A sub-regional workshop, organized by the Central African Forests Commission (COMIFAC) on financial resource mobilization for sustainable land management (SLM) in Central Africa, will be held in Douala, Cameroon, from 30 September to 1 October 2008. The Global Mechanism (GM) and the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) will assist COMIFAC by providing technical and financial support.

The workshop will bring together a variety of stakeholders including the UNCCD national focal points from central African countries (Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Sao Tomé and Principe) and representatives of chef-de-file agencies in charge of the UNCCD Sub-Regional Action Plan to Combat Land Degradation in Central Africa (SRAP-CA). The overall objective of the workshop is to identify opportunities to mobilize financial resources for SLM in Central Africa and implement the SRAP-CA and the National Action Programmes (NAPs), which have been or are being elaborated by Central African countries. During the workshop, participants will assess the current status of resource mobilization for SLM and UNCCD implementation on the national and sub-regional levels and exchange and analyse personal experiences on resource mobilization.

The GM will present the concept of an integrated financing strategy (IFS), which guides the process towards the establishment of an investment framework for UNCCD implementation, by mobilizing a blend of financial resources, including from innovative sources for SLM. The IFS will be discussed and reviewed in order to identify entry points for resource mobilization for SLM and UNCCD implementation in Central Africa on the sub-regional and national levels.

The workshop will be organized back-to-back with the first meeting of the Coordination Committee of the SRAP-CA, which will take place on 2 and 3 October 2008. The meeting will discuss the terms of reference (ToR) of the Committee as well as of the UNCCD working group, which is being established under COMIFAC. In addition, the Committee will prepare for the Seventh Session of the Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the UNCCD (CRIC. 7), which will take place from 2 to 13 November in Istanbul, Turkey.

As a member of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP), the GM is providing technical and financial support for the organization of both workshops as part of its multi-year support programme for the implementation of the SRAP-CA. The expected results of this programme are:

• improved transboundary livestock management in Central Africa in order to ensure sustainable livestock management in the Northern parts of the sub-region;
•  increased mainstreaming of SLM issues into the major policy frameworks of the participating countries so as to increase budget allocations for activities promoting SLM in Central Africa; and
• analysis and testing of the applicability of innovative financing mechanisms in the sub-region. 

Download the SLM workshop information note (pdf, French, 146kb)

Download SRAP Committee information note (pdf, French, 148 kb)

Mr Sven Walter, Programme Officer
Tel. +39 06 5459 2150
s.walter(at)global-mechanism.org

Ms Camilla Nordheim-Larsen, Financial Strategy Officer
Tel. +39 06 5459 2061
c.nordheim-larsen(at)global-mechanism.org