8. Public GESI Analysis.pdf

Central Africa Regional Program for the Environment

(CARPE)

CARPE IV Gender and Social Inclusion Analysis

Batwa woman on her way to the forest. Photo: R. E. Moïse (with permission)

CARPE IV GESI ANALYSIS 2

Table of Contents Acknowledgements and Disclaimer Acronyms Executive Summary Overview

Purpose and Scope Philosophy and Approach

Philosophy Approach

Observations Land Governance of Protected Areas Land Governance Outside of PAs Civil Society and Localization Green Enterprises and Markets

Women as Market Actors and Entrepreneurs Women and IPs in Research Climate Change

Women and IPs in Climate Policy Findings

General Findings Main Challenges to GESI Approaches to Implement GESI Progress Made

Recommendations Recommendations for CARPE IV and V Programming

Land Governance Green Enterprises and Markets Civil Society Law Enforcement

Recommendations for Achieving CARPE Cross-Cutting Themes Gender-Based Violence Indigenous Peoples Youth Localization Climate Change

Recommendations for Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Annex A: Bibliography

Useful tools mentioned in this analysis Other useful guides and reference materials

Annex B: Questionnaire Sent to Partners Annex C: CARPE IV Vision Activities

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Acknowledgements and Disclaimer Diane Russell’s work on this analysis is supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Mission to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (USAID/DRC) under a Purchase Order with the Central Africa Regional Program for the Environment, Nicodeme Tchamou, COR. Daniel Oros and Elodie Nsamba contributed to and greatly improved the analysis. CARPE partners and key informants provided many of the ideas and recommendations, and their commitment. honesty and experience is an inspiration. Many thanks also to Fatu Abassy for help in facilitation, and to James Yuma for data synthesis.

Disclaimer: Diane Russell is the main author of this analysis and bears responsibility for the content, which does not necessarily reflect the views of the informants, the CARPE program, USAID or the U.S. Government. Diane has been a Women in Development advisor, environment advisor, backstop, and social science advisor for USAID/DRC since 1988.

Citation: USAID/Democratic Republic of Congo 2024. Gender and Social Inclusion Analysis for the Central Africa Regional Program for the Environment, Phase IV.

Acronyms AFAP Association of Indigenous Pygmy Women AGENT Advancing Gender in the Environment AMELP Activity Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Plans APN African Parks Network BNS Basic Necessities Surveys CAR Central African Republic CARPE Central Africa Regional Program for the Environment CBI Congo Basin Institute CEERC Conservation Through Economic Empowerment in the Republic of the

Congo CFC Community Forest Concessions CSO Civil Service Organization COR Contracting Officer's Technical Representative DNH Do No Harm DRC Democratic Republic of the Congo DRG Democracy, Rights and Governance ECC Eglise du Christ au Congo FABS Forests and Biodiversity Support Activity FECOFUN Fédération of Community Forestry User Groups (Nepal) FCMC Forest Carbon, Markets and Communities FPIC Free, Prior and Informed Consent FPP Forest Peoples Programme GBV Gender-Based Violence

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GESI Gender, Equality and Social Inclusion GHG Greenhouse Gas GOVA Group of Village Organizations for Autonomous Development GRM Grievance and Redress Mechanism HEARTH Health, Ecosystems and Agriculture for Resilient Thriving Societies ICCN Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature IDP Internally Displaced Persons IIED International Institute for Environment and Development IITA International Institute of Tropical Agriculture IMET Integrated Management Effectiveness Tool IP Indigenous People IPLC Indigenous People and Local Communities IUCN International Union for the Conservation of Nature LDC Local Development Committee NAPS National Adaptation Plans NDCs Nationally Determined Contributions NGO Non-Government Organization NNNP Noubali Ndoki National Park OAA Office of Acquisition and Assistance PA Protected Area PASS Protected Area Social Safeguards PNKB Park National Kahuzi-Biega PSO Office of Peace and Security REDD+ Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing

Countries REFADD Réseau des femmes pour le développement durable REPALEAC Network of Indigenous and local populations for the sustainable management of forest ecosystems in Central Africa RFUK Rainforest UK ROC Republic of the Congo SAGE Site Level Assessment of Governance and Equity SCAPES Sustainable Conservation in Priority Landscapes SOM Statement of Managers TCMR Tanganyika Conflict Mitigation and Reconciliation Project TULINDE Let’s Protect Our Rights and Our Environment (Tulinde Haki na Mazingira Yetu) Activity UCLA University of California Los Angeles UMD University of Maryland USAID US Agency for International Development USFS US Forest Service USFWS US Fish and Wildlife Service WCS Wildlife Conservation Society WICA African Women’s Initiative for Climate Action

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Executive Summary The Congo Basin is a globally critical area for biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation. It also harbors some of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable peoples. Bold, holistic and large-scale approaches are needed to protect people, wildlife and ecosystems from violence and exploitation.

The intended audience for this analysis is CARPE partners and collaborators. Its purpose is to support them in strengthening Gender and Social Inclusion elements in strategies, workplans, activity monitoring, evaluation and learning plans (AMELP), and to spur discussions at partner meetings and site visits. It is hoped that this Gender, Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) analysis can advance gender integration in several sectors including Peace and Security, Agriculture, Democracy and Governance.

The analysis is organized in four sections. The first section outlines the approach and philosophy orienting the analysis. It emphasizes the need to take a broad and holistic view of GESI that examines root causes of exploitation and exclusion to discern how the fate of vulnerable people, species and ecosystems are intertwined. It suggests that deep listening1 and learning from youth, rural women, and Indigenous Peoples (IPs) builds trust and mobilizes strengths. The second section presents observations relevant to GESI from interviews, field visits, document review and experiences. These observations provide context for GESI findings that are covered in the third section. Findings derive from partners' responses to a questionnaire (Annex B) and a focus group conducted at the April CARPE partners' meeting.

Recommendations in the final section flow from the previous sections, organized around the CARPE vision (page 8 below; Annex C). Annex A is the bibliography for the analysis.

What is GESI?

GESI is multilayered. At a fundamental level it is about Do No Harm (DNH)2 to vulnerable individuals and groups. In terms of specific projects and sites, a GESI approach seeks to engage all actors in common purpose, recognizing that there is diversity in capacity, need and interest and that engagement of some groups may be hindered by prejudice, lack of mobility, poverty, insecurity and other factors. GESI approaches propose ways to overcome these constraints. As such, GESI approaches should address structural (root cause) barriers to

1 Deep listening is listening with an open agenda and open mind, participating in events and activities organized by local communities to learn their concerns and priorities, incorporating an understanding of history and culture as well as building on their strengths (Appreciative Inquiry approach described below).

2 Do No Harm in development is “An approach that helps to identify unintended negative or positive impacts of humanitarian and development interventions in settings where there is conflict or risk of conflict. It can be applied during planning, monitoring, and evaluation to ensure that the intervention does not worsen the conflict but rather contributes to improving it. Do No Harm is considered an essential basis for the work of organizations operating in situations of conflict.” https://inee.org/eie-glossary/do-no-harm.

https://pumble.com/blog/deep-listening/#:%7E:text=Deep%20listening%20takes%20place%20when,new%20information%20from%20the%20speaker.

https://inee.org/eie-glossary/do-no-harm

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engagement and be instrumental in fostering social justice and equitable access to economic, social and political resources. The energies of women, youth, Indigenous Peoples (IPs) and other vulnerable and marginalized groups can then enhance conservation and climate change efforts as they form part of progress towards prosperity, security and better governance.

The summary highlights key recommendations:

1. To build a future for youth, develop a strategy to mobilize large scale investments in rural areas of conservation and mitigation value, including Community Forest Concessions (CFCs). Youth of both genders, including IPs, are fleeing rural areas, creating a huge loss of human capital needed to protect the environment.3 The lack of positive investment, conflict and insecurity also pushes youth into illegal, dangerous and unsustainable activities. In the void, resource exploiters with no stake in caring for the land and its resources have free reign. Protected Areas (PAs) are hugely important but can’t do enough on their own. Large scale mobilization of civil society and the private sector to build a green rural economy and strengthen rural institutions is needed to counter these dangerous trends. Despite prejudice, neglect and poverty, there is tremendous strength and knowledge that can be mobilized when people are empowered to protect their territories, resources, cultures and livelihoods.

2. Where there is a disconnect between immediate needs of IPs and women and conservation objectives, link them strategically and creatively. For example, craft panyas (cloth wraps) with IP women in literacy classes designed with Indigenous art, literacy and conservation messages.4 Improve access to clean water through watershed and wetlands restoration. Address food insecurity through access to disease-free seeds/cuttings, which can also reduce agricultural extensification into forests. Thus their priorities and needs are respected, building trust and enabling joint planning.

3. Move beyond surveys and safeguards to develop holistic deep listening approaches to gathering and sharing social information using tools and guidance cited in this analysis and summarized in Annex B. Incorporate the history, art and culture of IPs to communicate the story of PAs locally and internationally. It is common practice in many parts of the world to integrate the history of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) into PA histories, even the conflict elements.

4. Develop GESI training programs for PA managers using resources such as the Site Level Assessment of Governance and Equity (SAGE) from the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) and the Integrated Management Effectiveness Tool (IMET). Support Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature (ICCN)’s GESI advisors and other relevant groups in the region to train ICCN and

3 Gabon has the highest rate of urbanization in Africa. The Republic of the Congo (ROC) is also highly urbanized. DRC has the third largest urban population in Africa, after Nigeria and South Africa. The average age in DRC is 17, thus it is an extremely young population, necessitating a focus on youth.

(Various sources) 4 This issue came up because women in literacy classes indicated that their most important needs were not being met. While they appreciated gaining literacy, they were uncomfortable appearing in public without appropriate clothing.

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other PA staff. Share tools and resources to combat Gender Based Violence (GBV) developed by the USAID/International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) partnership Advancing Gender in the Environment (AGENT).

