Henri Djombo
Encyclopedia
Henri Djombo is a Congolese
politician. He has served in the government of Congo-Brazzaville as Minister of the Forest Economy since 1997 and is a member of the Congolese Labour Party (PCT).
of northern Congo-Brazzaville, and studied in Leningrad
in the Soviet Union
. He joined the civil service
in 1976, becoming an adviser to the Minister of the Rural Economy in 1977 and then Director of Studies and Planning at the Ministry of the Rural Economy in 1978. He was appointed as Director-General of the Rural Economy in 1979 and served in the government as Minister of Water and Forests from 1980 until being dropped from the government in December 1985. He also joined the ruling Congolese Labour Party (PCT) in 1979, and in 1980 he became a member of the bureau of the Central Committee of the Union of Socialist Congolese Youth (UJSC). After leaving the government, Djombo was the Congolese Ambassador to Bulgaria
from 1986 to 1988, and subsequently he was President and Director-General of the Sugar Refinery of Congo (Sucrerie du Congo, or Suco) from 1989 to 1991. He joined the PCT Central Committee in 1989.
At the time of the 1993 parliamentary election
, Djombo was President of the Technical Commission for the election. Also in 1993, he was a member of the opposition's delegation to political negotiations in Libreville
. Later, he was Vice-President of the Technical Committee for the Special Census from 1996 to 1997. Denis Sassou Nguesso
returned to power at the conclusion of the June–October 1997 civil war, and he appointed Djombo to the government as Minister of the Forest Economy on 2 November 1997. Djombo has held that post since then, although his portfolio was altered several times: he was appointed as Minister of the Forest Economy, Fishing and Fish Resources on 12 January 1999, as Minister of the Forest Economy and the Environment on 18 August 2002, and then simply as Minister of the Forest Economy on 3 March 2007.
Djombo led negotiations with rebels in the late 1990s. In the May 2002 parliamentary election
, he was elected to the National Assembly
as the PCT candidate in Enyellé constituency; he won the seat in the first round with 96.98% of the vote. He was again elected to the National Assembly in the 2007 parliamentary election
as the PCT candidate in Enyellé constituency; he won the seat in the first round with 99.21% of the vote. As of 2007, Djombo is a member of the PCT Political Bureau.
In September 2006, Djombo announced plans to establish two environmentally-protected areas that would together total almost 1,000 hectares. He said on this occasion that the creation of the new areas reflected the government's commitment to ecological conservation: "The Republic of Congo depends on forest resource use for economic development, but it is also deeply committed to biodiversity conservation and sustainable forest management. It has already set aside an estimated 11 percent of the country's surface area as protected areas, 90 percent of which is tropical forest." The Wildlife Conservation Society
called the decision "an extraordinary achievement for the entire Congo basin region" and praised the Congolese government's environmental policy. Djombo said in a May 2008 interview that Congo's "rate of deforestation is the lowest in the region" and that "less than 3,000 hectares" of forest was felled annually. Djombo stressed that the government's policy was to balance the needs of the economy and the environment.
As part of a political struggle in his native Likouala, Djombo distributed an open letter in November 2007 that was addressed to the people of Likouala. In this letter, he accused his rivals from Likouala, particularly Ambassador to Italy Mamadou Kamara Dékamo
, of slandering him over the course of two and a half years and plotting to kill him on 10 September 2007. According to Djombo, they planned to assassinate him at the Ministry of Forest Economics on the same day that the Ninja former rebels were in Brazzaville and to use the Ninjas as scapegoats. He said that this alleged plot "painfully reminded" him of an unsuccessful attack that he and his family escaped at their home on 7 June 1997, at the beginning of the 1997 civil war.
At the time of the July 2009 presidential election
, Djombo was Head of the Electoral Affairs Department for Sassou Nguesso's re-election campaign. After the election, in which Sassou Nguesso won an overwhelming majority, Djombo's ministerial responsibilities were expanded on 15 September 2009, when he was appointed as Minister of Sustainable Development, the Forest Economy, and the Environment.
of the African Timber Organization in October 2000, and he also headed the Conference of Ministers in Charge of Central African Forests (COMIFAC) for a time. At the 3rd World Congress of Biosphere Reserves, held in Madrid
on 4–9 February 2008, he was elected as President of the Bureau of the International Coordinating Council of UNESCO
's Man and the Biosphere Programme
.
in aikido
. He has been President of the Congolese Aikido Federation and President of the Congolese Table Tennis Federation.
