Congo: Heritage in Danger

Programme of the Workshops and Conference

• Ensuring the protection of sites in DRC: An Experts’ Workshop 13-14 September 2004
• Partners for Heritage in DRC: a meeting between the public and private sector 15 September 2004
• Promoting and Preserving Congolese Heritage: linking biological and cultural diversity International Donors’ Conference 16-17 September 2004

Ensuring the protection of sites in DRC: An Experts Workshop

13 September 2004

9:30 – 10:00 Opening

• Mr Francesco Bandarin, Director of the World Heritage Centre, UNESCO
• Mr Natajaran Ishwaran, Director, Division of Ecological Sciences, UNESCO
• Ms Eulalie Bashige, Director-General of Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature (ICCN)

10:00 – 13:00 Session I: Evaluation of the first phase of the UNESCO/UNF Project

Introduction and Chairmanship:
Mr Jean-Pierre d’Huart, Consultant, UNESCO

Keynote presentations:

•  Are severely impoverished World Heritage sites still conservation priorities in DRC?
  Mr John Hart, Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and Mr Bernard Iyomi-Iyatshi, ICCN, Kahuzi-Biega NP
•  The strong coalition between ICCN and NGOs generated by the war must survive in time of peace
  Ms Annette Lanjouw, International Gorilla Conservation Programme (IGCP) and Mr Norbert Mushenzi, ICCN, Virunga NP
•  The post-conflict situation leaves many priorities for action and reaction
  Ms Eulalie Bashige and Ms Terese Hart, Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)
•  Preserving World Heritage Sites in times of conflict
  Mr Conrad Aveling Consultant, mission of evaluation and Mr. Henri Paul Eloma Ikoleki, Project coordinator of the UNESCO-UNF project

Questions and answers

Discussion:

 The impact of UNESCO / UNF project on biodiversity in DRC, and on the main lessons to share with the international community

Moderator:
Mr Jean-Pierre d’Huart

Conclusion

14:30 – 17:30 Session II: Assisting with remote sensing tools for monitoring World Heritage Sites in DRC

Introduction and Chairmanship:
Ms Brigitte Decadt, Federal Office for Science Policy, Belgium

Keynote presentations:

• Use of space technologies to monitor gorilla habitat in DRC
  Mr Diego Fernández Prieto, European Space Agency (ESA)
• Deriving cartography for World Heritage Sites
  Mr Philippe de Maeyer, University of Gent, Belgium
• The need for good tools for monitoring biodiversity in WH sites in DRC
  Mr John Hart, Wildlife Conservation Society

Questions and answers

Round table:

The use of satellites images and high technologies is crucial for monitoring but capacity building and a minimum of infrastructure is needed as well.

Moderator:
Mrs Brigitte Decadt

Panellists include:

• Mr Carlos de Wasseige (UCL)
• Mr Marc Languy (WWF)
• Mr Mirindi Jobogo (ICCN)

Conclusion

17:30 – 18:00 Conclusions of day 1

Mr Jean-Pierre d’Huart, Consultant, UNESCO

14 September 2004 Morning session

9:30 – 10:00 Session III: The importance of the DRC World Heritage Sites for the conservation of great apes

Introduction and Chairmanship:
Mr Jean Ngog Nje, Regional School for the Integrated Management of Tropical Forests (ERAIFT)

Keynote presentations:

• The perception of great ape conservation in different historical, political and socio-cultural contexts
  Mr Frédéric Joulian, Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales
• Mountain gorillas in the Virunga National park: State of conservation and eco-tourism.
  Ms Annette Lanjouw, International Gorilla Conservation Programme (IGCP)
• The bonobos in Salonga National Park: prospects for conservation.
  Dr Gay Reinartz, Zoological Society of Milwaukee (ZSM)
• Great apes and bush meat trade in Central Africa: current state and need for a regional cooperation strategy
  Mr Jean Bihini won wa Musiti, World Conservation Union (IUCN)
•  Epidemiological aspects: the case of Ebola fever in the region of the Odzala Biosphere Reserve
  Mr Mathieu Ebéké, GRASP Cameroon
• Role of the press in awareness raising for great apes conservation
  Ms Rachel Fléaux-Mulot, Sciences et avenir

Questions and answers

Round table:

