Description
The Congo Basin and its people are increasingly under threat. Slash and burn agriculture, urbanization, rapid population growth, charcoal production, deforestation, illegal logging and mining, and the bushmeat trade, all contribute to environmental degradation. The Congo Basin Conclave conceives of a cross-sectional approach to “smart” development that balances economic opportunities for local communities and protections for indigenous peoples. The Conclave seeks to bring together local stakeholders to build networks that support projects that invest in the people of the Congo Basin, who stand to benefit the most from a healthy, sustainable environment. In a country that is home to 60% of the Congo Basin – the world’s second-largest rainforest – the U.S. Embassy Kinshasa hosted the first Congo Basin Conclave April 22-24, 2024, with delegations from Cameroon, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, and the Republic of the Congo, as well as participants from across the DRC. Pre-conclave discussions took place in all four participating countries, generating ideas and themes for the Kinshasa Conclave. The 130 participants formed six thematic dialogue groups that met four times over the course of the three days, culminating in recommendations and action plans for cross-border collaborations. Facilitating collaboration between regional experts was only one part of the vision of the Conclave; the other was generating popular support for Congo Basin preservation. To achieve this, the Conclave included a cultural component that featured university engagement, movie screenings, arts diplomacy, and a public concert. These community engagement efforts reached hundreds of enthusiastic young people with positive messaging about taking pride in, and protecting, their patrimony—and challenging them to take action. The cultural component, and the inclusion of artists and influencers in the Conclave, is key to galvanizing public support for Congo Basin preservation.