The African Development Bank and the Global Mechanism of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (GM/UNCCD), in partnership with UN Women, are joining forces to strengthen the capacity of African stakeholders to tackle climate change.

The resolution followed a workshop, hosted at the African Development Bank Headquarters in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, from 10 to 12 July 2019, on the topic of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) and Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN). Participants in the workshop also discussed gender issues in the context of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) processes.

Other participating partners included the Sahel Commission on Climate Change, IFDD, IUCN/GEF and country, NGO and private sector representatives such as World Vision Ethiopia, the Global Shea Alliance, Global Evergreening Alliance, Great Green Wall Panafrican Agency, GIZ, WRI and UNDP.

Hamndou Dorsouma, Manager of Climate Change and Green Growth at the Bank said the LDN objectives and associated measures would contribute to the implementation of national climate action plans.

Sandrine Jauffret, from UNCCD said the workshop was an opportunity for participants to familiarize themselves with NDC and LDN investment opportunities and to understand how to structure bankable projects to respond to both NDC and LDN targets.

Over 60 participants strongly acknowledged the quality of the training, saying it gave them the opportunity to understand the concept of linking LDN targets to NDCs from a gendered perspective. They also recommended sharing their experiences with peer across sectors and at local and national levels, to build capacity.