How Can the International Community Get the World Bank to Adhere to Its Principles in the Drc? Carving up the Congo 75

HOW CAN THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY GET THE WORLD BANK TO ADHERE TO ITS PRINCIPLES IN THE DRC? CARVING UP THE CONGO 75 It is time for the World Bank to lay aside the ‘From the international industrial logging model of development and community’s viewpoint, the support an alternative vision. return of peace in the DRC can be perceived as a unique Today, the intact rainforest of the DRC needs opportunity to take a fresh to be valued and conserved in the interests of look at the second-largest both the Congolese people and the global block of rainforest in the environment. These interests are incompatible world, to avoid the replication with industrial logging: logging brings roads of unsuccessful models, and that open up – and thereby degrade – intact to develop new models that forest, a destruction to which anyone with give more emphasis to the access to Google Earth can bear witness. environment and to forest dwellers. From the Preserving the rainforest means ensuring that Government’s viewpoint, enforcement measures are brought to bear forests present an against those companies and individuals who opportunity to restore the undermine the rule of law in the DRC. country’s international image International aid to the DRC must be by protecting the global conditional on the meeting of a range of good environment, and to improve governance principles to ensure the money is local livelihoods and spent well – one such precondition being the consolidate peace. These two rigorous implementation of the legal review of viewpoints seem to be existing logging titles. Those logging compatible and to a large companies that flout the law in the DRC must extent converging. However, not be allowed to profit. acting on them will require breaking new ground in policy The World Bank strategy of using the logging making and financial systems, sector to help kick-start development in the and will involve a large set of DRC by raising state revenues may seem political and economic actors logical on paper. However, the flaw in its logic … A high-level international is the misguided belief that, given the level of debate is needed to bring this corruption in the country and with basic law vision into reality. Available enforcement crippled by a total lack of options needs to be put institutional capacity, logging money will squarely on the table, and nonetheless be efficiently channelled towards new ones developed.’459 rebuilding the nation, alleviating poverty and World Bank et al promoting environmental responsibility. As this report shows, the key measures proposed by the World Bank reform – the moratorium, the legal review and the land use planning foreseen in the Forestry Code – are either not being enforced or have not even been implemented. This means that these measures have been unable to stop loggers colluding with and reinforcing the corrupt practices that have characterised governance of the sector to date; consequently, they have failed to protect the rainforest and support genuine development.458 ©Mauthe/Greenpeace ©Greenpeace/Reynaers ‘[Global Witness recommends In fact, logging money actually serves to s the fiscal revenues from forest area taxes the World Bank] suspend and undermine the common good. As one that should accrue to communities ‘remain review all Bank funded … respected social scientist notes: ‘It is common more imaginary than real’462 leaving them sector reform initiatives that knowledge that the revenues earned in the bereft of government investment for vital give industrial-scale logging a logging sector were shared directly by political infrastructure competitive advantage over elites and the loggers themselves with little other forms of forest use.’460 concern for local populations or the s access to vital forest resources is diminished Global Witness letter to the environment.’461 World Bank s community consultation practices and social This situation inevitably puts the interests of responsibility contracts, supposedly intended those profiting from the logging (both the to improve the lot of forest communities logging companies themselves and corrupt through the direct agency of logging elements within government – who are also of companies, in fact further institutionalise course responsible for implementing and inequality and social marginalisation enforcing reforms) in serious conflict with the interest of other stakeholders in the fate of the Without implementation and enforcement, the DRC’s rainforest (its wildlife, forest dwelling billions of dollars of international funding linked communities, and the world as a whole in the to the adoption of the World Bank’s reforms, context of climate change). though destined for poverty alleviation, will serve little purpose but to perpetuate the The World Bank’s strategy and the order in DRC’s networks of corruption. which its reforms are being implemented is having a range of negative impacts on forest- Punitive action must be taken against those dwelling communities: who undermine efforts to bring natural resource extraction under the rule of law. Only in this way, by starving corrupt networks of their financial lifeblood, can proper governance start to be established. CARVING UP THE CONGO 77 New government, new vision … or business WHO NEEDS TO DO WHAT ‘[A]chieve by 2010 a as usual? The international community, which has the significant reduction of the Now is a pivotal time for the DRC: the coming power and resources to lead change in the current rate of biodiversity months and years will show whether the newly DRC, must not permit the DRC to repeat the loss at the global, regional elected Government has the political will to dismal recent history of other Central African and national level as a reform. At the same time, there can be no countries, where reliance on the short-term contribution to poverty further excuse on the part of the World Bank economics of extractive export industries has alleviation and to the benefit and international donor governments to delay exacerbated political corruption and poverty. of all life on earth’464 using their leverage to help combat corruption. Convention on Biological Indeed, it should recognise that the industrial Diversity 2010 Biodiversity Good governance and land use planning that logging model of development does not work Target involves all stakeholders must precede any in a context of poor governance and does not industrial development. A wide range of generate the desired economic, social and stakeholders – from forest-dwelling environmental benefits. communities to the wider world impacted by the growing instability of the global climate – Punitive action must be taken against those all have an interest in the fate of the DRC’s companies and individuals who undermine the rainforests. While climate protection and the rule of law in the DRC. International aid to the safeguarding of community interests DRC must be conditional on the meeting of a potentially share a long-term agenda, logging range of good governance principles to ensure interests inevitably conflict with these. the money is spent well – one such precondition being the rigorous Good governance relies not only on stifling implementation and enforcement of the legal corruption, but also on educating and review of existing logging titles. empowering local communities – only then can their participation in land use planning be The international community must also informed and decisive.463 Although this will support a new vision for sustainable inevitably be a long-term process, it is also a development and environmental protection by necessary precondition to genuine ensuring that fully participative regional land development. The fact that it takes time use plans are developed and implemented prior should not be used as an excuse in the to any expansion in industrial logging. meantime to give the private sector a free hand to extract natural resources in a way Rich nations must together develop a which pre-empts future options. permanent financing regime that maintains the environmental services provided by the DRC’s The road to genuine development starts with a intact rainforests. They must also support comprehensive moratorium on the expansion environmentally responsible and socially just of industrial logging, to be maintained until a development based on community-level comprehensive social and environmental land initiatives, and take much more stringent steps use planning has been conducted and basic to close the international market to illegal and governance established. A moratorium will buy conflict timber. time to get the processes of equitable economic development and large-scale The international community must support the conservation right, and to establish effective development of an international innovative systems of control to ensure that the financing mechanism that will provide the extractive industries do not in future ride necessary funding for the long-term roughshod over the wider interests of the conservation of forests, to ensure that the people and environment. Donors should use safeguarding of intact forests is made much this unique opportunity to support an more economically attractive than their alternative ‘pro-poor’ vision with focus on systemic industrial exploitation or clearing for forest community benefits and values and agricultural conversion. global environmental services. 78 CARVING UP THE CONGO ‘The UK certainly will support The DRC Government, with the assistance TIME FOR THE INTERNATIONAL the maintenance of

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