The NEPAD Agency and its partners (BMZ, WRI and World Bank) of the African Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative (AFR 100) held the First Regional Conference of the AFR100 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The two-day regional conference was graced by H.E Ato Kebede Yimam Dawd, Minister of Environment, Forest & Climate Change of the Republic of Ethiopia and Ms. Wanjira Mathai co-chair of the Global Restoration Council.
The conference brought together country focal points of the 21 member countries who together have pledged to restore 63.3 million hectares to ensure that the movement to restore 100 Million Hectares (Ha) by 2030 receives the prominence and visibility it deserves. Other participants included technical and financial partners ranging from the African Union and various UN agencies.
The conference discussed work carried out through the AFR100 partnership to date and exchanged on successful approaches and barriers to implementing forest landscape restoration (FLR) at scale and highlight near-term priorities for technical assistance moving forward.
The AFR100 will create opportunities for countries to explore innovative options for on-the-ground activities to scale up successful forest landscape restoration practices in targeted landscapes territorial management, improved user and access rights over resources, conflict resolution and regulations, and strengthening capacities of actors and institutions at all levels especially at grassroots level.
