A strategic planning workshop on the theme of Sustainable Development Goals was held this week in Kinshasa from February 20 to 23. This event is part of the United Nations Cooperation for Sustainable Development in the Democratic Republic of Congo (UNSDCF) for the period 2020-2024. The cooperation agreement was jointly signed on December 30, 2019, between the Government of the DR Congo and the United Nations System.

This cooperation partnership serves as a reference document for the collective response of the United Nations to the priorities of the Congolese Government outlined in its National Strategic Development Plan (PNSD). It also outlines the framework for guidance and strategic decision-making for the United Nations Joint Program.

This framework expires in December 2024. Therefore, it is necessary to renew it within the framework of joint strategic planning with the Congolese Government. This planning will be based on the new national priorities of the DR Congo and the recommendations from the final evaluation of the current cooperation framework and those from the United Nations-led Common Country Analysis.

ERAIFT, represented by its fundraising director, actively participated in this strategic exercise of national impact that will define the new framework for United Nations Cooperation for Sustainable Development in the Democratic Republic of Congo for the period 2025-2029.

ERAIFT's involvement in the strategic directions of the DR Congo is part of the deployment of activities for the capacity building project for biodiversity practitioners, scientists, and policymakers for the sustainable management of protected areas and forest ecosystems in Africa. This large-scale initiative implemented in the Congo Basin sub-region and West Africa is funded by the European Union and ERAIFT, a Category 2 center under the auspices of UNESCO. GEIE AGRINATURA and ERAIFT jointly oversee the implementation of this project.

This is an opportunity for ERAIFT to express gratitude to the European Union, the United Nations system, and all partners who make these significant interventions possible.