FAQ

A. The Green Corridor is a Democratic Republic of Congo Government initiative to protect the Congo basin forest, the most important tropical forest carbon sink on Earth. The initiative was launched by his Excellency Felix Tshisekedi, President of the DRC, and formalized, through its creation as a new protected area, in the Ministerial Decree No. 25/01 (January 2025). The designation of the corridor as a “Community Reserve”, a category of protected areas, does not impose any obligations on the people and organizations (civil society, private sector or other) already present in the area. Rather, it enshrines the right of local populations to shape the initiatives implemented in the Corridor. The Corridor aims to encourage sustainable development and investment in productive industries in the area surrounding the Congo River. It aims to protect the remaining pristine forest and peatland within this area, while directly benefiting the local population. The Corridor aims to increase connectivity across the DRC by creating stronger trade and logistical ties between the East and West, contributing to increased stability and peacebuilding efforts. The Corridor spans over 540,000 km², roughly an area the size of France.

A. The Green Corridor is a Democratic Republic of Congo Government initiative under the authority of the Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature (ICCN), the national public agency responsible for protected areas.
Through a Public-Private Partnership (PPP), ICCN has delegated management support to Virunga Foundation, an experienced conservation organization, under ICCN’s supervision. Virunga Foundation, as part of the PPP, is responsible for:

- Gathering interest from willing actors to contribute to the objectives of the Green Corridor and coordinating communication and activities between interested participants within the Corridor.
- Overseeing that, where projects and activities are looking to align with the Green Corridor Principles and benefit from associated incentives, key standards have been met, for example with regards to FPIC where applicable.
- Identifying potential for sustainable economic development across the Green Corridor, implementing pilot projects and mobilising investment from public and private partners.
- Identifying ideas, activities and projects to reach the objectives of the Green Corridor (protecting at least 100 000km2 of additional primary forests, creating 500 000 additional jobs).
- Carrying out FPIC for all initiatives directly implemented by Virunga Foundation or its operational entities.

A. A key element of the Corridor, enshrined in its creation decree, is the requirement for projects which have an impact on land rights to obtain and document Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) from local communities impacted by the activity in question. In other words, projects or activities with an impact on local population’s access to or use of land within the Corridor boundaries are required to carry out and document Free Prior and Informed Consent from the affected communities ahead of implementing the project or activity. The FPIC would need to be submitted to Virunga Foundation for review and logging as part of Virunga’s oversight responsibilities.

A. The Corridor aims to:
- Improve livelihoods through long-term, sustainable job creation and skills development – for example through development of agro-industrial transformation businesses, renewable energy and electrification projects, development of improved logistical and transport channels within the corridor, further development of the tourism sector etc.
- Provide access to clean electricity through the promotion of renewable energy and transmission and electrification projects.
- Raise funds for local public services via benefit-sharing from all carbon finance activities within the Corridor.

A. The Corridor in no way affects or alters customary land rights. Decree No. 25/01 explicitly states that the establishment of the Green Corridor does not extinguish or alter pre-existing rights held by local communities or other parties. Zoning and land-use decisions (if any) will only follow after extensive public consultation and mapping and always respecting existing rights. At its foundation, the Green Corridor is a collective initiative to which anyone is welcome to contribute: local communities, entrepreneurs, local and international private sector and public sector actors, and is overlaid on existing land rights and concessions. The Corridor aims to encourage economic development that is sustainable environmentally and financially, and that provides benefit to local communities whilst enabling the additional protection of the forest still remaining in the area. Any actor can participate in the Corridor.

A. Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) is a fundamental principle that protects the rights of Indigenous peoples and local communities when decisions are made about projects that may affect their land, resources, or way of life. “Free” means that consent must be given voluntarily, without coercion or pressure. “Prior” means that communities must be consulted well in advance of any decisions or actions being taken. “Informed” means that they must receive all relevant information—in a language and format they understand—about the project, including potential risks and benefits. “Consent” means that communities have the right to say yes or no to the parts of a project that affects their land, resources or way of life, and that their decision must be respected. FPIC is not a one-time event, but an ongoing dialogue that continues throughout the lifecycle of a project. It is a core element of international human rights law and an essential safeguard in any development or conservation initiative. FPIC is a foundational principle of the Green Corridor. All economic and conservation activities must ensure FPIC for all affected communities, including Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs). This applies project-by-project, and is not relevant at the broader Corridor level as the Corridor itself does not impose any changes or obligations on any of the peoples residing within the area designated the “Green Corridor”.

A. The Green Corridor promotes the development of a green economy by supporting and promoting investment in sustainable projects across key economic sectors:

- Renewable energy and rural electrification
- Agroecology and sustainable value chains
- Sustainable transport solutions
- Peacebuilding and nature conservation
- Carbon finance through forest and peatland protection
- Eco-tourism across the Congo River

Projects and activities supported and enabled should be sustainable across three dimensions:

- Environmentally: projects and activities must look to displace or reduce environmentally harmful practices, reduce natural resource extraction and ecosystem degradation and support preservation of nature.
- Socially: projects and activities must be beneficial to local communities and people and aim to provide benefit to the country through economic development and safeguarding of land rights – the Corridor is an attempt to enable direct benefit to local communities (and the country more broadly) from switching from an extractive economic system to a sustainable one.
- Financially: whilst some activities within the Corridor will be not-for-profit (for example specific conservation efforts), it is important to drive investment in viable businesses and projects which can sustain themselves in the long term and offer ongoing employment, services and benefits to local population (e.g. economically viable renewable energy projects, economically viable agroforestry businesses etc.)

A. Virunga Foundation has a 25-year PPP mandate from ICCN to help coordinate and implement management of the Corridor. Its role is to pilot activities, mobilize investment, and coordinate an ecosystem of partners.

A. The Corridor is meant to be implemented by a coalition of willing actors. It welcomes collaboration from NGOs, communities, local businesses, and other institutions committed to environmental integrity, human rights, and inclusive development.

A. The program includes:

- Annual environmental, financial, and social audits carried out by an independent third party
- Public reporting of carbon revenues and benefit-sharing mechanisms
- A grievance mechanism accessible to all stakeholders
- Inclusive governance structures at both central and local level

The Virunga Foundation is now working on setting up the coordination bodies and governance structures needed to implement coordination and communications across the Corridor.

A. The Corridor is a long-term undertaking. Currently, the governance structure is being put in place and pilot activities are being launched, as well as the development of a set of incentives for the private sector to align with the sustainability and social principles of the Green Corridor, which include: a potential fiscal framework to support initiatives considered sustainable and a dedicated funding facility for investment in projects which align with these principles.

A. Certainly. You’ll find available, among other things, on this website the following documents:

1. The “Law on Nature” from 2014, amended in 2024 to reflect the creation of a new category of protected areas.
2. The Ministerial Decree n°25/01 leading to the creation, in DRC law, of the Green Corridor Kivu – Kinshasa.
3. The study that accompanied the Ministerial Decree n°25/01 justifying the creation of the Green Corridor Kivu – Kinshasa.
4. A preliminary economic development plan for the Green Corridor, as developed by the Virunga Foundation. This document provides guidance on what the Green Corridor management sees as the focus areas for economic development but is meant to be modified and iterated over multiple times.

The official website will serve as the central point for transparent updates, public consultations, calls for proposals, and publication of FPIC outcomes.