Seventh BSC Meeting takes Place in Monrovia

The seventh meeting of the Bilateral Steering Committee (BSC) for Transboundary Forest Landscape Cooperation in the Tai-Grebo-Krahn-Sapo Forest Complex (TGKS) between Côte d'Ivoire and Liberia took place from May 18-19 2023, in Monrovia, Liberia. 
The meeting aimed to enhance collaboration between the two countries in managing and conserving the TGKS forest landscape. It was jointly funded and organized by government bodies including the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, the Ivoirian Office of Parks and Reserves (OIPR), the Ministry of Waters and Forests (MINEF), and Society for the Development of Forests (SODEFOR) in Côte d'Ivoire, as well as the Forestry Development Authority (FDA) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Liberia. 
Various conservation partners including the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through the West Africa Biodiversity and Low Emissions (WABiLED) program, the German Ministry of Cooperation (BMZ) with its technical agency, GIZ, the Foundation for Parks and Reserves of Côte d’Ivoire, and the European Union (EU) through the Program for the Preservation of Forest Ecosystems in West Africa (PAPFor) were also involved. 
Established in Abidjan in 2009 during the first bilateral meeting to enhance transboundary collaboration, the TGKS bilateral steering committee has played a crucial role in promoting transboundary cooperation and achieving the shared vision of biodiversity conservation and participatory sustainable management of natural resources in the TGKS forest landscape, while maintaining community needs at the forefront of priorities.
The objectives of the seventh BSC meeting were to review and assess the progress made on the actions agreed upon during the November 2018 meeting. These actions include informing partners and stakeholders about coordination efforts, encouraging their participation, sharing experiences and best practices, exploring synergies to enhance collaboration, discussing the potential of a TGKS partners’ coordination meeting, and developing a road map for signing the TGKS Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) as a bilateral framework agreement.
Vincent Beligne, Technical Advisor for TGS project of GIZ Côte d'Ivoire, said, "The seventh bilateral steering committee meeting is a significant milestone in our continued efforts to enhance cross-border collaboration for the management and conservation of the Tai-Grebo-Krahn-Sapo Forest Complex. By working together with our counterparts in Liberia and our valuable partners, we can make a lasting impact on biodiversity conservation and sustainable resources management in the region."
Dr. Nouhou Ndam, Biodiversity Conservation Specialist at WABiLED, stated, "We are excited to participate in the seventh bilateral steering committee meeting and share our experiences and best practices. This meeting provided a unique opportunity to strengthen collaboration among stakeholders and explore synergies that will contribute to the long-term success of the transboundary initiative. Together, we can achieve our shared goal of preserving the unique biodiversity of the TGKS forest landscape complex."
By fostering transboundary cooperation and strengthening the coordination among various partners, the meeting achieved tangible results, including the establishment of a coordination mechanism, knowledge and best practices sharing, the exploration of potential synergies, the development of a road map for the TGKS MoU/ bilateral framework agreement, while remaining strategic of next steps to ensure continued collaboration.
The West Africa Biodiversity and Low Emissions Development (WABiLED) Program is a four-year program funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) with three main objectives: combat trafficking wildlife and improve the conservation of great apes; reduce deforestation, forest degradation, and biodiversity loss in key transboundary landscapes; and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase carbon sequestration derived from forest and land use.