DRC Adopts 2026–2035 National Forest Policy

The Democratic Republic of Congo's Council of Ministers approved a new National Forest Policy for 2026–2035 on July 12, 2026, during its 94th session in Kinshasa, presented by Environment Minister Marie Nyange Ndambo. It is the first time the DRC has adopted such a policy despite holding the largest share of the Congo Basin — the world's second-largest tropical rainforest. The decade-long framework pursues three objectives: reducing poverty through sustainable forest management, building climate resilience and preserving biodiversity, and strengthening institutional governance across national, provincial, and local levels. It formally recognizes customary land rights and expands participation from Indigenous Pygmy communities, women, youth, and persons with disabilities in forest governance. The policy calls for mobilizing public and private financing and deeper regional cooperation to position the DRC as a 'solution-country' in climate action, and follows the $2.5 billion Belém Call to Action pledge to conserve the Congo Basin forests.