the great green wall for southern africa
TRANSCRIPT
BEAT FARMING SOUTHERN AFRICA CONFERENCE 13th -17th APRIL 2015
SIDE EVENT The Great Green Wall for Southern Africa ?
The Great Green Wall for the Sahara and the Sahel
InitiativeAn African response to Desertification, Land Degradation, drought, Climate
Change and loss of biodiversity
• The close interaction between Desertification, Land Degradation, Drought, Climate Change, Biodiversity loss in drylands of the Sahara and Sahel Region
I. The GGWSSI: Building block
Roots• DLDD + CC + Loss of BD Food insecurity
Poverty & Global Insecurity in Dry zones of Africa.• Climate forecasts for Africa: serious risks of
expansion of arid zones in Africa undermining efforts to combat poverty on the Continent.
• NAPs-CCD, NAPAs and others are not up to expectations, be they in the area of natural resources conservation or poverty alleviation.
The Stories
Political Response
• Need for an African Partnership supported by the international community, in order to stop and reverse trends in land degradation and loss of biodiversity, especially in the arid regions of Africa through a coherent and common set of interventions
• This African Partnership to address the challenge of DLDD, CC and loss of biodiversity is called the “ Great Green Wall for the Sahara and the Sahel Initiative »
The idea of a wall was a politicians means of simplying the message to
enable understanding, you technicians , do the work’
The Great Green Wall is a metaphor to:
• Sensitize development actors and policy makers on the specificities and the urgency in arid zones;
• Amplify local environment management and sustainable development good practices
• Implement a mosaic of integrated interventions related to multi-sectoral issues affecting the lives of populations in Sahel-Saharan zones in Africa.
• Identify long-term solutions to the pressing challenges of desertification/land degradation and drought.
Shifting the concept: from focus on tree planting to an integrated (SLWM) arid zone development
approach
ELVIS diagram
Objective
• To improve the resilience of human and natural systems in the Sahel-Saharan zone to CC through a sound ecosystems’ management, sustainable development of land resources, protection of rural heritage and improvement of the living conditions and livelihoods of populations living in these areas
Specific objectives
• Improve the living conditions of populations residing in the arid zones of Africa and reduce their vulnerability to climate change, climate variability and drought
• Improve the state and health of ecosystems in the arid zones
of Africa and their resilience to climate change, climate variability and drought
• Advocate & Mobilize resources for the implementation of the
Great Green Wall Initiative through the establishment of efficient partnerships between national, Regional and international stakeholders
Operational objectives
OO1. Actively influence relevant international, continental, regional, national and local mechanisms and actors, in order to tackle efficiently the issues of DLDD in Dry lands .
OO2. Work at creating an enabling environment for solutions aiming at establishing the populations of arid zones on their lands (zero migration) and ensure their fair, equitable and peaceful access to land resources.
Operational objectives
OO3. Improve the knowledge on social, economic, biophysical and cultural dynamics of arid zones
OO4. Mobilize financial and technological resources at national, bilateral and multilateral levels and improve their focus and coordination in order to increase their impact and efficiency.
The GGWSSI Practically
• AUC overall Coordination and Politico- Diplomatic Leaders
• Specialised implementing agency, PAGGW
• National Agencies ( Designated Ministries)
• NEPAD- TerraAfrica • RECs ( CILSS, ECOWAS, UMOA
)
CURENT State : Common Vision
• Harmonised Regional implementation strategy
• General Result Framework• Common Capacity building
strategy• Common Communication
Strategy and Plateform • National Action Plans • Regional Steering Committee
Current State: Regional Programmes
More than USD 2 Billion in Support
– The World Bank/GEF /TERRAFIRCA Sahel And West Africa Programme ( 12 countries): BRICKS ( USD 1 Billion)
– The Global Mechanism ( FLEUVE Project– FAO (Action against desertification)– KEW London: Trans boundary Programme– APEFE : Capacity Building Programme in Burkina Faso – SOS SAHEL: Regional Regeneration, Livelihood and
Resilience Building Programmes
Current State: National level
Internal mobilization and investment of + USD 3 Billion • Development, adoption and launching
of National Action Plans • Establishment of National Agencies
with full functional offices (Senegal, Chad, Niger, Mauritania, ( BF,The Gambia, Mali, Erithrea in progress)
• With concrete actions in the field.
At national level• 10 national GGW Action Plans (Burkina
Faso, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Chad)
• A Project on Ecotourism (Senegal)• Market Garden projects • Land regeneration in Niger, Nigeria• Oasis regeneration projects, Chad
Grassroot level activities
At national Level• Planting 11 million native trees have
contributed to the restoration of 27,000 hectares of degraded land in Senegal
• Construction of infrastructure helps reducing human and animal pressure on natural resources
• Reserved areas serving for fodder crops during “lean” season
Grass root level activities
Women and young girls harvesting pepper at Daura, Nigeria
III.Results/Achievements
At national Level• Vegetable gardens and income-generating activities
Vegetable gardens, Senegal
III.Results/Achievements
Challenges • Initial scepticism • Need for
increased coordination
• Need for harmonisation of of initiatives in support of the Prpgramme
• Keen interest (national, international)• Partnerships and establishment of a “Great Green Wall community"• Participation / Real efforts for civil society involvement
IV. Lessons learnt: successes
Way forward
• Coordination unit ( functional and active)
• Re – thinking implementation strategy
• Get ‘les pays limitrophes’ on Board
• Research & Education• Young People focus • Make it Pan African
Way forward
IS THE SOUTHERN AFRICA REGION READY FOR A GREAT GREEN WALL / LANDSCAPE ???
WHATS IS THE WAY FOR WARD?
Contact The African Union Commission
ZIKOMO KWAMBIRIThanks for Listening
www.auc.int/great-green-wall