5. To reduce ecosystem degradation and deforestation outside of PAs, such as in CFCs, advocate for women’s leadership in management and decision making.

Research (Leisher et al. 2016 and 2017 systematic reviews, currently being updated) presented evidence that gender inclusive management improves environmental outcomes, including reducing deforestation. Work with experts to design and spread low greenhouse gas (GHG) emission agriculture models that can feasibly be implemented by rural women and ideally incorporate land security for women. In addition, as climate finance increases, review resources on GESI for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) related to the region, women in agriculture, and IP engagement.

6. Collaborate with and build trusted local institutions. As part of new Agency localization ambitions, explore collaboration with faith-based groups such as the Eglise du Christ au Congo (ECC), Catholic dioceses, and Interfaith Rainforest Initiative whose messages reach millions.5 The Nobel Prize website put it this way, discussing the 2024 prize for three American economists: “The introduction of inclusive institutions would create long-term benefits for everyone, but extractive institutions provide short-term gains for the people in power. As long as the political system guarantees they will remain in control, no one will trust their promises of future economic reforms. This is why no improvement occurs.”

7. To build constituencies, explore engagement with women’s groups that may not be focused on environmental issues. Key areas include human/women’s rights, urban sanitation, household energy, GBV and sexual health, climate change adaptation and food security, food loss and waste, forest restoration, bushmeat consumption and health.

Lessons from partnering with women’s groups include that care needs to be taken not to exploit their free labor. And that support for family planning must be incorporated into a comprehensive program of maternal and child health.6 To go beyond small scale efforts, consider creating or supporting an investment fund for women entrepreneurs working in conservation and climate change, especially in rural areas.

8. Find ways to support environmental defenders, recognizing the inextricable link between protecting people, wildlife and ecosystems from violence, exploitation and degradation. Develop a strategy with the USAID/DRC mission’s Democracy, Rights and Governance (DRG) experts that builds on Agency experience in civil society strengthening. Link up women and IPs in community forestry concessions to create a national advocacy group such as is found in Nepal, where the national community forestry association (Federation of Community Forestry User Groups/FECOFUN) has played a major role in reducing deforestation and promoting gender equality. Consider

5 Some programs are doing this at a local level (e.g., Garamba).

6 High population growth is often cited as a driver of deforestation and biodiversity loss in the region due to expanding smallholder farms. However this should not be the guiding motivation for funding family planning services. Such services must be provided as part of a holistic maternal and child health program undertaken by professionals.

https://biodiversitylinks.org/projects/completed-projects/forest-carbon-markets-and-communities-fcmc-project/task-areas/ses https://biodiversitylinks.org/projects/completed-projects/forest-carbon-markets-and-communities-fcmc-project/task-areas/ses https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/economic-sciences/2024/press-release/ https://populationconnection.org/article/the-disappearing-lungs-of-africa-deforestation-in-the-congo-basin/

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how women in India and Kenya were a driving force in environmental protection (e.g., the Greenbelt Movement, the Chipko Movement).

9. Engage all stakeholders in defining boundaries and a common vision to build trust and legitimacy. Through actions such as the participatory demarcation of boundaries, Virunga National Park and other partners work with Indigenous communities to ensure that fair, defensible boundaries of the Park are agreed upon and maintained. Similarly CARPE partner Rainforest United Kingdom (RFUK) engages men, women and IPs in mapping to define boundaries and a common vision in community forestry. Validate participatory boundary demarcation regularly as situations and perceptions change.

Ensure that land rights for women and IPs are central to community forestry and other land management efforts.

10. In gathering data, training and learning, deploy peer-to-peer approaches, which are effective and empowering. Women learn best from the experiences and knowledge of other women who they trust and respect. The same principle holds for IPs and youth, for example, through the School for Indigenous and Local Knowledge in Cameroon that supports elders to teach youth about culture and ecology. External scientific and technical knowledge and data can be woven into peer learning, for example through transect walks from the participatory rural appraisal (PRA) toolkit.

Draft USAID Biodiversity Policy for Public Review, December 2023, page 15:

USAID will undertake a whole-of-Agency approach to catalyze nature-positive, equitable development, in order to achieve transformative change. USAID will go beyond threat reduction and do-no-harm to identify and pursue opportunities to shift societal systems–governance, financial, food, public health and veterinary, energy, transport, and urban, among others–in support of biodiversity conservation…USAID will use its convening power to marshall collective action and broad coalitions needed to address the twin crises of biodiversity and climate change together. USAID will also work to mobilize the financial resources needed for biodiversity conservation through actions such as promoting reduction of harmful subsidies and catalyzing public and private finance. USAID will center equity in this approach by partnering with and fostering the leadership of local, marginalized, and/or under-represented groups throughout, while upholding Indigenous rights and mitigating conflict risks.