Republic of the Congo
The Republic of the Congo , sometimes known locally as Congo-Brazzaville, is a state in Central Africa. It is bordered by Gabon, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo , the Angolan exclave province of Cabinda, and the Gulf of Guinea.The region was dominated by...
politician. He has served in the government of Congo-Brazzaville as Minister of the Forest Economy since 1997 and is a member of the Congolese Labour Party (PCT).
Early life and political career
Djombo was born in Enyellé, located in the Likouala RegionLikouala Region
Likouala is a department of the Republic of the Congo in the northern part of the country. It borders the departments of Cuvette and Sangha, and internationally, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Central African Republic. The region has an area of 66,044 km² and an estimated...
of northern Congo-Brazzaville, and studied in Leningrad
Leningrad
Leningrad is the former name of Saint Petersburg, Russia.Leningrad may also refer to:- Places :* Leningrad Oblast, a federal subject of Russia, around Saint Petersburg* Leningrad, Tajikistan, capital of Muminobod district in Khatlon Province...
in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. He joined the civil service
Civil service
The term civil service has two distinct meanings:* A branch of governmental service in which individuals are employed on the basis of professional merit as proven by competitive examinations....
in 1976, becoming an adviser to the Minister of the Rural Economy in 1977 and then Director of Studies and Planning at the Ministry of the Rural Economy in 1978. He was appointed as Director-General of the Rural Economy in 1979 and served in the government as Minister of Water and Forests from 1980 until being dropped from the government in December 1985. He also joined the ruling Congolese Labour Party (PCT) in 1979, and in 1980 he became a member of the bureau of the Central Committee of the Union of Socialist Congolese Youth (UJSC). After leaving the government, Djombo was the Congolese Ambassador to Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
from 1986 to 1988, and subsequently he was President and Director-General of the Sugar Refinery of Congo (Sucrerie du Congo, or Suco) from 1989 to 1991. He joined the PCT Central Committee in 1989.
At the time of the 1993 parliamentary election
Republic of the Congo parliamentary election, 1993
Parliamentary elections were held in the Republic of the Congo on 2 May 1993, with a second round in several constituencies on 6 June. The result was a victory for the Presidential Tendency coalition, which won 65 of the 125 seats in the National Assembly....
, Djombo was President of the Technical Commission for the election. Also in 1993, he was a member of the opposition's delegation to political negotiations in Libreville
Libreville
Libreville is the capital and largest city of Gabon, in west central Africa. The city is a port on the Komo River, near the Gulf of Guinea, and a trade center for a timber region. As of 2005, it has a population of 578,156.- History :...
. Later, he was Vice-President of the Technical Committee for the Special Census from 1996 to 1997. Denis Sassou Nguesso
Denis Sassou Nguesso
Denis Sassou Nguesso is a Congolese politician who has been the President of Congo-Brazzaville since 1997; he was previously President from 1979 to 1992. During his first period as President, he headed the single-party regime of the Congolese Labour Party for 12 years...
returned to power at the conclusion of the June–October 1997 civil war, and he appointed Djombo to the government as Minister of the Forest Economy on 2 November 1997. Djombo has held that post since then, although his portfolio was altered several times: he was appointed as Minister of the Forest Economy, Fishing and Fish Resources on 12 January 1999, as Minister of the Forest Economy and the Environment on 18 August 2002, and then simply as Minister of the Forest Economy on 3 March 2007.
Djombo led negotiations with rebels in the late 1990s. In the May 2002 parliamentary election
Republic of the Congo parliamentary election, 2002
A parliamentary election was held in the Republic of the Congo in 2002; the first round was held on 26 May and the second round on 20 June. The Congolese Labour Party and its allies won a majority of seats in the National Assembly....
, he was elected to the National Assembly
National Assembly of the Republic of the Congo
The Parliament of the Republic of Congo has two chambers. The lower house is the National Assembly . It has 153 members, for a five year term in single-seat constituencies.-See also:...
as the PCT candidate in Enyellé constituency; he won the seat in the first round with 96.98% of the vote. He was again elected to the National Assembly in the 2007 parliamentary election
Republic of the Congo parliamentary election, 2007
A parliamentary election was held in the Republic of the Congo on 24 June 2007, with a second round initially planned for 22 July 2007, but then postponed to 5 August 2007. According to the National Commission of the Organization of the Elections , 1,807 candidates stood in the first round for 137...
as the PCT candidate in Enyellé constituency; he won the seat in the first round with 99.21% of the vote. As of 2007, Djombo is a member of the PCT Political Bureau.
