The G reat G reen W all f or th e Sahara and the Sahel Initiative

Key Achievements and Lessons Learnt Outline

I. The GGWSSI: Why ? II. The GGWSSI: How? III. Achievements/Results IV. Lessons learnt V. Way forward I. The GGWSSI: Why? • The close interaction between Desertification, Land Degradation , Drought, Climate Change, Biodiversity loss in drylands, especilliially in AfiAfrica • Their adverse impacts on human health, food security , economic activity, physical infrastructure, natural resources and the environment, and national and global security Source: Carí / Drynet • How to tackle their effects in a systematic, integrated, synergistic cost efficient and results oriented manner?

• What lessons from the past and current experiences can be used to doing so?

Source: Carí / Drynet •Dryyjppplands and Deserts: not just problems but opportunities

• Local experiences in the Sahel, such as Assisted natural Regeneration in Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali, etc.:

 Possible to improve and enhance ecosystem services  StiblldSustainable land an d wa ter managemen tBit: Basis addressing DLDD, CC, building ecosystems and local people resilience, improving food security and securing revenues for local communities, including youth, women and pastoralists. • To Raise awareness on drylands’ development issues

• To improve the resilience of human and natural systems to Clima te Change ex treme events (Drought, floods)

• To looking at long term solutions to DLDD, CC and biodiversity loss II. The GGWSSI: How? More than a physical wall of trees, the GGWSSI is a metaphor:

• A people-centred approach to land management that seeks to capitalize on the dynamic linkages in the landscape between human and natural systems • Implement activities that improve ability of a system - human or natural - to absorb, accommodate or recover from the effects of a shock or stress A mosaic of sustainable land use practices based on:

• Diversified production to reduce economic risk (e.g. crops, agro-forestry). A mosaic of sustainable land use practices based on:

• Safety-nets (e.g. increased use of rangelands , consumption and/ or sale of wild products collected from the lan dscape • Alternative or additional employment (e.g. off-farm labour, small forest enterprises). III.Results/Achievements At regional and sub‐regional

• Harmonized Strategy adopted by AMCEN and AU Assembly • CitittdlCommunication strategy and plan • Capacity Development strategy and Plan • Three Cross-borders ppjrojects in West Africa (Burkina Faso- Niger, Niger-Nigeria, Burkina Faso-Mali-Niger ) BRICKS Project : Building Resilience through Innovation, Communication and Knowledge Services

$1.1 B Total new financing $789MIDAM IDA $98.18 M new GEF & Adaptation trust funds $227.08 M other sources (including Govts, bfiii)beneficiaries)

12 country projects 10 approved by Bank Board (of which 6 are effective) 2 under preparation

1 regional project: Building Resilience through Innovation, Communication and Knowledge Services (BRICKS) The BRICKS Project Building Resilience through Innovation, Communication and Knowledge Services for the Sahel and West Africa Program (SAWAP) in Support of the Great Green Wall

BENIN BURKINA FASO CHAD ETHIOPIA GHANA Sustainable landscapes MALI MAURITANIA for climate resilience, NIGER food and water security, NIGERIA SENEGAL More growth and less SUDAN TOGO poverty BRICKS Project: Building Resilience through Innovation, Communication and Knowledge Services

Implemented by regional centers of excellence:

CILSS - Interstate Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel

OSS - Observatoire du Sahara et du Sahel

IUCN W and C Africa Office At national level

• 11 national GGW Action Plans (Burkina Faso, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Chad)

• A Project on creation of a Community NtNature Reserve an dEd Eco tour ism (Senegal) At national level

• 11.4 million native trees planted in Senegal • 1,500 km of fire-breaks • 10,000 ha of assisted natural regeneration • 24,600 hectares of degraded land restored • Cons ttififtthltruction of infrastructure helps reducing human and animal pressure on natural resources At national level • Vegetable gardens and income‐generating activities

Vegetable gardens, Senegal At national level

Women and young girls harvesting pepper at Daura, Nigeria IV. Lessons learnt Lessons learnt: successes • Keen interest (national, international) • Partnerships and establishment of a “Great Green Wall community" • Participation / Real efforts for civil society involvement • Improved coordination among stakeholders Lessons learnt: challenges • Coordination (Institutions, sectors at national and regional levels) • Resource mobilization at national and regional levels • Maintain the momentum with concrete actions on the ground V. Way Forward • Int egrat e th e GGWSSI i n k ey pl anni ng i nst rument s (national and local development plans) • Encourage national governments of AU member states and financial partners to demonstrate their commitment to the initiative though the funding of GGW national action plans • Mobilize additional 1.2billion USD to fill the funding gap (National budget, CSOs, Private sector, bilateral and multilateral funds) • Enhance participation of civil society, the private sector, local communities and community-based organizations

• Create new opportunities for rural employment, especially for women and youth • Strengthen communication to enhance participation, visibility and ownership of the initiative by all stakeholders www.fao.org/partnerships/great‐green‐wall