The importance of DRC World Heritage Sites for the conservation of great apes

Moderator:
Mr Jean Ngog Nje

Panellists include:

• Mr Bernard Fosso, GRASP Focal point Cameroon
• Mr Dieudonné Ankara, GRASP Focal point Republic of Congo
• Ms Melanie Virtue, UNEP – GRASP Team leader
• Ms Annette Lanjouw, International Gorilla Conservation Programme
• Dr Gay Reinartz, Zoological Society of Milwaukee

Conclusion

14:00 – 17:00 Session IV: The implication of local communities in the Conservation of World Heritage Sites in DRC: lessons learned and future perspectives

Introduction and Chairmanship:
Mr Marc Languy, World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)

Keynote Presentations:

•  Experiences with Community Conservation around the Kahuzi-Biega National Park
  Mr Georges Bakongo, PNKB/GTZ Project, Kahuzi-Biega National Park
•  Conservation and zoning in the buffer zone : the case of the Okapi Wildlife Reserve
  Mr Richard Tshombe, Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), CEFRECOF
•  Establishment of green belts by local communities around the Virunga National Park: successes, failures, costs and benefits
  Mr Bisidi Yalolo, WWF, programme DRC
• Participatory boundary demarcation in the Virunga National Park: with, without, in favour of or against the local communities?
  Mr Bisidi Yalolo, WWF, programme DRC
•  Legal and institutional framework for participatory management of natural resources in DRC in 2004 : analysis and perspectives
  Mr Léonard Muamba Kanda, Secretary-General of the Ministry for Environment, DRC

Questions and answers

Discussion:

The implication of local communities in the conservation of World Heritage sites in DRC: lessons learned and future perspectives Moderator: Mr Marc Languy, WWF

Conclusion

17.00 – 18.00 Conclusions of the day 2 and closing remarks

Mr Jean-Pierre d’Huart, Consultant UNESCO

Partners for World Heritage in the Democratic Republic of Congo : a meeting between the public and private sector

15 September 2004

Chairmanship: Mr Grégoire Bakandeja wa Mpungu, Dean of the Faculty of Law, University of Kinshasa and President of the National Commission for Economics and Finances, DRC

10:30 – 10:50 Introduction to the World Heritage Convention

•  The World Heritage Convention and sites under its protection
  Mr Themba P. Wakashe, Chairperson of the World Heritage Committee

10:50 – 11:20 UNF Commitment to the World Heritage Convention

•  UNF’s Commitment to World Heritage Sites in DRC
  Mr David Carter, Vice-President for Finance, United Nations Foundation

11:10 – 12:00 Biodiversity Conservation in Regions of Armed Conflict: Preserving World Heritage Sites in DRC

•  Evaluation of the UNESCO – UNF project
  Mr Jean-Pierre D’Huart, Consultant, UNESCO
•  The work of the Insitut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature (ICCN)
  Mrs Eulalie Bashige, Director General of ICCN

12:00 – 13:00 The relationship between business and the natural environment

• Corporate environmental responsibility – does it matter?
  Mr Michael Golden, Publisher, International Herald Tribune
•  Sustainable Finance & Private Sector Partnerships for Conservation
  Ms Melissa Moye, Director, Centre for Conservation Finance, World Wildlife Fund (WWF)
•  Reconciling conservation with economic development in DRC
  Mr Jefferson Hall, Deputy Director Africa Program, Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)

14:00 – 14:20 The business context in DRC

The changing face of DRC’s business environment
Mr Emmanuel Mbi, World Bank

14:20 – 15:40 Challenges and opportunities in DRC: Case studies

•  Developing & implementing corporate responsibility policy & practice in DRC
  Ms Kate Harcourt, Social & Environmental Manager, Adastra
• The Congolese business community’s perspective
  Mr Victor Kasongo, Director General, Centre d’Evaluation, d’Expertise et de Certification
• Presentation of the Interafrican Forest Industries Association’s action
  Mr Jean – Pierre Landrot, General Secretary, IFIA
• Artisanal mining in the DRC
  Ms Jackie Damon, Coordinator, Initiative for Central Africa, OECD

15:40 – 16:20 Discussion panel

An open forum for representatives from Governments, the business sector, NGOs, the World Bank, UNESCO and other partners to react to presentations and explore possible areas of co-operation.

