased understanding of peace governance by government and non-government actors ;Outcome 2: Increased capacity for peacebuilding governance among government and non-government actors ;Outcome 3: Enhanced inclusive peace governance at the provincial level ;Outcome 4: Improved framework for peace governance at the national level ;

General

FAO has asked Sida for funding of 75,000,000 SEK to carry out the project named "Global transformation of Forests for People and Climate: A Focus on West Africa " during the period 2019 – 2023. The intervention builds on FAO’s existing support in the ECOWAS region and targets on three priority focus areas, namely Knowledge of the state of forest ecosystem dynamics; Forest and land related laws, policies and strategies at the sub-regional level; and Demonstration and dissemination of sustainable forest and land use practices. These focus areas were identified in the Convergence Plan endorsed by member states of ECOWAS. The expected overall results encompass all ECOWAS member countries while specific outputs and activities refer to a selection of countries that show similar ecological characteristics and challenges. ECOWAS is a key partner for implementation of the intervention together with forestry and environmental units in government agencies, NGOs and CSOs concerned with forests and land use, Indigenous peoples and local communities who reside in or near forested areas, and academia and research institutions. Based on the request from ECOWAS so as to formally report on the contribution of Sweden in the region, ECOWAS and Sweden will sign MoU in support of this project. Sida and FAO will sign a separate Contribution Agreement, under the existing FAO-SIDA Framework Agreement, signed in 2017. During the inception phase of the project, outstanding issues will be clarified and agreed upon between the partners.

Objectives

The overall objective of the contribution is to strengthen decision-making on forests and land management, and to strengthen capacity at a sub-regional level through ECOWAS and other sub-regional partners to implement elements of the regionally agreed plan called the Convergence Plan. Achieving this objective will positively contribute to the livelihoods and climate change resilience thus contributes to the achievement of the SDGs and the Paris Agreement, identified as the broader impact. In addition, identifying lessons learned and best practice will contribute to a longer-term impact through sharing in other sub-regions and globally. This intervention builds on FAO’s existing support in the region and targets three priority focus areas of the Convergence Plan, around which all the project outputs are clustered (Knowledge of the state of forest ecosystem dynamics; Forest and land related laws, policies and strategies at the sub-regional level; and Demonstration and dissemination of sustainable forest and land use practices). The expected overall results encompass all ECOWAS member countries while specific outputs and activities refer to a selection of countries that show similar ecological characteristics and challenges.