Mid-Term Review Report for the Norad NICFI project 2021-2025 Building legal foundations for sustainable forests and livelihoods project

The mid-term review finds that the project is generally on track to achieve its outcomes, particularly in enhancing legal capacity for forest communities in Liberia and Gabon and influencing the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). Key achievements include the development of equitable contract templates in Liberia, increased women's leadership in forest governance, and exceeding advocacy targets in the EU. However, the report identifies gaps in structured stakeholder engagement, limited private sector involvement, and a need for direct livelihood support to ensure long-term sustainability. Political instability in Gabon has delayed some legislative reforms, and the review recommends developing a formal exit strategy and improving the results framework to better track qualitative changes.

• The project has effectively empowered forest communities in Liberia by providing legal and governance training and developing equitable Commercial Use Contract (CUC) templates and constitution standards to counter non-compliance by timber companies.
• In Gabon, the project has increased the knowledge of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) regarding forest management through technical assistants and training, though political shifts have stalled the finalisation of the Forest Code revision and the National Strategy for Community Forestry.
• ClientEarth exceeded its advocacy targets for the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), making 44 contributions against a target of 35, and successfully advocated for mandatory due diligence, supply chain traceability, and respect for human and indigenous rights.
• The project has made significant strides in gender equity, evidenced by the development of a Women's Charter in Liberia and the election of women as association presidents in Gabon, although youth and people with disabilities were not specifically targeted in the original proposal.
• While the project is likely to be sustainable due to legal advancements and local capacity building, it faces risks from systemic issues such as internal community conflicts, dependence on timber exploitation for income, and political interference.
• The review identifies a lack of structured stakeholder engagement and coordination with other Norad-funded initiatives, noting that interactions have been largely ad hoc and lack a documented strategy, especially regarding the private sector.
• There is a critical need to integrate direct livelihood support into the project's theory of change, as communities may struggle to conserve forests if their basic economic needs are not met.

APA

MBZIBAIN, A. (2024). Mid-Term Review Report for the Norad NICFI project 2021-2025 Building legal foundations for sustainable forests and livelihoods project. ClientEarth. https://www.clientearth.org/media/p5vblbw0/midterm-review-final-report-february-2024-1.pdf

Chicago

MBZIBAIN, Aurelian. Mid-Term Review Report for the Norad NICFI project 2021-2025 Building legal foundations for sustainable forests and livelihoods project. ClientEarth, 2024. https://www.clientearth.org/media/p5vblbw0/midterm-review-final-report-february-2024-1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=MBZIBAIN |first1=Aurelian |title=Mid-Term Review Report for the Norad NICFI project 2021-2025 Building legal foundations for sustainable forests and livelihoods project |publisher=ClientEarth |date=February 2024 |url=https://www.clientearth.org/media/p5vblbw0/midterm-review-final-report-february-2024-1.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{mbzibain2024midterm, author = {MBZIBAIN, Aurelian}, title = {{Mid-Term Review Report for the Norad NICFI project 2021-2025 Building legal foundations for sustainable forests and livelihoods project}}, institution = {ClientEarth}, year = {2024}, month = feb, url = {https://www.clientearth.org/media/p5vblbw0/midterm-review-final-report-february-2024-1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }