Forest tenure, governance and enterprise: New opportunities for livelihoods and wealth in Central and West Africa

Organized by: The International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO), Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Cameroon Ministry of Forests and Wildlife

This conference will catalyze new and broader actions on securing tenure rights in Central and West Africa for implementation by governments, civil society organizations and local communities with the support of international institutions and funding agencies. This will involve setting up goals and developing agendas for new interventions and reforms. Participants will share experiences in securing tenure rights, including the relationship between tenure reform and other goals such as improving livelihoods, securing investment, spurring small scale enterprises, and addressing climate change. The diversity of stakeholders present and the multiplicity of perspectives they represent will allow for discussion, debate and the strengthening of collaborations and partnerships. The new initiatives emanating from this conference will help strengthen the impact of other key efforts particularly on forest law enforcement and governance and voluntary partnership agreements that are being launched in Africa, all of which point to the necessity and urgency of clarifying rights.

This is a strategic and timely opportunity to build on the existing and growing awareness among Central and West African government leaders of the necessity to address these issues and to spur action to improve existing frameworks of forest ownership and use. Strengthened and clarified tenure rights will play a crucial role in facilitating the most efficient and just allocation, use and preservation of forest resources to address local, national, regional and global interests and concerns.