Moderator: Mr Grégoire Bakandeja wa Mpungu

16:20 – 16:30 Closing remarks

Mr Francesco Bandarin, Director of UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre

Followed by a Guided tour of the exhibition "Congo: Nature and Culture in the Democratic Republic of Congo" curated by the Royal Museum for Central Africa of Tervuren (Belgium).

Promoting and Preserving Congolese Heritage Linking Biological and Cultural Diversity

16 September 2004

10:00 – 11:30 Inauguration ceremony

Speeches by:

•  Mr Koïchiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO
•  Mr Arthur Z’Ahidi Ngoma, Vice-President of the Democratic Republic of Congo
•  Mr Eric Gauer, Ambassador for the Environment, France
•  Mr Eric Duchêne, Ambassador, Deputy Director General of the Belgian Cooperation

11:30 – 13:00 Theme I: Promoting and Preserving Congolese Heritage

Introduction and Chairmanship by:
Mr Walter Erdelen, Assistant Director-General for Natural Sciences, UNESCO

Keynote presentations:

• Biodiversity Conservation: a Concern for All
  Mr Claude Martin, Director General, WWF international
•  The World Heritage Convention: a Flagship Programme for the Conservation of Biodiversity
  Mr Themba P. Wakashe, Chairperson of the World Heritage Committee
•  Providing support to the reconstruction of DRC: a Joint Strategy Elaborated by UNESCO and DRC
  Mr Komlavi Seddoh, UNESCO Task Force Director on DRC

Round table:

The Role of Local Knowledge in the Preservation of Congolese Heritage

Introduction and Moderation by:
Mrs Shaje Tshiluila, Director of the National Museums of the DRC

Panellists include:

• Mr Guido Gryseels, Director of the Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, Belgium
• Mr Camille Kuyu, Law Professor, University of Panthéon-Sorbonne, Paris, France
•  Mr Théodore Trefon, Director of the Anthropology Centre, University of Brussels, Belgium

14:30– 16:00 Theme II: Protecting the Congo Basin Biodiversity

Introduction and Chairmanship by:
 Mr Kalemani Jo Mulongoy, Head of the Division of Scientific, Technical and Technological Matters, Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity

Keynote presentations:

•  The Congo Basin Forests: Critical for Biodiversity Conservation
  Mr Olivier Langrand, Vice-President for Africa, Conservation International (CI)
•  The Conference on Central African Moist Forest Ecosystems (CEFDHAC): Towards the Conservation and Sustainable Use of the Forests of Central Africa
  Mr Daniel Ngantou, Director, Central Africa Office, World Conservation Union (IUCN)
• The Yaoundé Declaration and the Conference of Ministers for the Forests of Central Africa (COMIFAC): a Commitment by the Governments of the Central African Countries to Conserve Biodiversity
  Mr Henri Djombo, Minister for the Forestry Economics and the Environment, former President of COMIFAC (Republic of the Congo)
• The Congo Basin Forest Partnership: an International Commitment to Assist Central African Countries in Protecting Biodiversity
  Mr David Kaeuper, Ambassador, Facilitator of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership

15:45 Discussion and conclusion by the Chairperson

16:30 – 18:00 Theme III: The World Heritage of the Democratic Republic of the Congo: The Heart of Congo Basin

Introduction and Chairmanship by:
Mr Natajaran Ishwaran, Director of the Division of Ecological Sciences, UNESCO

Keynotes presentations:

•  Biodiversity Conservation: the Environmental Context of the Democratic Republic of Congo
  Mr Steven E. Sanderson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)
•  Preserving Biodiversity in the Democratic Republic of Congo through an Integrated Forest Policy Approach
  Mr Anselme Enerunga, Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Forestry, Democratic Republic of the Congo
• The Democratic Republic of Congo’s National Parks: a History of Conservation
  Mr Mambaelele Mankoto, Programme Specialist, Division of Ecological Sciences, UNESCO for Mr Jacques Verschuren, Former Director of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s National Parks
•  The State of Conservation of the World Heritage Sites in the Democratic Republic of Congo
  Ms Eulalie Bashige, Director-General of the Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature (ICCN)

17:45 Discussion and conclusion by Chairperson

18:00 Special Presentation:

Congo: Nature and Culture in DRC Mr Guido Gryseels, Director of the Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, Belgium

