Start of the 5th Desertif’Actions summit on agroecology,  October 5, 2022

The Sahara and Sahel Observatory (OSS) is co-organizing, with the UNCCD and CARI, the 2022 session of the Desertif’Actions summit. Discussions focus on possible options that take advantage of agroecology and that emerge from recommendations collected on a global scale from civil society key players. COP 15 came up with decisions for biodiversity, climate, food security and rural development. This summit will thus, make it possible to promote them with agroecology-based solutions, to take actions and to think of a resilient and equitable future.

Mr. Nabil Ben Khatra, the OSS Executive Secretary, took the opening session to recall that this initiative fits perfectly with the Organization vision and strategy, aimed at supporting the African countries to strengthen the sustainable land management and biodiversity conservation tools, and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. He also underlined that thinking of a resilient and equitable future would necessarily involve the valuation of agroecology, as a potential and immediate solution that can be implemented to help combat desertification and drought.

Mr. Ibrahim Thiaw, the UNCCD Executive Secretary, called upon the participants to consider practical alternatives, stressing that « Combating desertification is giving a human face to all our actions. » Indeed, the populations are the number one provider of all solutions and the civil society recommendations will only confirm this.

The opening session high-level speeches brought to light the land degradation pressing issues such as desertification, biodiversity protection, adaptation to climate change and their global consequences. « Lands are the very heart of the challenges we all have to face, before it is too late », said Mr. Patrice Burger of CARI.

The Desertif’Actions summit thematic workshops will be held until October 8, and will focus on the economic development in the territories, the environmental well-being, the quality of life and the resilience to crisis situations.