The politics of institutionalising multi-stakeholder platforms power relations and actors’ interests in forest governance in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Multi-stakeholder platforms (MSPs) have become a central mechanism for promoting inclusive and decentralised forest governance. While a substantial body of literature has examined their functioning and outcomes, far less attention has been paid to the political and historical processes through which MSPs have been institutionalised. This article provides empirical evidence of these processes by analysing the roles, interests and power relations among stakeholders, drawing on documentary research supported by semi-structured interviews. The findings reveal that the institutionalisation of MSPs is a co-constructed process involving governmental and non-governmental actors, both international and national. As a result of conflicting interests and unequal power relations, these stakeholders assume diverse roles throughout the reform trajectory. MSPs have also been shaped by both international and national contexts, influenced by economic neo-liberalism, environmental multilateralism, efforts towards national economic recovery, and the dynamism of national Civil Society Organisations (CSOs). Their functioning must therefore be analysed in light of these power dynamics and political contexts.