Indicate which actions have been carried out to implement this Resolution :
Convene stakeholders/Networking
Policy influencing/advocacy
Describe the results/achievements of the actions taken:
The Resolution calls on Commissions and Members to review the recommendations of the World Commission on Dams and other more recent documents and synthesize this into a contemporary set of recommendations for good practice. Synchronicity Earth and the SSC Freshwater Conservation Committee co-Chair have discussed this with IUCN’s Secretariat and colleagues in the SSC, and in other Member and non-Member organizations. The action undertaken now is the creation of an IUCN Inter-Commissional Task Force on Dams. A Concept for this Task Force has been drafted and a list of potential members identified as an advisory group to develop the task force has been prepared. These have been reviewed by the SSC Chair’s Office and will be sent out for review and comment by the SSC Steering Committee.
The Resolution also calls on the Director General to send a memo to the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo encouraging him to: a) support protection and restoration of Lower Congo ecosystems; b) balance development by enacting legal protections and governance for the Lower Congo; and c) ensure that all contracts involving major infrastructure projects impacting the Lower Congo include a provision for local stakeholders to be included in planning, and have their concerns incorporated into further discussions. This letter, in consultation with the IUCN Secretariat and regional office for West and Central Africa Office was sent to the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and copied to the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the United Nations Office in Geneva. The letter was accompanied by a Briefing Document that provided further background information on the biological and livelihoods importance of the Lower Congo, and addressing points (b) and (c) of operative statement (2).
The Resolution also asks the Species Survival Commission (SSC) to send a memo to the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo urgently informing him on the potential threats to the ecosystems of the Lower Congo that could be caused by the development plans for the dams. This part of the Resolution was addressed by having the SSC Chair countersign the letter with its accompanying Briefing Document sent by the IUCN Director General.
What challenges/obstacles have been encountered in the implementation of this Resolution and how were they overcome :
One of the issues is the involvement of Fortescue Metals Group and Fortescue Future Industries who are behind the proposal for a dam on the lower Congo. FMG is led by one of IUCN's Patrons of Nature. IUCN has reached spoken to FMG about the project on the lower Congo. This is an active discussion with FMG. There has also not been any response to the letter from the IUCN DG and SSC Chair to the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. There is also little information on the planned developments flowing out of DRC.
Briefly describe what future actions are needed for the implementation of this Resolution:
A follow up call with FMG based on the call from September 2022.
A follow up to the letter sent to the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
A follow on call is needed with Synchronicity Earth and Ian Harrison to strategise on next steps, and to get an update on the Task Force.
Are these actions planned for yet:
