This information brief gives an overview of the progress of the forest title conversion process as of April 15, 2006. The progress is presented with respect to the articles and timetable laid out in Presidential Decree 05/116, October 24, 2005 and with the activities of the independent expert.

1. Mobilization of the Independent Expert

The Presidential Decree 05/116 , in Article 6, stipulates that an Independent Expert be mandated to support the government of DRC with the evaluation of the conversion request files and in the preparation of the evaluation reports and the draft forest concession contracts to be submitted to the Inter-ministerial Commission. It is also mandated to provide advice on the technical evaluation process and the conformity of this process with the articles of the Presidential Decree. The Independent Expert (World Resources Institute-Agreco) was effectively mobilized in the last week of November, 2006.

2. The establishment and activities of the Technical Working Group (TWG)

The Technical Working Group (TWG) as prescribed in the Presidential Decree, is composed of representatives from the SPIAF (Service Permanent d’Inventaire et d’Aménagement Forestier - under the Ministère de l'Environnement, Conservation de la Nature, Eaux et Forêts, MECNEF), the DGF (Direction de la Gestion Forestière – under MECNEF) and the DGRAD (Direction Générale des Recettes Administratives, Judiciaires, Domaniales et de Participations – under the Ministère des Finances) and is charged with the verification of the conversion requests of old forest titles.

The TWG was officially established on February 20, 2006 on the basis of nominations of the Secretary General (SG) of the MECNEF and by the DGRAD. They have been meeting daily since then to proceed with the evaluation of the request for conversion files.