Despite the commitments made by States within the framework of the Paris Agreement, it is necessary
to see that climate change is accelerating. The sixth report of the Group
of Intergovernmental Experts on Climate Change, acronym IPCC, in particular on
impacts, adaptation and vulnerability, published in February 2022, clearly shows
that many climate risks are greater than expected, particularly for
African countries because of their vulnerability.
Faced with this climatic peril, the repercussions of which would certainly compromise the achievement of
sustainable development goals within the framework of the 2030 agenda, on the one hand, and those
of the African Union's 2063 agenda, on the other hand, and independently of the solutions
possible technologies, the level of collective commitment aimed at preserving
forests, in general, and tropical forests, in particular, known as the lungs of humanity,
will undoubtedly go up a notch.
In a global context doubly marked by an economic and financial crisis
persistence and an increase in needs for various forest products, the strategies to
put in place for this purpose, should prioritize, among other things, the extension of coverage
global forestry through the promotion of forest and agroforestry plantations, -
one of the solutions based on nature, renowned for low cost, whose products constitute
real alternatives to those from natural forests. However, in consideration of
complex political, technical and financial implications linked to this option, its
effectiveness lies in the fact that it should be implemented within the framework of a coalition
world supported by the highest institutions which govern relations between States.
The “World Decade of Afforestation” launched at the initiative of the Republic of Congo
through the voice of its President, His Excellency Mr. Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO, on 7
November 2022, on the occasion of the holding of the 27th Conference of the Parties to the
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27), proceeds
thus of this need to weave a sort of framework between strategic frameworks,
Agreements, conventions, initiatives and lessons learned, relating to the planetary scale
to the themes of afforestation and reforestation, in particular:
(i) The Rio Declaration on Environment and Development of 1992, of which
the 27 principles, not legally binding but authoritative, for
a global consensus on management, conservation and exploitation
ecologically viable of all types of forests;
(ii) The United Nations strategic plan on forests 2017-2030;
(iii) The role of forests, particularly planted forests, in mitigating the effects
climate change;
(ix) The Paris Climate Agreement, in particular its Article 5 on taking
measures to preserve and, where necessary, strengthen wells and reservoirs
of Greenhouse Gases (GHG), particularly forests to capture
GHG emissions and preserve ecosystems;
(v) The Bonn Challenge, a global effort to reforest degraded and
deforested whose objective is to reforest 350 million hectares before 2030,
thus being part of the global effort for the climate, but also in other
development sustainability objectives;
(vi) Commitments to stop and reverse deforestation and degradation
land by 2030, declared by leaders in Glasgow on forests and
land use at the 16th Conference of the Parties to the
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
(COP26) held in Scotland in 2021;
(vii) The Initiative for the Restoration of African Forest Landscapes
(AFR100);
(viii) The contribution made by the implementation of the REDD+ mechanism to
the fight against climate change, and efforts to reduce
GHG emissions from deforestation and forest degradation
(REDD+) through sustainable forest management, conservation of
biodiversity and the increase in carbon stocks through afforestation and
reforestation;
(ix) In several regions of the world, the supply of large
wood energy is one of the main causes of
deforestation and forest degradation, and that the sale of wood energy
constitutes a real source of income for Local Communities and
Indigenous Populations (CLPA);
(x) Only sub-regional and international cooperation in management
natural resources can generate significant results, in terms of
the fight against the rampant depletion of these resources, desertification and
loss of biodiversity;
(xi) Benefits to the community
international community to act in a united and concerted manner in the fight against
climate change;
(xi) The COMIFAC Convergence Plan for the ten-year period 2015-
2025, in particular its priority axis relating to the fight against the effects of
climate change and desertification;
(xii) The many other initiatives underway around the world relating to
afforestation, like the Green Wall project;
(xiii) Meeting the needs of a growing world population and
urbanization leads to a further disappearance of 10 million hectares of
forests every year, with disastrous consequences for the climate,
the planet and human health, hindering the achievement of the Program of
sustainable development by 2030, etc.
At the request of the Republic of Congo, this initiative was endorsed by the Union
Africa under the label of “African and Global Afforestation Decade” following the
Decision 846 of XXXVI, resulting from the 36th session of Heads of State of the African Union
(AU), held from February 17 to 18, 2023, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, which also announced
the organization of the first International Conference on Afforestation and
Reforestation (CIAR), in June 2024, in Brazzaville, in the Republic of Congo, under
under the auspices of the African Union and the United Nations Forum on Forests.
At the request of the Republic of Congo, this initiative was endorsed by the Union African under the label of “African and Global Afforestation Decade” read more