Overview

Purpose and Scope CARPE entered its fourth phase (CARPE IV Vision) in 2020 and as a result needs to update its GESI analysis to guide the program. The analysis builds on two previous gender analyses (2013 and 2018) as well as the CARPE Guide to Engaging Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities and Partnering with Indigenous Peoples in Conservation Initiatives: Towards a http://www.greenbeltmovement.org/ https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chipko_movement https://www.cbi.ucla.edu/silk https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Participatory_rural_appraisal https://carpe.umd.edu/sites/default/files/documentsarchive/Gender_Analysis_for_CARPE_3_3May2013.pdf https://docs.google.com/file/d/12HBwwTrBiXSFFnuEOJKuEi-supCUw6d1/edit?usp=docslist_api&filetype=msword https://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PA00WPXD.pdf https://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PA00WPXD.pdf https://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/pa00x28z.pdf

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New Conservation Practice. In this update, there is an increased focus on IPs, youth engagement, and the impacts of GBV from entrenched misogyny and conflict in eastern DRC.7

The main evidence base for this analysis consists of findings from three focus groups,8 key informant interviews and responses to a questionnaire (Annex C) that identified GESI information and concerns from CARPE implementing partners. A thorough document review uncovered and supported findings and issues related to GESI in the region (Annex B). No fieldwork was undertaken specifically for this GESI analysis, however recent consultations in the DRC and the Republic of the Congo (ROC)—Bukavu, Kalemie, Brazzaville, in and around Ouesso—yielded important insights.9 It is expected that updates from CARPE staff field visits will continue to enrich the analysis, as it is not a static document, but an ongoing collaborative effort. The bulk of the findings are from CARPE partners working in the DRC; however, CARPE partners in the ROC and Central African Republic (CAR) contributed data and GESI-related information from their USAID funded program activities.

2020-2025 CARPE IV Vision Themes and Strategic Approaches

This GESI analysis is constructed around the 2020-2025 CARPE IV themes and strategic approaches while considering the overarching political, social, cultural, and economic systems that shape GESI outcomes. USAID supported CARPE activities on land governance, civil society, law enforcement, and green enterprises and markets directly impact the lives of women, IPs, and other marginalized groups (see CARPE Activities list in Annex D).

7 Conflicts have broken out around Kisangani and in Mai-Ndombe and overall conflict around land is predicted to increase with migration and erosion of customary authority.

8 One focus group consisted of several CARPE partners at the CARPE Partners Meeting; the second and third consisted of invited groups of key informants of women and Indigenous Peoples (Annex A).

9 Diane Russell also drew on 35 years’ experience working in the region on women’s empowerment, Indigenous Peoples’ history and rights, rural development, conservation and climate change.

https://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/pa00x28z.pdf https://www.barrons.com/news/4-killed-in-land-conflict-in-northeast-dr-congo-f8224390 https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/ethnic-conflict-kills-11-people-western-congo-2024-01-31/#:%7E:text=At%20least%203%2C000%20people%20have,leader%20Martin%20Suta%20told%20Reuters.

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Philosophy and Approach

Philosophy To improve GESI outcomes, one must consider the root causes or drivers of human behavior.

The dynamics of GESI are embedded in social, cultural, political and economic structures.

These shape and reinforce destabilizing behaviors such as control, dominance, inequality, exclusion, prejudice and stereotyping on the one hand and social solidarity, personal courage, and collective action on the other hand.

In addition, GESI outcomes are shaped by struggles over control of labor, financial and natural resource assets, playing out at all levels, from the household to the global economy. There is a clear link between the destruction and degradation of ecosystems and the depredation of vulnerable people, who are generally more reliant on ecosystems for livelihoods and survival. It is a system of exploitation of their land, labor and energies, built on historical foundations, to benefit the more powerful and shore up their power over people and resources. The region has long been a place to plunder. Conservation is a powerful force seeking to reverse that trend and it needs all the help it can get.

From the 2020-2025 CARPE IV Vision

The “people-centered” approach used by CARPE focuses on actors shaping demand and decisions, and modeling the political economy to understand and address the root causes of tropical forest and biodiversity loss and to avoid potentially ineffective solutions. (Page 9)

CARPE seeks to understand and engage whole communities, often encompassing multiple ethnic groups, and identify, develop, and implement programming to meet the needs of Indigenous Peoples, women, youth, and other marginalized groups. This holistic approach involves working with other sectors, such as democracy, rights and governance, agriculture, economic growth, education, and health, to support targeted services including trauma healing from gender-based violence (GBV), advancing the rights of Indigenous Peoples through advocacy and legal assistance, improving food security and access to markets for women farmers, and scholarships for youth, especially targeting indigenous youth. (Page 10)

Approach GESI approaches can help individuals while also contributing to transformational change. For instance, a project can purchase or lease land for a group of women or IPs to grow food and sell it in local markets. If the project also puts effort into changing unfair laws and practices that inhibit women and IPs from obtaining secure access to land, this generates greater impact.

