The Rainforests of Cameroon - PROFOR

xii Preface and AcknowledgmentsIt is unlikely that the reforms described in this report would have progressedwithout the efforts of the Government Committee in charge ofstructural reforms. During its tenure from 2000 to 2004, the Committeeconsiderably broadened support for the reforms. Thanks are also due toseveral unnamed members of the Presidency, who ensured communicationat the highest political level on key reform issues and increasedthe momentum for change, and to many unnamed members of otherinstitutions.Special thanks go to Prime Minister Ephraïm Inoni, who organizedthe first Heads of State Forum on Forests in 1999 and was among first tounderstand the strategic importance of forests in building trust betweenthe state and its citizens and shaping Cameroon’s international image.Additionally, Denis Koulagna (former Director, Wildlife, and currentlyGeneral Secretary of the Ministry of Forests) and Hyrceinthe Bengono(former Director, Forests, and currently Head of Community Forestry)had the vision and courage to foster the implementation of new, and attimes unpopular, measures.It is also essential to acknowledge Cameroon’s chapter of the Networkof Parliamentarians for Sustainable Forest Ecosystem Management.These MPs worked hard to keep forest issues in the public eye and providedreviews of the draft report.At the World Bank, thanks are due first of all to Mohammed Bekhechi(Lead Legal Counsel), Brendan Horton (Lead Economist), FlorenceCharlier (Senior Economist), David Tchuinou (Senior Economist),Clotilde Ngomba (Senior Agricultural Economist), and Serge Menang(Forest Specialist). Intervening at different stages of the reform process,these experts contributed invaluable legal and economic expertise, localknowledge, and infinite passion. Joseph Baah-Dwomoh (former SectorManager), Menachem Katz and Mbuyamu Matungulu (former IMFChief of Mission and Resident Representative for Cameroon), Ali Khadr(former Country Director), Bob Lacey and Madani Tall (former CountryManagers for Cameroon), and Abdoulaye Seck (Senior Economist) madeimportant contributions as well.The multilateral and bilateral partners of Cameroon in the forestsector, especially the UK Department for International Development(DFID), the Canadian Delivered International by The World Development Bank e-library to: Agency (CIDA), theThe World BankAgence Françoise de Developpement IP : 192.86.100.34 (AFD) and the French Ministryof Cooperation, the Deutsche Mon, 09 Gesellschaft Nov 2009 17:06:18 für Technische Zusammenarbeit(GTZ), the Netherlands, and the European Commission, individu-(c) The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank