Congo pygmies to meet World Bank President Zoellick over forest destruction
mongabay.com
October 17, 2007
A delegation of 'Pygmies' from Democratic Republic of Congo are visiting Washington this week to discuss World Bank-sanctioned logging of their rainforest home. The 'Pygmies' are scheduled to meet with bank President Robert Zoellick, according to the Rainforest Foundation, a lobby group that sponsored the trip.
The visit comes shortly after a report by the Inspection Panel -- the World Bank's watchdog -- criticized the bank for funding a number of destructive logging projects without the consent of the indigenous population. The Rainforest Foundation says that more than 40 million people in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) depend on the forests for their livelihood.
Photo courtesy of the Rainforest Foundation
"The indigenous 'Pygmy' people of the Congo have fought hard to have their voices heard. The recent Inspection Panel report was instigated by these people and the findings have shamed the World Bank," said Rainforest Foundation Director Simon Counsell in a statement."Now the 'Pygmies' have the chance to meet face to face with the organisation that risked devastating their forests. Hopefully President Zoellick and his colleagues will listen to what we have to say and commit to working with them to protect Congo's forests in the future. The Board of the Bank now has the chance to avert a major environmental and humanitarian disaster. It should insist on an end to industrial logging of Congo's forests, and work with the Congolese government to find non-destructive ways of managing them for the benefit of Congo's people."
'Pygmy' spokesperson Adrian Sinafasi echoed Counsell's comments.
"We are in Washington to tell the World Bank that they must not allow any expansion of the logging industry. We have been the stewards of these forests for many generations and, to lose them now would be utterly devastating," said Sinafasi.
The Inspection Panel report also found that the Bank misled DRC's government into believing that logging revenues would be considerably higher than expected.
Traditionally 'Pygmies' -- including the Mbuti, Aka, Baka, and Twa -- live in nomadic bands that move to new parts of the rainforest several times during the year, carrying all their possessions on their backs.
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