Even more so if it works through genuine local institutions, aiding them to be more effective and inclusive.

https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/2023-04/USAID_Vision%20Report_CARPE_03302023.pdf

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Listening to IP and Bantu women, Bukavu, May 2021 (Photo: Diane Russell)

Given the importance of social and cultural context, a sound GESI approach is holistic, engaging all stakeholders and not just focusing on women and IPs. To change attitudes and practices towards women, one must work with men;

changing attitudes and practices towards IPs means engaging with more dominant ethnic groups.10 Men also have challenges that are important to understand, for instance the pressure on young men to accumulate cash and resources for bridewealth and incentives to engage in dangerous work and militias.11 To meet the scale of threats to an ecosystem with the global importance of Congo Basin, significant large-scale investments are needed, beyond small-scale enterprises and “alternative livelihoods“ such as commercializing non-timber forest products.12 But these investments, including climate finance, must incorporate GESI or they will reproduce the dominant political economy.

Another key element of a sound GESI approach is ensuring that it aligns with the program’s technical objectives. In the example above, secure tenure for women and IPs can support the adoption of more sustainable agricultural practices (Volcourt et al. 2024) and improve ecosystem health, given that smallholder agriculture accounts for most deforestation in the DRC (UMD CARPE). Thus, this GESI analysis is largely constructed around the CARPE IV Vision themes and strategic approaches while considering overarching political, social, cultural, and economic contexts that shape GESI outcomes.

10 In Tanganyika province, Luba (“Bantus”) were targeted by BaTwa (IPs), blaming them for lack of land rights and other discrimination. The inclusive approach taken by USAID’s Tanganyika Conflict Mitigation and Reconciliation Project (TCMR) project has been effective in reducing conflict and improving social resilience and cohesion.

11 This New York Times article illuminates men’s struggle with isolation and depression. Although the article focuses on the US context, the insights are universally applicable where men’s opportunities become constricted and there is loss of status and purpose. Generational struggles between young men and elders are common in many communities due to inheritance and labor control dynamics.

12 While commercialization of non-timber forest products can provide income to individuals and households, these efforts have not proven to be alternatives that reduce participation in higher value exploitation such as logging, hunting and mining (Dove 2009).

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308521X24001367?dgcid=coauthor https://carpe.umd.edu/news/small-holder-clearing-drives-forest-loss-congo-basin https://pdf.usaid.gov/ https://pdf.usaid.gov/ https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/05/opinion/boys-parenting-loneliness.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&u2g=c&pvid=2D6D992E-DE6F-430C-A4B4-D6CF0A2FAE26&sgrp=c-cb

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Learning from past efforts is critical. For instance, the USAID Forest Carbon, Markets and Communities (FCMC) program developed a suite of GESI resources to guide implementers of climate mitigation programs, including an in-depth study of gender and shifting cultivation in DRC and Cameroon. This resource can inform climate change programming to ensure women’s knowledge and needs in low emissions agriculture are incorporated.

Finally, a fundamental element of the approach is deep listening. The analysis is informed by interviews with over 35 people individually and in focus groups. Discussions were open and honest, in some cases revealing painful experiences. There was no judgment placed on views or beliefs. For instance, if an individual did not see the point of GESI in their work they were free to express that view.

Virtually all informants for this analysis are relatively “social and economic elite” compared to the vast majority of people in the region. It’s critical for CARPE and partners to deploy deep listening during site visits to hear views and gather knowledge not heard in Kinshasa or Brazzaville. Rural dwellers in the region as a class are perhaps the most vulnerable, forgotten, and oppressed given lack of government essential services, little political influence and weak rural economies. Yet they have tremendous strengths that must be mobilized to conserve their patrimony.

Observations The observations in this section are based on key informant interviews, document review, survey responses, and CARPE’s senior social scientist Diane Russell’s four decades working in rural development, studying IP history, culture and rights, women’s rights and empowerment with respect to conservation and natural resource management in the Congo Basin and globally.

Women’s Security and Safety are Essential for Achieving Positive GESI Outcomes While there is significant civil society organization (CSO) and individual activism and some progress, the security situation of women in the DRC is daunting.13 Domestic violence is designed to break women’s spirits and keep them subservient. In the case of conflict, rape and torture of women are designed to break the spirit of the whole community as women are seen as its moral center. Emotional violence is just as damaging, for example when a woman is raped and then rejected by her own family.14 The situation of Indigenous women is even more dangerous as some cultural beliefs about the “healing powers” of Indigenous women incite rape. Thus, the most important elements of GESI in the region are safety and security, 13 According to UNWomen, up to 52 percent of women in DRC are survivors of domestic violence and 39 percent of Congolese women report having been threatened or injured. Twenty seven (27) percent of women in DRC are victims of harmful traditional practices.

14 One informant recounted how her fiance rejected her on the eve of their wedding upon hearing that she had been raped. In fact, she had not been raped but had gone into a coma when she was attacked and her driver was killed as she worked in humanitarian assistance in eastern DRC.

https://biodiversitylinks.org/projects/completed-projects/forest-carbon-markets-and-communities-fcmc-project/task-areas/ses https://africa.unwomen.org/en/where-we-are/west-and-central-africa/democratic-republic-of-congo#:%7E:text=Up%20to%2052%25%20of%20women,victims%20of%20harmful%20traditional%20practices.

