BRAZZAVILLE, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- Prime Minister of the Republic of the Congo Anatole Collinet Makosso on Friday urged scientists to unite in the fight against climate change.
"This is a fight in which we must stand together, to ensure progress in our collective efforts against climate change," said Makosso at the summit of the world's three major forest basins, which has been taking place in Brazzaville since Thursday.
The three-day summit is the first of its kind, bringing together the world's three major tropical forest basins: the Amazon, Congo, and Borneo-Mekong Forest Basins. The summit should "formalize genuine south-south cooperation in support of biodiversity and the climate," said Makosso.
On the sidelines of this summit, the government of the Republic of the Congo and the World Bank concluded two financing agreements on Friday related to the reduction of emissions in Sangha and Likouala, two departments located in the northern part of the country, and the improvement of road and river transport in Central Africa.
Regarding the first agreement, Congolese Minister of Economy and Finance Jean-Baptiste Ondaye said that the objective "is to release an amount estimated at 41.8 million U.S. dollars to reduce emissions caused by deforestation and forest degradation."
The other agreement, according to the minister, concerns regional projects to improve transport corridors in the Central Africa region, which includes the maintenance of waterways on the Congo River and the construction and rehabilitation of secondary ports.
Cheick Fantamady Kante, the World Bank's country director, said "This (second) agreement is the realization of the government's vision to revitalize trade and economic prosperity in Central Africa, particularly along the regional river and road corridor."
The Amazon basin in South America, the Congo basin in Central Africa, and the Borneo-Mekong basin in Southeast Asia collectively constitute 80 percent of the world's rainforests and contain approximately two-thirds of its biodiversity. These rainforests are not only vital for their local ecosystems but also play a global role in regulating the planet's climate and sustaining life on Earth. ■