"Niger Hosts Conference On Restoration Of Deforested Land".

The second African Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative meeting held in Niamey, September 26-28, in partnership with the Government of Niger. 

The event, organised by NEPAD Agency in its role as AFR100 Secretariat and supported by BMZ, IUCN, World Resources Institute, WRI, the World Bank and the Global Landscapes Forum, GLF. African Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative, AFR100, Annual Partnership Meeting, is an annual continental forum which brings together leadership from 24 AFR100 partner countries, restoration champions, private sector operators, Regional Economic Communities, RECs, Farmers’ Organisations, Civil Society and technical partners from around the world. The meeting aims to engage participating countries in harmonising and reaching the goal of restoring 100 million hectares of degraded and deforested land by 2030.

AFR100 connects political partners — participating African nations — with technical and financial support to scale up restoration on the ground and capture associated benefits for food security, climate change resilience, and poverty alleviation. This year’s theme: “Common Ground for Action – From Commitment to Implementation”, seeks to raise the level of awareness of the importance of restoration, review success stories and enhance a greater level of participation of the public and related agencies in the environmental sector which is critical, following the launch of the AFR100 Initiative in 2015 and the emphasis placed by African countries on Forest Landscape Restoration, FLR. AFR100 will accelerate restoration to enhance food security, increase climate change resilience and mitigation and combat rural poverty.

AFR100 responds to the African Union mandate to bring 100 million hectares of degraded land into restoration by 2030. It complements the African Landscapes Action Plan, ALAP, and the broader LDBA programme of the African Union. AFR100 contributes to the achievement of domestic restoration and sustainable development commitments, the Bonn Challenge, and New York Declaration on Forests among many other targets.

The initiative directly contributes to the Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs, and the Paris Climate Agreement. It builds on the experience and progress achieved through the TerrAfrica Partnership and related landscape restoration efforts.

Tandong Calistus Jong 

Niamey, Niger