The project “Making the Yangambi Biosphere Reserve a climate-biodiversity center of excellence” is funded by the Kingdom of Belgium (DGD) and executed by UNESCO and a consortium of partners. The main objective of this project is to contribute to strengthening the role of the Yangambi Biosphere Reserve (Y- BR) as a model observation site for sustainable development, through the monitoring of socio-economic data, biodiversity and climate change.

In connection with the activities planned by ERAIFT as part of this project, an information meeting for national and regional stakeholders was organized in Yangambi, this May 29, 2024, in order to share the progress of the project, to exchange around challenges, and to strengthen partnerships/collaborations between all parties. This information was also followed by a workshop in Kisangani, this May 31, 2024, which brought together the institutions and structures involved in the YPE project (namely representatives of the provincial authority, management committees of UNIKIS and IFA-Yangambi, representatives of UNESCO, INERA-Yangambi, MaB/EDD, CSB, CIFOR, RMCA, CongoFlux/UGENT, Enabel, TropenBos DRC, and civil society) in order to share the results of the institutional audit of the MaB program, and to analyze the strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities with the final objective of arriving at a common strategy for the sustainable management and development of the Y-BR.

ERAIFT thanks the DGD (Kingdom of Belgium) whose funding made possible the execution of these strategic activities bringing hope for the Y- BR. The school also expresses its gratitude to the EU (through AGRINATURA) for the resources made available, to UNESCO and to all its partners in this project.