National negotiating structures in the Republic of the Congo

Negotiation committee

The negotiation committee's members were the Minister of Forests, nine government representatives, two private sector representatives and three civil society representatives

Steering committee

The steering committee's role was to develop negotiating positions and draft VPA annexes, in consultation with stakeholders. Most annexes were drafted by a small group of committee members and external experts. The committee met weekly, and shared its reports with stakeholders involved in the process. The committee's membership was the same as that of the negotiation committee, with the exception of the Minister of Forests.

General assembly

The role of the general assembly was to assess and validate documents the steering committee had created for the negotiating committee to use in bilateral negotiations. The general assembly had approximately 100 members drawn from the private sector, civil society and administration.