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without which there can be no progress. This may entail the creation of safe spaces and women-only spaces, as suggested by informants.

Fight Impunity and Foster Solidarity Impunity, the propensity to act maliciously with few or no consequences, is the enabler of exploitation of people and biodiversity. Solidarity, on the other hand, is the pathway to reducing exploitation. Harnessing the energies of people directly impacted by biodiversity loss, climate change and natural resource degradation involves boosting their agency, linking up groups working on related issues, and reducing barriers to engagement. Imagine if a critical mass of people in the Congo Basin were active in forest protection, biodiversity conservation and mitigating climate change, recognizing that exploitation and degradation of their natural resources threatens future generations and causes numerous social ills.15

Cultural Norms Act as Barriers: Focus on Youth to Realize Positive Change The key barrier to GESI advancement is power imbalances embedded in cultural norms.16 However, blaming culture and tradition and seeing these as inviolable is a way to maintain power relations. Women’s and IPs’ labor in high wage occupations has long been captured by men and higher status groups and thus there can be strong resistance from elites to shifting the balance of power. Changing cultural norms and the status quo takes personal courage and long-term support. A generational effort and a focus on youth17 is thus needed. Informants for the analysis noted that traditional authorities, largely older men and some women, are critical to changing norms due to the respect they engender and their power over land allocation and key community decisions. Some cultural norms are favorable to women and IPs, for instance women are highly valued as household managers and IPs are known as first inhabitants of the land and forest. In cases of social crisis, women, IPs and youth can play key roles.18

Women and IP Concerns Must Be Prioritized in CARPE Programming Women and IPs generally lack the financial, political and labor resources for large scale exploitation although the cumulative impact of the expansion of shifting cultivation is a major concern, especially in the DRC. However, they are the most vulnerable to the impacts of ecosystem deterioration. To reduce the impact of ecosystem degradation outside of PAs, such as in CFCs, their concerns should be prioritized and they need to become leaders in

15Social ills in the region linked to natural resource exploitation include loss of heritage and patrimony, rural out-migration, conflict and corruption. For approaches linking human rights and environment, with a focus on Natural Climate Solutions, see the USAID Sustainable Landscapes-Democracy, Rights and Governance Cross-Sectoral Guide.

16 The anthropological view of culture is that it is not static and uniform but ever-changing and diverse, even within one “cultural unit.” This view means that culture can and does change, sometimes swiftly.

While views of women are shaped by culture, sadly misogyny is virtually universal.

17 This focus could entail scholarships, employment and engagement in co-design. See also the section below on youth.

18 For instance, women can demonstrate publicly with bared breasts to protest injustice and corruption.

Youth may play a role in confronting “sorcery” by elders that leads to negative social impacts (Russell and Tchamou 2001). People turn to IPs for healing medicines and ceremonies, often trusting these more than western medicine. These roles could be harnessed for conservation.

https://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PA00XD46.pdf https://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PA00XD46.pdf https://www.wiley.com/en-us/Conservation+Social+Science%3A+Understanding+People%2C+Conserving+Biodiversity-p-9781444337570 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/aps.1834 https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/misogyny

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management and decision making processes as evidence points to improved outcomes with gender-diverse management (Leisher et al. 2016, 2017). Women’s concerns include food security, access to clean water, support to create and grow businesses and trade, access to land for income and food production and the rights and power to fight perpetrators of physical violence.19 Efforts to mobilize collective action—for example, watershed restoration or tree planting—must take care not to rely on uncompensated female and IP labor.

Land Governance of Protected Areas GESI considerations within PAs center on how ICCN, DRC’s conservation institution as well as similar institutions in Republic of Congo (ROC) and Central African Republic (CAR), and USAID partners interact with surrounding and internal populations as well as within their staffs. The most fundamental principles are respect for human rights and Do No Harm (DNH).

Protected Areas Rely on Surrounding Communities Beyond DNH, should PA management allocate resources to improve the situation of women, IPs and vulnerable groups and if so, how? Some may argue that these societal issues are not within their mandate. But PAs do not exist in a vacuum. People who exploit resources within PAs may hide out in surrounding communities and be a danger to people as well as to biodiversity, for example the Lord's Resistance Army around Garamba National Park and M24 militias around Kahuzi-Biega National Park (PNKB). These dangers fall disproportionately on women and vulnerable peoples. PAs must rely on surrounding communities for social license to operate (ref CARPE guide to partnering with Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs), page 13), provisioning, reconnaissance, staffing and reducing incursions and pressures. Dialogue that builds trust is critical. A key message is that PAs are safeguarding the patrimony and natural assets of local, not only national and international, communities.

Violence, human rights abuses, impunity, dire poverty, food insecurity and gross inequality in and around PAs are not conducive to conservation: what happens to people also happens to wildlife and ecosystems. Vulnerability and fragility are shared. PAs cannot face these challenges alone. Comprehensive and holistic approaches and investments are needed and, as documented below, CARPE is taking steps to develop such approaches. These steps are laudable, but a larger scale and concerted strategy is needed.20

Improved Equality Over Improved Livelihoods May Bring More Benefits to Women A common theory of change within CARPE is that improving livelihoods of peoples in and around PAs will improve community-PA relations, reduce threats and enhance human wellbeing. A relevant publication by the IIED argues that “giving more attention to enhancing equity, rather than directly improving livelihoods, could lead to greater contributions of PAs to

19 In the region women are typically not landowners and thus they farm land belonging to husbands or male family members. This limits their ability to grow and sell higher value perennial crops such as coffee or cocoa. IPs in many areas also do not own land as historically they worked the land of Bantu families in patron-client and semi-kinship relationships.

20 This is especially important as new research shows biodiversity declining in PAs.

https://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PA00WPXD.pdf https://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PA00WPXD.pdf https://www.iied.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/migrate/17370IIED.pdf https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/oct/24/biodiversity-declining-even-faster-in-protected-areas-scientists-warn-cop16-30x30-conservation-target?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

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human wellbeing, as well as better conservation.” This publication offers a number of ideas and tools to enhance equity and improve PA relations with the community. Many of the elements described are already operational at CARPE-supported sites (e.g., Free Prior and Informed Consent/FPIC) or are being put into place, while others (e.g, recognition of customary tenure) are aspirational.

The insight from IIED is important in another way: working on livelihoods may add burdens to women for little benefit. Research has shown lack of evidence for the efficacy of alternative livelihoods either for raising living standards or for achieving conservation goals (Roe et al.

2015). And without mobility and land rights it may not even be possible for women and IPs to obtain significant benefits.21

It is important to note, however, that delivering economic benefit is critical when dealing with poor communities. They will not be satisfied with just talking about equity. The question is how to improve the rural economy in a sustainable and inclusive way. In general, options that increase employment and wage labor have more promise than small scale household enterprises as jobs bring stability and other social benefits.22

Deploy and Enhance PA Assessment Tools That are Applicable to the Local Context Another important tool for improving PA management is the Integrated Management Effectiveness Tool (IMET), which has been developed and tested in Central Africa. A recent review noted that “Some areas [issues], identified as important for protected areas, are not fully covered in IMET. Indicators measuring the impact of local and regional social and economic institutions, voices of disadvantaged or vulnerable groups like females are not always fully considered during the assessment…as a solution IMET coaches are advised to recommend additional assessment tools to address these issues.” IIED’s SAGE is a useful complementary tool for GESI analysis and action.

Need for Positive Narratives to Address Media Stories The US Congress’ 2020 Statement of Managers (SOM) drove the creation of USAID’s Protected Area Social Safeguards (PASS), including Grievance and Redress Mechanisms (GRMs) and mandated FPIC around PAs with IPs. Congress was concerned about controversies surrounding alleged human rights violations. These mandates and controversies have focused CARPE partner efforts on demonstrating DNH. Similarly the purpose of the Basic Necessities Surveys’ (BNS), developed by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and used by them and other partners, has been to demonstrate that people around PAs are not worse off economically, in response to debates and conflicting evidence on this topic.

21 One promising avenue lies in the fisheries sector where women can have autonomy to earn money through fishing, smoking and selling fish and can also be engaged in improved fisheries management.

22 Researchers in rural areas of the region note that people regret the departure of concessions. Although they were exploitative, concessions brought clinics, schools, and potential for advancement. The lack of these benefits has sparked the major migration to cities thus further weakening the rural economy.

https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/2023-02/3%20Guidance-on-Monitoring-FPIC_2.pdf https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/2023-02/3%20Guidance-on-Monitoring-FPIC_2.pdf https://environmentalevidencejournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13750-015-0048-1 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301479722022538 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301479722022538 https://www.usaid.gov/environmental-procedures/environmental-compliance-esdm-program-cycle/safeguards-for-activities-supporting-parks-and-protected-areas https://www.survivalinternational.org/campaigns/green-genocide https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4614728/

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In discussion with partners, it is clear that not enough information on the positive impact of PAs in the region is being collected and disseminated to the media and the general public.

Positive news about reduction of GBV and advances of women and IPs would be important elements of such narratives. As well, partners need to develop a more holistic approach to gathering information about local conditions and well being, particularly one grounded in deep listening or Appreciative Inquiry (AI), and Participatory Rural Appraisal and similar tools (Annex D), rather than “pre-cooked” surveys.

Support GESI Teams Within ICCN and Other Government Agencies ICCN has a small GESI team that has experience and good ideas but lacks influence and resources. USAID can’t directly fund them, due to restrictions on direct funding to the DRC government—although they claim to be independent of ICCN—but it’s important to find ways to help the GESI team work within ICCN. The team has a good relationship with WCS, so CARPE may be able to work with them through WCS. Agencies in ROC and CAR may have similar teams. If so, linking them up across the region can increase their visibility and enable them to share lessons and tactics.

