Brazzaville Summit

Brazzaville Summit

News: Recently, the Brazzaville Summit was attended by more than 3,000 delegates from countries in the three basins of the Amazon, Congo and Borneo-Mekong-Southeast Asia.

About:
• The Brazzaville Summit, also known as the Summit of the Three Basins, was a significant event held in Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of Congo, from October 26 to 28, 2023. The Republic of Congo, as the initiator of the alliance between the Three Great Basins, hosted this Founding Summit.
• The summit brought together leaders from the Amazon, Congo, and Borneo-Mekong-Southeast Asia regions, which account for 80% of the world’s tropical forests and two-thirds of terrestrial biodiversity. These regions play an essential role in regulating the carbon balance.
• The purpose of the Summit was to implement, within the framework of the United Nations Decade for Ecosystem Restoration, the first global coalition to restore 350 million hectares of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. The summit aimed to establish a cooperation agreement for a future Global Alliance of the Three Basins.

Summit Declaration
• Summit concluded with the declaration by the Heads of State and Government of the States.
• Fund Commitment: There is a need to create a fund to address loss and damage due to climate change.
• Leaders urged developed countries to meet their commitments. These include the $200 billion per year by 2030, as set out in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, and $100 billion per year in climate finance as new, additional, predictable and adequate resources to developing countries.
• However, some were disappointed that it did not result in an alliance of the three basins.

About the 3 Basins:
• Congo Basin
o Known as the “lungs of Africa”, the Congo Basin is the largest carbon sink in the world.
o The Congo Basin spans across six countries—Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon
• Amazon Basin
o The Amazon Basin is a vast biome that spans across—Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, and Suriname—and French Guiana.
• The Borneo-Mekong-Southeast Asia Basin
o It is the world’s third largest carbon sink, and is composed of two sub-regions, the island of Borneo and the Mekong River.