Belgium will contribute €5 million to a fund aimed at protecting tropical forests in the Congo Basin, Climate Minister Jean-Luc Crucke announced on Tuesday at the UN Climate Summit COP30 in Belem, Brazil.
The funding will come from revenue generated by the EU Emissions Trading System and will be allocated as development aid in collaboration with the Minister for Development Cooperation, Maxime Prévot.
This initial €5 million is a symbolic first instalment, with additional contributions potentially following later. It forms part of the minister’s Africa Belgium Climate (ABC) plan, which seeks to connect historical ties with a shared future.
The fund, named 'The Belem Call for the Forests of the Congo Basin,' aims to raise over $2.5 billion over the next five years to protect the world’s second-largest rainforest. This funding will supplement contributions from Central African countries for Congo Basin conservation.
The initiative aligns with commitments made at COP26 in Glasgow to halt deforestation by 2030.
The Congo Basin, located in Central Africa, is considered one of the planet’s vital “lungs” alongside the Amazon rainforest.
