The forest from Canopy Walkway – Kakum NP – Ghana. Photo credit: Francesco Veronesi via Wikimedia Commons

Nairobi, 31 October 2019 – On 4-8 November 2019, the African Forest Forum (AFF) will hold two parallel workshops on “Upscaling African countries’ ambitions to access the Green Climate Fund to accelerate REDD+ implementation” and “Developing framework for integrating forest and tree-based adaptation and mitigation options” in Mombasa Kenya.

Recent studies on lessons learnt from REDD+ implementation in Africa have helped to identify key challenges for countries, namely, the heavy dependence on external assistance and technical capacities, poor coordination, weak institutionalization and planning of technical processes – Safeguard Information Systems (SIS), National … Monitoring Forest System (NMFS), UNFCCC submission – associated with REDD+ implementation.

Furthermore, existing structures, institutional arrangements and frameworks, including policies and regulations, governing environmental and other economic based sectors have demonstrated weak capacity to adopt best practices that integrate both adaptation and mitigation options in response to the impacts of climate change and variability to biophysical and social systems in different landscapes.

For example, implementation of REDD+ has been documented to not only reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, but also enhance conservation of biodiversity, sustainable management of forests and carbon stocks that contribute to adaptation goals.

It is for this reason that the objective of the two workshops is to raise African countries’ ambitions for Green Climate Fund (GCF) bidding through regional forest and land use-based mitigation and adaptation projects that hold good potential for higher impacts on REDD+ at continental level. Such a regional approach is expected to facilitate access to increased resources to meet countries’/region needs for technical capacity, while at the same time fulfilling their commitments for NDCs as well as other global environmental and development initiatives.  

The expected outcomes of the workshops are that:

  • Priority issues for upscaling REDD+ in Africa are identified and documented;
  • Capacity of African stakeholders in forestry is strengthened on how to access Green Climate Fund (GCF) to accelerate implementation of REDD+ in Africa;
  • At least one regional framework for REDD+ that addresses African specific challenges and needs is developed;
  • A list of African REDD+ experts is developed;
  • Capacity of African stakeholders in forestry is strengthened on how to integrate forest and tree-based adaptation and mitigation options in different landscapes; and
  • A framework for integrating forest and tree-based adaptation and mitigation options in different landscapes is developed and shared.

The targeted audience includes regional and countries’ focal points for REDD+. Also targeted are experts from the ministries in charge of forestry or environment, and accredited agencies from selected African countries in charge of implementing REDD+ in their respective countries; as well as Regional Economic Communities (RECs) engaged in REDD+ related projects.  Participating countries (28): Burkina Faso, Benin, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea, Chad, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Egypt, Ghana, Uganda, Gabon, Guinea Bissau, Sierra Leone, Gambia, Liberia, Madagascar, Nigeria, Togo, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Sudan, Senegal, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Kenya and selected RECs.

The workshops are an integral component of the AFF’s two projects. Namely: “African Forests, People and Climate Change” funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and “Strengthening Sustainable Forest Management in Africa” supported by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida). 

For further information on the workshop contact
The Executive Secretary,
African Forest Forum,
United Nations Avenue, Gigiri
P.O. Box 30677-00100, Nairobi, Kenya.
Phone: +254 20 722 4203.
Fax: +254 20 722 4001/4181
Email: exec.sec@afforum.org 
Website: www.afforum.org