From 3 to 5 June 2024, ERAIFT participated in the 20th meeting of the parties of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP), held at the Pullman Hotel in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This meeting that brought together more than 600 participants including ministers and senior officials from Central Africa and the international community, experts, representatives of civil society and the private sector, NGOs, students, etc., served as a showcase for ERAIFT to:  (1) raise its profile and increase its visibility in the sub-region and internationally; (2) promote its diploma courses based on a systemic approach and continuous training open to the general public;  (3) and popularize its research-action activities in protected areas and biosphere reserves in the Central African sub-region and mainly in the DRC.

The discussions took place during a parallel hybrid event organized by ERAIFT in the Kasaï lounge, and moderated by its Director, Pr. Baudouin MICHEL, on the theme: “Populization of the research activities of ERAIFT (Category 2 Centre under the auspices of UNESCO) in the two biosphere reserves (MAB) of Yangambi and Luki in the DRC”.

A stand was also animated on this occasion by ERAIFT doctoral students and postdoctoral fellows at the exhibition center during this meeting, to popularize the results of their work, strengthen their collaboration network and continue discussions with other participants present at this meeting. 

ERAIFT sincerely thanks the CBFP for having been associated to this high-quality meeting in favor of the rational and sustainable management of forest ecosystems in the Congo Basin. We express our gratitude to all our financial and technical partners, in particular the European Union and UNESCO, for the trust and resources made available.

The Association for Social Change and Development (APAD) organised its 2024 international conference at the University of Liège under the title ‘Through the prism of work: capitalism, development and social change in the global South’. The conference took place at Place du 20 août in the city centre of Liège from 22 to 24 May 2024. More than 140 researchers and teachers took part in face-to-face sessions and more than 200 online. The Ecole Régionale postuniversitaire d'Aménagement et de gestion Intégrés de Forêts et Territoires tropicaux (ERAIFT) was represented by Professor MAVAKALA KALUNSEVIKO Krossy, Coordinator of the Bushmeat/ERAIFT project. His speech, which was well received by all the participants in panel 7 ‘Value chain studies: what socio-ethnographic contributions?. The panel was jointly chaired by Professors Marc Poncelet (University of Liège), Roch Mongbo (University of Abomey-Calavi, Cotonou/Director of the Laboratoire d'Analyse des Dynamiques Sociales et du Développement (LADYD)) and Patrice Ndimanya (University of Burundi, Bujumbura).

The presentation entitled ‘Administrative bricolage in a bushmeat trade hub: decoding formal and informal governance at Kinshasa's River ports’ by Krossy Mavakala (ERAIFT), Theodore Trefon (Central Africa Museum Belgium) and Juliet Wright (University of Oxford) lasted almost two hours, so full were the questions and the debate.

ERAIFT thanks the conference organisers for their invitation and cooperation. It expresses its gratitude to the British government for its financial support for the ‘Urban Economy Analysis of Bushmeat in Kinshasa’ project through the UNEP-WCMC. ERAIFT also thanks the Wildlife Conservatin Society (WCS) and Oxford University for their partnership in the implementation of the project. It also expresses its gratitude to the Central Africa Museum Belgium; the University of Liege and the European Union for their support.

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.

On the occasion of the 20th Meeting of the Parties of the CBFP scheduled for June 3-5, 2024 at the Pullman Hotel in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), ERAIFT will organize on the site of this meeting (Pullman Hotel),  a side event on the theme “Popularizing the activities of ERAIFT (Category 2 Center under the auspices of UNESCO) in the Yangambi and Luki Biosphere Reserves (MAB) in the DRC”, on Tuesday June 4 from 1:30 to 2:30 pm in the Salon Kasaï room. We will also animate a stand at the exhibition center throughout the event.

Bringing together some 600 participants, including ministers and senior officials from Central Africa and the international community, experts and representatives of civil society and the private sector, this meeting will also be an opportunity for ERAIFT to raise its profile and assert its position as a leader in the training of future French- and Portuguese-speaking African executives in the management of protected areas, and the integrated development and management of tropical forests and territories.

ERAIFT invites policy-makers, biodiversity scientists and practitioners, nature and environmental conservationists, environmental entrepreneurs and journalists, NGOs, members of civil society, students and the international community to come and share experiences with its researchers.

ERAIFT would like to thank in advance all its financial and technical partners who will be accompanying us in this important meeting to promote the sustainable management of forest ecosystems in the Congo Basin.

On Tuesday 21 May 2024, ERAIFT, a category 2 centre under the auspices of UNESCO, welcomed M. Nicolás Berlanga Martinez, the Ambassador of the European Union (EU) to the Democratic Republic of Congo to its premises. The visit was part of a workshop on cassava value chain analysis.

Welcomed by the Director, the Ambassador was given a brief presentation on the governance of ERAIFT, highlighting the various forms of support provided by the European Union since its creation. The presentation focused on the regional nature of the school, its missions and vision, as well as its training programs, with particular emphasis on the origins of its students and teaching staff, as well as current research initiatives.

Mr Ambassador symbolically planted a tree at ERAIFT, to mark his contribution to the fight against climate change and the preservation of biodiversity.

Attended by more than 50 participants, including decision-makers, entrepreneurs and researchers, the workshop focused on a presentation of the preliminary findings of a research study carried out by experts in various growth centres in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with the support of the European Union. Constructive discussions on improving the sector were held, to the great satisfaction of the participants.

In closing the workshop, the Ambassador affirmed the European Union's continued support to ERAIFT. Finally, he warmly thanked all the participants and reaffirmed the European Union's commitment to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

ERAIFT thanks the Ambassador of the European Union to the Democratic Republic of Congo for his visit and for his renewed confidence. It also expresses its gratitude to the other members of the EU delegation and to the other participants in the day's workshop.

This Monday, May 20, a meeting was held online between ERAIFT and its partners of the University of Lisbon (ULISBOA) in Portugal, with the aim of planning the science week of this year 2024, which ERAIFT organizes for the attention its 26 doctoral students, in order to strengthen their capacities through doctoral training

At the end of this meeting, some topics that will be the subject of this session have been targeted among others requested by the majority of doctoral students. These include : (1) experimental design for data collection, (2) statistics using R software (for analysis of data collected in the field), and (3) advanced landscape planning techniques.

The two teams also agreed on the appropriate period (the month of September) and on the methodology to be adopted for this traning.

ERAIFT thanks and congratulates its ULISBOA partners whose efforts have brought together internationally renowned experts present at this meeting and who have agreed to deliver these modules and share their experiences with PhD students. ERAIFT also expresses its gratitude to the European Union through AGRINATURA, for renewed trust as well as the means made available.

From 15 to 17 May, the ERAIFT Director v in the international to symposium of Category 2 Centres under the auspices of UNESCO in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

This high-level symposium was organised by UNESCO and ISTIC. The ADG for Science, Ms Lidia Brito, welcomed the participants with the president of ISTIC's Board of Directors.

The Symposium's conclusions are remarkable and will help to strengthen the links between UNESCO and Category 2 Centres under the auspices of UNESCO.

ERAIFT thanks ISTIC and UNESCO for the invitation and congratulates the organizers for the excellent organization of the Symposium.