Solutions of Global, International, Regional, and National Economic Initiatives

Abstract Due to its mitigation potential, the Congo Basin attracts attention from regional and international stakeholders. Its sustainable management and conservation is essential for climate regulation, biodiversity preservation, and the livelihoods of billions. Yet, the Congo Basin has not attracted much attention from the scientific community and remains relatively understudied. With respect to public investments, the Basin receives less international financial flows that promote ecological, social, and economic sustainability. This chapter assesses the role of data generated knowledge and reliable information in guiding policy. It surmises that research and sustainable development projects are not adequately financed in the region to produce knowledge that inform policymaking. Over the previous decades, some efforts have been made at the different scales under the Congo Basin Forest Partnership, the World Bank’s Congo Basin Carbon Partnership Facility and the Central African Forest Initiative, the Congo Basin Blue Fund, and the Congo Critical Forest Biome Integrated Program, among others. Nonetheless, the Congo Basin remains enormously underfunded comparatively. There is need for an expanded Congo Basin Climate Science Initiative, which comprises of both infrastructure and human capacity building programs. Such an initiative should seek to transform the understanding of the Basin and provide crucial inputs for policymaking. A properly conceived blended finance model shall be required to attract public and private investments needed to strengthen knowledge systems for data generation and information to guide attainment of global sustainable development objectives.