Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to prepare for the UK becoming Chair of the Central African Forests Initiative in June 2023; and which (a) organisations and (b) individuals his Department plans to consult on that issue prior to June 2023.

The UK committed £200 million to the Congo Basin at COP26 and is an active partner and board member of the Central African Forests Initiative (CAFI). The UK engages regularly with Central African governments, other donor countries, and civil society on our work in the Congo Basin, and looks forward to continued close working and consultations going forward. Decisions about governance of CAFI are made by the CAFI Board, and the new Chair has not yet been confirmed.