In September 2006, Djombo announced plans to establish two environmentally-protected areas that would together total almost 1,000 hectares. He said on this occasion that the creation of the new areas reflected the government's commitment to ecological conservation: "The Republic of Congo depends on forest resource use for economic development, but it is also deeply committed to biodiversity conservation and sustainable forest management. It has already set aside an estimated 11 percent of the country's surface area as protected areas, 90 percent of which is tropical forest." The Wildlife Conservation Society
Wildlife Conservation Society
The Wildlife Conservation Society based at the Bronx Zoo was founded in 1895 as the New York Zoological Society and currently manages some of wild places around the world, with over 500 field conservation projects in 60 countries, and 200 scientists on staff...
called the decision "an extraordinary achievement for the entire Congo basin region" and praised the Congolese government's environmental policy. Djombo said in a May 2008 interview that Congo's "rate of deforestation is the lowest in the region" and that "less than 3,000 hectares" of forest was felled annually. Djombo stressed that the government's policy was to balance the needs of the economy and the environment.
As part of a political struggle in his native Likouala, Djombo distributed an open letter in November 2007 that was addressed to the people of Likouala. In this letter, he accused his rivals from Likouala, particularly Ambassador to Italy Mamadou Kamara Dékamo
Mamadou Kamara Dékamo
Mamadou Kamara Dékamo is a Congolese political figure and diplomat. He has been Congo-Brazzaville's Ambassador to Italy since 2000 and was previously Minister of Health and Population in the government of Congo-Brazzaville from 1997 to 1999.-Political career:Kamara Dékamo was born in Ngondzia,...
, of slandering him over the course of two and a half years and plotting to kill him on 10 September 2007. According to Djombo, they planned to assassinate him at the Ministry of Forest Economics on the same day that the Ninja former rebels were in Brazzaville and to use the Ninjas as scapegoats. He said that this alleged plot "painfully reminded" him of an unsuccessful attack that he and his family escaped at their home on 7 June 1997, at the beginning of the 1997 civil war.
At the time of the July 2009 presidential election
Republic of the Congo presidential election, 2009
A presidential election was held in the Republic of the Congo on 12 July 2009. Long-time President Denis Sassou Nguesso won another seven-year term with a large majority of the vote, but the election was marked by accusations of irregularities and fraud from the opposition; six opposition...
, Djombo was Head of the Electoral Affairs Department for Sassou Nguesso's re-election campaign. After the election, in which Sassou Nguesso won an overwhelming majority, Djombo's ministerial responsibilities were expanded on 15 September 2009, when he was appointed as Minister of Sustainable Development, the Forest Economy, and the Environment.
Regional and international roles
Djombo became President-in-OfficeChairman-in-Office
A Chairman-in-Office or President-in-Office is the ambassador, foreign minister, or other official of the member state holding the presidency of an international organization, who is the individual actually chairing the meeting of the representatives from member states.The head of government of...
of the African Timber Organization in October 2000, and he also headed the Conference of Ministers in Charge of Central African Forests (COMIFAC) for a time. At the 3rd World Congress of Biosphere Reserves, held in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
on 4–9 February 2008, he was elected as President of the Bureau of the International Coordinating Council of UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
's Man and the Biosphere Programme
Biosphere reserve
The Man and the Biosphere Programme of UNESCO was established in 1971 to promote interdisciplinary approaches to management, research and education in ecosystem conservation and sustainable use of natural resources.-Development:...
.
Writing and sports
Djombo is a novelist. In the field of sports, he is a black beltBlack belt (martial arts)
In martial arts, the black belt is a way to describe a graduate of a field where a practitioner's level is often marked by the color of the belt. The black belt is commonly the highest belt color used and denotes a degree of competence. It is often associated with a teaching grade though...
in aikido
Aikido
is a Japanese martial art developed by Morihei Ueshiba as a synthesis of his martial studies, philosophy, and religious beliefs. Aikido is often translated as "the Way of unifying life energy" or as "the Way of harmonious spirit." Ueshiba's goal was to create an art that practitioners could use to...
. He has been President of the Congolese Aikido Federation and President of the Congolese Table Tennis Federation.