CIFOR Headquarters Agreement enters into force and strengthens German forest and climate research

The agreement between the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) regarding the seat of the Center in Germany entered into force on August 24, 2026. This was announced by the Federal Foreign Office in a notice published on September 9, 2026, in the Federal Law Gazette (Bundesgesetzblatt) Part II No. 203. This establishes the legal framework for the permanent seat of the international research institution in the Federal Republic.

Official Basis and Entry into Force

The notice is based on Article 2 Paragraph 3 of the Regulation of July 22, 2026, regarding the Agreement of April 21, 2026, which was published as BGBl. 2026 II No. 149, p. 3. According to Article 30 Paragraph 1 of the Agreement, it entered into force on August 24, 2026; simultaneously, the underlying Regulation entered into force on the same day pursuant to its Article 2 Paragraph 1.

• Agreement signed: April 21, 2026
• Regulation issued: July 22, 2026 (BGBl. 2026 II No. 149, p. 3)
• Entry into force of the Agreement: August 24, 2026
• Notice dated: September 3, 2026
• Issue of the Federal Law Gazette: September 9, 2026, Part II No. 203

Signing and Publication

The notice was signed in Berlin on September 3, 2026, by the Federal Foreign Office on behalf of Dr. Julia Monar. The publisher of the Federal Law Gazette is the Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection; the gazette was issued in Bonn on September 9, 2026.

Significance for the Research Location

With the entry into force of the headquarters agreement, CIFOR obtains a reliable status under international law as an international institution based in Germany. The Center for International Forestry Research is dedicated to research on forests, land use, and climate and is considered one of the leading institutions in this field. The permanent seat strengthens the location for international forest and climate research in the Federal Republic and creates planning security for cooperation with German research institutions and authorities.

For readers, the notice primarily means legal certainty: the foundations under international law for the operation of the Center in Germany are now fully in force, and the official publication in the Federal Law Gazette makes the legal status binding and transparent for all parties involved.

Source: Federal Law Gazette, Part II No. 203 of September 9, 2026, Notice, p. 1 (official reference: BGBl. 2026 II No. 203).