18:15 Cocktail and Guided Tour of the Exhibition Congo: Nature and Culture in the DRC

17 September 2004

10:00 – 13:00 Theme IV: Conserving World Heritage Biodiversity in Times of Conflict

Introduction and Chairmanship by:
Mr Noureini Tidjani-Serpos, Assistant Director-General, Africa Department, UNESCO

Keynote presentations:

• Lessons Learned from the project “Biodiversity Conservation in Regions of Armed Conflict: Protecting World Heritage Sites in DRC”
  including a brief report from the experts workshop (13-14 September)
  Mr Jean-Pierre d’Huart, Consultant and team leader of the evaluation mission
• Conservation in Practice in Regions of Conflict:
   The Work of the Guards by Mr Jobogo Mirindi, Virunga National Park
   Wildlife: a Status Report by Mr Robert Mwinyihali, Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)
   Diplomacy for Conservation by Mr Paulin Tshikaya Ngoy, Garamba National Park

11:45 Questions from the floor

12:15 Round table:

Looking ahead: Democratic Republic of Congo’s World Heritage in the Next Decade

Moderation by Mr Jean-Pierre d’Huart

Panellists include:

• Ms Eulalie Bashige, Director-General of the Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature (ICCN)
• Mr Jérôme Mabiala ma Khete, Director, Permanent Forest Management and Inventory Service (SPIAF)
• Mr Samy Mankoto, President of Réseau des Aires Protégées de l’Afrique Centrale (RAPAC), former DG of ICCN
• Mr John Lukas, President of the International Rhino Foundation, Director of Gilman International Conservation
• Ms Annette Lanjouw, Technical Advisor International Gorilla Conservation Programme (IGCP)
• Mr Guy Debonnet, Programme Specialist, UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre

14:30 – 18:00 Theme V: Partners for World Heritage in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Introduction and Chairmanship by:
Mr Francesco Bandarin, Director of UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre

14:45 Declaration by the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo Highlighting the Political Commitment for the Preservation of World Heritage Sites in Danger

Mr Anselme Enerunga, Minister for the Environment, Nature, Conservation and Forestry, Democratic Republic of Congo

Presentations by Donors Supporting the World Heritage in the Democratic Republic of the Congo:

15:00 Government representatives:

•  Government of Belgium
  Mr Eric Duchêne, Ambassador, Deputy Director General of the Belgian Cooperation
•  Government of Germany
  Ms Gudrun Grosse Wiesmann, Deputy Director General for Africa, Ministry of Development Cooperation
• Government of USA
  Ms Ann Carson, Permanent Delegation of USA to UNESCO
•  Government of France
  Ms Bérengère Quincy, Director for Technical Cooperation, DGCID
• Government of Italy
  Mr Roberto Tortoli, Under-Secretary for Environment

16:15 Intergovernmental agencies:

• World Bank / Global Environmental Facility
  Mr Emmanuel Mbi, Country Director of Operation for the Democratic Republic of Congo
• European Union
  Mr Gilles Fontaine, Permanent Delegate of the European Union to UNESCO and OECD
•  United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) / Global Environmental Facility
  Mr Abdoulaye Ndiaye, Regional Coordinator Biodiversity for West/Central Africa
• European Space Agency (ESA)
  Mr Jean-Charles Bigot, Director of International Relations, ESA

17:00  Non-governmental representatives:

• United Nations Foundation (UNF)
  Mr David Carter, Vice President for Finance
• Conservation NGO partners of UNESCO
• International Rhino Foundation (IRF)
• World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)
• Zoological Society of London (ZSL)
• Fauna and Flora International (FFI)
• African Wildlife Foundation (AWF)
• Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)
• Gilman International Conservation (GIC)
• Zoological Society of Milwaukee (ZSM)
• Frankfurt Zoological Society (FZS)

17:30 Discussion and conclusion by the Chairperson

17:50 Report from the workshop “Partners for Heritage in DRC”

Mr Grégoire Bakandeja wa Mpungu, Dean of the Faculty of Law, University of Kinshasa and President of the National Commission for Economics and Finances, DRC

18:00 – 18:30 Closing ceremony

Speeches by:

•  Mr Arthur Z’Ahidi Ngoma, Vice-President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
•  Mr Marcio Barbosa, Deputy Director General of UNESCO