Created by Field Legality Advisory Group (FLAG), the CEAS-GRNE offers practitioners of independent observation educational and technical solutions in order to reduce the bad practices that undermine this field of activity in the countries of the Congo Basin.
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The introduction of notions of good governance in the large sector of natural resource management has led to the need for greater monitoring of the application of texts and regulations in the countries of the Congo Basin both by the administrations in charge of control only by third parties.
More than 20 years after the extension of Independent Monitoring (IO) of the application of laws and regulations in most African countries, we find that it is in the forestry sector that we observe the most clearly a trend towards the professionalization of independent oversight. Indeed, civil society and communities deploy a wide variety of tools, procedures and technologies, as well as more or less coordinated expertise to carry out independent monitoring actions.
However, attempts at synergy between these different players remain very marginal, due, among other things, to the undoubted mistrust that characterizes the relationships between these IO players, the uncertainty about the quality of the data produced, the different agendas pursued by each actors, the approach to the communication of facts and the resulting analyses. The remediation solutions for these major shortcomings have been the subject of reflection, analysis and various publications for at least 10 years.
Among the forerunners of independent monitoring of forest law enforcement, a group of experts brought together within the organization Field Legality Advisory Group (FLAG) conducted consultations with all stakeholders (private sector, administration in charge of management and control, civil society organizations involved in this activity, and other resource persons) in and outside the basin of the Congo, since 2014 with the aim of holistically analyzing the problems and possible solutions to raise the quality and credibility of independent observation.
It emerged that the absence of spaces for mutual learning, capacity building, demonstration of good practices, in short of excellence, would be an underlying cause of the lack of consultation, professionalization and efficiency observed. . Hence the initiative for the creation by FLAG of a Center of Excellence and Application for the Monitoring of Natural Resource Management (CEAS-GRNE), dedicated to training in the monitoring of natural resource management.
Operational since 2022 thanks to funding of the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD) within the framework of the project ” Innovative Technologies for Combating Illegal Logging: Scaling Timber Identification and Transparency Platforms, Congo Basin Component », the CEAS-GRNE offers continuing training that certifies qualified practitioners in monitoring the management of natural resources.
CEAS-GRNE, a technical expertise hub
This center dedicated to training in monitoring the management of natural resources therefore appears to be the most suitable option in the region because it meets both the needs for consolidation of achievements and innovation of techniques, sharing of experience , transfer of expertise, and constitution of a community of good practices in monitoring the management of natural resources.
As a result, the CEAS-GRNE offers appropriate solutions to the issues that challenge monitoring actions and thereby offers a perfect symbiosis between innovation, coordination and complementarity in terms of monitoring, so that qualified practitioners can detect, report illegal and irregular acts in the exploitation of natural resources and drive change towards better sustainable management practices.
Built by routes around knowledge of the resource, governance and practice and ethics, the Center of Excellence ensures the satisfaction of its learners thanks to modular training, according to needs, alternating face-to-face and remotely, not forgetting the practical sessions in the field. Supervision is also provided by a diverse team of qualified and experienced men and women trainers and practitioners. The diversity of the countries from which the learners come from the Congo Basin preceding that of the teachers, gradually established its sub-regional anchorage.
« The CEAS-GRNE plans to strengthen the capacities of the actors involved in the monitoring of forest resources at the scale of the Congo Basin. It is also intended to be a space for exchange between the academic world and the socio-professional environment. Cyrille Bogne Sadeu, Deputy Director of CEAS-GRNE.
The Center of Excellence can therefore avail itself of the ability to train professionals, who will possess both a strategic vision and an operational mastery of monitoring the application of laws and regulations relating to the management of forest, wildlife, mining, fisheries and the environment.
What about learner training?
Since June 13, 2023, the 2e vintage of learners has started its training coupled with distance and face-to-face courses according to a well-adapted schedule. Selected on the basis of a competitive and rigorous process, a dozen professionals from CSOs working in the field of NRM from Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Congo and the Central African Republic benefit from the expertise of seasoned teachers and practitioners. ” This training allows me to strengthen my skills thanks to the different themes covered. Every day, with each topic discussed, it’s as if I discover new things about OI. The face-to-face courses we attend are even more enriching in terms of new technical and practical knowledge. says Laurent Yangueta of the Observatory for the Management of Natural Resources and the Environment (OGRNE) in CAR.
As for promotion 1time promotion already operational in their organizations, more than 27 courses divided into 9 modules are scheduled to structure the knowledge and skills to be acquired and demonstrated. Also the evaluation of knowledge, know-how and interpersonal skills at the end of this session will condition the certification of the learners’ skills.
As a reminder, training within the CEAS-GRNE is done intermittently through face-to-face teaching with an emphasis on personalized follow-up remotely and in the field. The first phase of the training, which takes place online, is spread over a month before the arrival of the learners at CEAS-GRNE. The learners are then brought together for 30 days in the premises of the Center for the face-to-face training phase, in order to promote interactions between them and the teachers and to establish the theories learned. A period of 60 days of practical learning constituted by an internship (IO mission) within the organizations to which the learners belong, and sanctioned by the production and presentation of an OI mission report.
