From March 24 to 26, 2026, the Regional Post-Graduate Training School on Integrated Management of Tropical Forests and Lands (ERAIFT) participated in a training workshop dedicated to the Biodiversity Clearing-House Mechanism (CHM) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
This activity was organized by the General Secretariat for Environment, Sustainable Development and Climate Economy, through the Directorate of Sustainable Development (DDD), with financial support from German Development Cooperation (BGF/GIZ) and technical assistance from the Biodiversity Capacity Building Programme of the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (CEBioS).
Held in person at Cercle Elais in the Gombe municipality of Kinshasa, the workshop was facilitated by Mr. Han De Koeijer and Mr. Pierre Huybrechts, respectively the Belgian CHM National Focal Point and Head of the Awareness Component. It brought together fifteen (15) participants from public institutions, civil society organisations, Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs), the scientific community, and international non-governmental organizations.
The workshop enabled participants to:
gain insights into relevant decisions of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP-CBD) related to the CHM;
strengthen their knowledge of the CHM and its functioning;
review the status of CHM implementation in the DRC;
share observations and recommendations and define the next steps.
ERAIFT’s participation in this workshop aligns with its mission to promote the sustainable management of forests and tropical landscapes, as well as to strengthen institutional and technical capacities in biodiversity conservation and valorization.
ERAIFT commends the commitment of the General Secretariat for Environment, Sustainable Development and Climate Economy and its technical and financial partners, particularly GIZ and CEBioS, whose support has contributed to strengthening national capacities in biodiversity information management and sharing.
