China-Africa Forest Governance Learning Platform puts focus on business solutions

An event in Beijing brought together Chinese and African stakeholders to focus on sustainable Chinese investment and trade affecting Africa's forests.

News, 14 February 2017
Participants at the third China-Africa Forest Governance Learning Platform meeting in Beijing (Photo: Simon Lim/IIED)

Participants at the third China-Africa Forest Governance Learning Platform meeting in Beijing (Photo: Simon Lim/IIED)

The third learning event of the China-Africa Forest Governance Learning Platform brought together more than 100 participants in Beijing to discuss how China can help sustain Africa's forest resources.

Delegates included representatives of African timber-exporting countries, Chinese officials, private sector representatives and civil society organisations. Their discussions over two days in October focused on the role of Chinese stakeholders and the private sector in working with African stakeholders to promote pro-poor and sustainable investment and trade in Africa's forests. 

On the first day, participants discussed policy solutions to improving Chinese investments in Africa's land-use sectors and legality in the China-Africa trade. The second day focused on business solutions, including the opportunities and challenges of deep processing in the timber industry and shared recent findings of research to enhance sustainable forest management in Africa through investment in the forestry sector.

The event agenda is available to download (PDF), while presentations are available on IIED's SlideShare platform, as follows:

The China-Africa Forest Governance Learning Platform was launched in 2013. It brings together forest governance participants, including heads of government and forest departments from eight African countries, representatives from the Chinese Academy of Forestry, the Global Environmental Institute, IIED, WWF and some other international organisations.

A group photo of the participants at the third China-Africa Forest Governance Learning Platform event in Beijing (Photo: Simon Lim/IIED)

By October 2016, three major international learning events – two in China and one in Cameroon – had been organised. Participants have recognised its success to date in creating an open dialogue space for Chinese, African and the international community to come together.

The latest event, on 24 and 25 october, was hosted by the Research Institute of Forestry Policy and Information; Chinese Academy of Forestry; Centre for International Forest Products Trade, State Forestry Administration; IIED; EFI EU FLEGT Facility; the Global Environmental Institute and World Wildlife Fund China.