The signing of a Host Country Agreement with the Government of Cameroon has significantly boosted CIFOR’s presence in both Cameroon and the surrounding region of Central Africa.

Signed last month, the agreement formalizes Cameroon’s support for CIFOR’s work and significantly enhances CIFOR’s mission to reduce poverty and protect the environment through sustainable forestry research. In a region where world bank data suggests forests help support the livelihoods of 80 million people, partnerships of this kind are vital.

The agreement was signed by Mr. Jean-Marie Atangana Mebara, Cameroon’s Minister of State and Minister of External Relations, and CIFOR’s Director General, Frances Seymour, at a ceremony in the Cameroon capital, Yaoundé. As an official government partner, CIFOR is committed
to serving the interests of the people of Cameroon through a range of research activities to improve sustainable forest-based livelihoods. Its commitment to Cameroon also includes developing mutual advisory and assistance arrangements with a number of relevant government agencies.

In addition to Cameron, the Yaoundé office will remain as the regional headquarters for CIFOR’s work in the neighboring countries that form the Congo Basin, home to world’s second largest rainforest. CIFOR’s Regional Co-coordinator, Ms. Cyrie Sendashonga said the government’s recognition of CIFOR’s research was an honor and and demonstrated the importance of governments and forestry organizations working together to help both people and forests in Cameroon and Central Africa. “Cameroon is an important piece in the jig-saw of Congo Basin countries that form the world’s second largest rainforest. The Congo Basin’s enormous plant and animal diversity and its vital role in reducing poverty make it one of Mother Nature’s greatest gifts to humanity,” Ms. Sendashonga said.

“But to ensure its survival, governments, research centers, farmers, industry, NGOs, all forest stakeholders must work together. This is essential if the forests of the Congo Basin nations are to continue to support millions of livelihoods without suffering irreversible environmental damage”.

CIFOR DG makes key note speech

The signing of the Agreement also provided the perfect occasion for Seymour to make her first official visit to Cameroon as CIFOR’s Director General since joining the Center in August 2006.

In her speech to an audience of government officials, colleagues from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), CIFOR staff and the media, Seymour described the Agreement as ushering in a new era of mutual commitment and collaboration.

Ms. Seymour said CIFOR was looking “forward to developing a new strategy for Cameroon and Central Africa, in consultation with our partners, to ensure CIFOR’s research contributes both to local challenges and global needs.” She described the role of an international research center such as CIFOR as having two key components. “First, we bring global knowledge to bear on the challenges of particular places. Second, we generate global knowledge based on research conducted in particular places,” Ms. Seymour said.

It was for these reasons Cameroon and the Congo Basin are priority areas in CIFOR’s research, she said. “The forests of Central Africa have global significance in terms of both biodiversity and human well-being. The region harbors the valuable biodiversity of the world’s second largest rainforest, as well as significant areas representing other important forest ecosystems,” Seymour said.

“Products from these forests are critical to the daily livelihoods of millions of people. Forests also provide ecosystem services that are enjoyed by local people and all of the world’s citizens through carbon storage and other functions.” “For these reasons, CIFOR needs to be here.”

Ms. Seymour also explained Cameroon’s importance to CIFOR’s research agenda. “Cameroon has significance as a country that is a source of lessons learned for forest management worldwide. At least since new forest legislation was passed in 1994, Cameroon has been a center of innovation in forest law and practice, serving as a laboratory for the world, experimenting with new models of decentralization, concession allocation, and revenue distribution,” Ms. Seymour said.

Ms. Seymour then described how CIFOR had worked with government agencies and other partners on a range of critical forest issues. These included research on decentralization, forest enterprise development, nontimber forest products, gender issues, community conflict, biodiversity and law enforcement.

She said CIFOR was very grateful for the support this research received from the government and other partners. She also expressed CIFOR’s appreciation to IITA for serving as CIFOR’s host.