Land Governance Outside of PAs A USAID Assessment Tool to Support Improved Land Governance The Natural Resource Governance Tool was developed under the USAID supported Sustainable Conservation Approaches in Priority Ecosystems (SCAPES) program by WCS and USAID staff, with advice from prominent political scientists. It may be deployed for assessment of management of CFCs and other areas outside of PAs with mixed management regimes, including “buffer zones,” where multiple actors play a role. The tool gathers perceptions of different stakeholders—men, women, IPs, local authorities—about the effectiveness, power and legitimacy of management entities. It can thus reveal divergent views of genders and ethnicities relating to benefits, security, planning, communications and other key elements of management.

The data can then inform revisions to rules, regulations and practices.

Ensuring women’s, youth and IP engagement in community mapping,such as that undertaken by partner RFUK, is also critical for planning and ongoing dialogue. Combining the governance tool with mapping can show areas with strong or weak governance to prioritize support.

Land Tenure for Women and IPs Improving tenure security for women can seem beyond the mandate of CARPE yet many other USAID climate and biodiversity funded programs have placed emphasis on this important objective,23 recognizing that sustainable land management requires stability and equity. A step in that direction is CFCs, which provide tenure security at the community level. However, within

23 Examples include Zambia (Tenure and Global Climate Change project) and Kenya (ProMara).

https://centerforappreciativeinquiry.net/resources/what-is-appreciative-inquiry-ai/ https://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PBAAE424.pdf https://www.rainforestfoundationuk.org/our-projects/mapping-for-rights/ https://www.land-links.org/document/tenure-and-global-climate-change-tgcc-program-final-report/ https://www.land-links.org/document/kenya-promara-opportunities-to-integrate-climate-change-activities/

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the community women and IPs may still be marginalized. It is unclear if there is any strategy for improving access and rights to land for women and IPs in CFCs.

IPs Have Their Own Strategies IPs are developing their own strategies for obtaining land and reducing conflict with PAs. One idea posited by informants was the creation and support of “eco-villages” based on principles of sustainable development. Eco-villages are small, self-sufficient communities that live from their natural surroundings. Such efforts could be accomplished by buying or leasing land from concessions. There are many barriers to and questions about such a strategy but it is positive that IPs are pursuing such ambitious goals. Multi-donor action could help advance this plan.

Civil Society and Localization Localizing conservation and climate action means relying less on western institutions and approaches and seeking deep understanding of what is feasible and meaningful for local actors.

For concepts and approaches specific to the region, see Peterson et al. 2010; Peterson 2017.

Women-Led Local CSOs in Environment are Scarce One of the most important actions that partners need to take in supporting GESI is to identify strong and trusted local institutions. Localization has been difficult to implement in the region, in part due to perceived lack of capacity24 and in part because USAID does not include grantees under contract and local subpartners in a mission’s “localization quota.” It is even more difficult when it comes to identifying women’s groups working on environmental issues. Most groups devoted to women’s empowerment are not focused on environmental issues, with the exception of groups working on urban sanitation.25 Women and IPs interviewed for this analysis had a strong focus on human rights but, again, few if any links to conservation. The one group working directly on gender and conservation that CARPE supported in the past, Réseau des femmes pour le développement durable (REFADD), could not be located. However, leaders of the Association of Indigenous Pygmy Women (AFAP), a group devoted to the rights of and opportunities for IP women in biodiversity, were interviewed for this analysis.26

Environmental Defense and Human Rights are Strongly Linked “Defending the environment is becoming increasingly dangerous: Nearly half of the 194 human rights defenders killed in 2022 were environmental defenders” (Mongabay 2023).

In other parts of the world, environmental defenders—many of them young people, women and IPs—are critical to calling out and halting unsustainable and illegal natural resource exploitation that harms their well being and territories. But—given limited information available from partners for this analysis—no CARPE partner or activity has directly supported

24 Perceived lack of capacity feeds into actual lack of capacity as donors do not invest.

25 USAID cannot work on pollution and sanitation with biodiversity funds, and there is very little financing in general to tackle these issues. USAID does work on charcoal alternatives for climate change mitigation but this has become largely decoupled from pollution and women’s health concerns.

26 AFAP is getting support from Bezos Earth Fund.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18592304/ https://web.archive.org/web/20190430162455id_/https:/dune.une.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1000&context=env_facbooks https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/we-wont-give-up-drcs-front-line-defenders-award-winner-olivier-ndoole-bahemuke/ https://mailchi.mp/culturalsurvival.org/youth2024?e=4fcd5e9d5a https://news.mongabay.com/2023/05/inaugural-indigenous-womens-forum-spotlights-congo-basin-conservation/

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environmental defenders at the community level. (Virunga ranger Katembo and Okapi staff Ewango received the Goldman Environmental Prize.) There is no lack of such defenders in the DRC such as Olivier Bahemuke, winner of the 2023 Front Line Defenders Award and the 2024 Global Citizen Prize for work to protect Virunga. Recognizing that human rights and the fight to defend the environment are inextricably linked confronts powerful interests.