AFR100 Countries Discuss Funding opportunities for Forest Landscape Restoration during Nairobi Workshop
October 31, 2018: Member countries of the African Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative (AFR100) and key partners met in Nairobi, Kenya on October 29–30, 2018 to discuss funding opportunities within the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and other sources to financing their pledge to restore at least 111 million hectares of degraded and deforested landscapes by 2030.
The ‘GEF-7 Planning Workshop’ at the KCB Leadership Centre was convened by the African Union’s New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), which leads the AFR100 initiative, Conservation International, a technical partner for AFR100 and a GEF Implementing Agency, the Global EverGreening Alliance, and the World Resources Institute.
The workshop also sought to enhance coordination and information sharing among AFR100 countries that have similar restoration priorities and seeking similar types of GEF funding.
“The workshop was a big success and was the first of its kind since it brought AFR100 countries together with funding partners including GEF and investors from the private sector, key technical partners and civil society for the first time,” said Mamadou Diakhite, NEPAD’s Team Leader for Sustainable Land and Water Management.
The NEPAD official said the GEF 7th funding cycle (2018–2022) presents a significant opportunity for AFR100 countries to finance their ambitious restoration targets, even as they seek financing support from other sources.
“By putting forth a harmonized, regional approach to the GEF under AFR100, we seek to help countries deliver massively scaled-up forest and landscape restoration across Africa,” he said.
Mr. Diakhite said in future, AFR100 countries will explore opportunities for co-financing for restoration efforts so that for any monies received from the GEF, they can unlock equivalent or more funds from other sources including the private sector.
“AFR100 countries are taking restoration seriously and some have even committed their own domestic funds. They need support to complement their efforts. Even private sector investors have expressed commitments to support restoration efforts,” he said.
GEF’s Senior Climate Change Specialist, Pascal Martinez said the GEF is committed to working with AFR100 countries since restoration of degraded forests and landscapes delivers significant environmental benefits including addressing climate change, land degradation and biodiversity.
“The restoration agenda is urgent for the GEF. We also prefer working with partners such as AFR100 since that achieves higher impacts with less resources due the synergies created between different countries facing common challenges as one entity,” he said.
Mr. Martinez explained that African countries can commit part of their GEF country allocations in the current funding cycle (2018–2022) to restoration activities.
He added that further funds can be accessed through the new Impact programs such as ‘the Sustainable Forest Management on Drylands’ and ‘Food System, Land Use and Restoration Impact program’. A call for Expression of Interest (EOI) for the impact programs is expected mid this month and countries have 3 months to respond.
In July this year, the GEF begun its 7th four-year funding cycle in which at least US$4.1 billion will be granted to various countries to implement key environmental projects.
Conservation International’s Vice President for Programs and Partnerships in Africa Alice Ruhweza expressed her organization’s commitment to support AFR100 countries to achieve their restoration targets through mapping of restoration opportunities, identifying innovative sources of financing, and monitoring implementation of restoration efforts on the ground.
“As a Technical partner, we’ll make available our monitoring tools such as ‘Trends Earth’ which uses satellite imagery and global data to help countries identify priority areas for restoration and to track progress towards their restoration targets. Our Vital Signs tools will also support monitoring trade-offs between Agriculture, Ecosystems and Human Wellbeing” she said.
“In addition, as one of the GEF Implementing Agencies, Conservation International will support countries to access GEF and other sources of funding to implement effective restoration programs.”
On his part, Senior Vice President of Conservation International, Africa Field Division Michael O’Brien-Onyeka hailed the workshop during his opening remarks as an example of the critical partnerships needed to effectively address conservation issues facing Africa.
“The scale of the environmental challenges facing Africa means that governments, private sector and organized civil society have no option but to work more closely than ever before to co-create innovative solutions,” he said.
“Conservation efforts in Africa and beyond should also put nature-based solutions and people’s wellbeing at the center in order to achieve tangible impacts.”
AFR100 has so far received financial commitments for restoration up to US$1 billion from development partners including the German government, World Bank and others as well as US$500 million from the private sector.
In concluding the workshop, partners unanimously agreed to put in place a Technical Support program for AFR100 countries that would include, among other things, Data and Science, Catalytic and innovative financing an Implementation support on the ground from partners such as the Global Evergreening Alliance- the largest alliance of partners involved in research and implementation of landscape restoration.
Africa currently accounts for nearly 75% of the 2020 global forest restoration target under the Bonn Challenge, which aims to bring 150 million hectares of land into restoration by 2020. To enable countries to translate these ambitious commitments into implementation on the ground, financial resources are urgently needed.
