The Kinshasa Declaration on Great Apes was a high-level political statement on the future of great apes. It was signed during the Intergovernmental Meeting on Great Apes and the first council meeting of the Great Apes Survival Project

Great Apes Survival Project

The Great Apes Survival Project , established in 2001, aims to conserve the great apes and their habitat — primarily forested tropical ecosystems that provide important services to humanity, through pro-poor conservation and sustainable development strategies.GRASP is a UNEP and UNESCO-led World...

 (GRASP) in Kinshasa

Kinshasa

Kinshasa is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The city is located on the Congo River....

, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Democratic Republic of the Congo

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...

 on September 9, 2005. By signing this declaration, more than 70 representatives - including 18 range states, six donor countries, 25 non-governmental organization

Non-governmental organization

A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...

 partners, two Multilateral Environmental Agreement

Multilateral Environmental Agreement

A multilateral environmental agreement is a legally binding agreement between three or more states relating to the environment. They are predominantly produced by the United Nations...

 partnerships, and two intergovernmental organizations - affirmed a commitment to protect great apes.

Detailed statements

Representatives agreed to protect apes through:

• affirming their commitment to the GRASP Global Strategy and to support, and for the range states, implement, effective measures to counter the threats facing the great apes;
• emphasizing the need to stimulate and enhance range state cooperation to ensure the effective enforcement of great ape legislation and coordinated efforts to halt activities that have a detrimental effect on great ape populations;
• emphasizing the role of national and international measures and participation in regional initiatives, and encourage ratification and compliance with international treaties such as the biodiversity and conservation-related Multilateral Environmental Agreement
  Multilateral Environmental Agreement
  A multilateral environmental agreement is a legally binding agreement between three or more states relating to the environment. They are predominantly produced by the United Nations...
  
  s (MEAs);
• urging development and implementation of National Great Ape Survival Plans (NGASPs) by the range states;
• urging GRASP Partners and others to support range states in the implementation of their NGASPs;
• encouraging the provision of long-term ecologically sustainable economic benefits to local communities;
• inviting international institutions and agencies to prioritize policies promoting ecologically sustainable livelihoods for local and indigenous communities which prevent activities detrimental to the survival of the great apes;
• reaffirming their commitment to ensure GRASP has the capacity to realize its full potential;
• resolving to set the target of securing a constant and significant reduction in the current loss of great ape populations by 2010 and to secure the future of all species and subspecies of great apes in the wild by 2015; and
• inviting the international community to provide effective and coherent support, including funding, to assist efforts made by the great ape range states.