GLF Africa 2024: Agenda

When arriving at the venue, please pick up your registration materials and check in to attend the event. Please bring your registration confirmation letter/ticket with you (printed or on your mobile device) along with your passport or photo ID to show the registration staff at the desk.
Registration will be open until 17:00

Whether you’re an early bird or a night owl, morning enthusiast or grumpy-till-your-coffee, kickstart your day with creativity, dreams, hopes and connections to last a lifetime. This hour-long meetup is your chance to network with fellow young leaders, practitioners and scientists, who will join ideas, thoughts and experiences to build a mural of solidarity.

Not sure how to network? Fear not – this meeting will be facilitated, and everyone will have the opportunity to connect with each other.

The session is by invitation only. We have a few spots, so if you’d like to join, please write to Eirini at e.sakellari@cifor-icraf.prg by 10 September answering the following questions: What drives you to be involved in environmental action? Is it a sense of duty, love for nature, or something else? What’s your work and background? (150 words).

Join us on a journey through East and Central Africa, where GLFx chapters and Restoration Stewards are leading transformative efforts. From the Indian Ocean coast to the Virunga Mountains, local initiatives are revitalizing landscapes across the region. In Rwanda, restoration work is bringing new life to arid regions, while in Cameroon, sustainable practices are creating lasting environmental benefits. These stories highlight the immense potential of collective action to build a sustainable future across Africa.

Africa has the potential to pave the way for the global climate, biodiversity and land degradation neutrality goals. Yet the continent continues to face the devastating impacts of climate change, biodiversity loss, resource exploitation and land degradation, despite contributing the least to these global crises.

This plenary will convene leading African and global thought-leaders to build a common understanding of the interlinkages between global climate, biodiversity and land challenges, and why local landscape-level solutions coming from and within Africa are critical to the success of global development and environmental goals. While recognizing the crucial role and needs of people in these solutions, the session will address the disjunct between top-down global targets and local action.

The plenary will also unpack key pathways, opportunities and necessary conditions to accelerate global impact through landscape-level solutions in Africa which account for nearly half of the global restoration commitments and pledges through mechanisms such as the African Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative and the Land Degradation Neutrality targets.

A new framework to support countries in transforming agricultural systems by scaling up sustainable production, restoring ecosystems and alleviating pressure on forests to improve food value chains will soon be put to the test.

The Participatory Informed Landscape Approach, known as PILA, uses an integrated landscape management approach to accelerate the transformation of value chains at the landscape level. PILA, developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations as part of the Food Systems, Land Use and Restoration (FOLUR) Impact Program, is now being piloted in India, Kenya, Nicaragua, Nigeria and Vietnam. This session will bring together experts and landscape actors implementing PILA to discuss the role of integrated landscape management, how decisions across the value chain are made and the role of smallholder farmers.

Related Knowledge Products:

• FOLUR Spring Update 2024: Lessons from the Landscape
• Integrated Landscape Management for Transformative Food Systems
• FAO’s role in GEF-FOLUR implementation

Join us for an exclusive screening of Ya La Terre (2023), a poignant short documentary by Gabonese director Nadine Otsobogo. The film tells the story of Brice, a young Gabonese farmer practicing peri-urban agriculture in Libreville, highlighting his deep connection to the land. Following the screening, Otsobogo will engage in a thoughtful discussion, sharing her journey as a filmmaker, the founding of the Masuku Environment Festival in Gabon and the creative process behind Ya La Terre. This session offers a unique opportunity to explore the intersection of storytelling and environmental consciousness in African cinema.

Nadine Otsobogo is a Gabonese filmmaker with several productions to her name, including Dialemi, which won the Bronze Stallion of Yennenga at FESPACO 2013. Dialemi was also recognized by the César Academy as one of the 35 best short films of 2015. Nadine founded the Masuku Film Festival, which brings together filmmakers from around the world to focus on themes of nature and the environment.

Come and take a tour of CIFOR-ICRAF Soil Lab accompanied by an expert. The tour starts at the GLF Info Desk, located between the Conference Hall and Media.

Registration has now been closed.

Join local practitioners from the GLFx chapter network and Restoration Stewards program in learning easy techniques and methods for restoration.

The Rainforest Alliance is pioneering integrated landscape management (ILM) approaches across five thriving landscapes globally as part of the 1000 Landscapes for 1 Billion People initiative.

One of the biggest challenges in implementing ILM is weak governance, inadequate finance and siloed approaches towards addressing the triple crisis of biodiversity loss, climate change and pollution, which are driving rural poverty and human rights abuses. We seek to strengthen our alliance to drive impact at scale in line with our strategy.

This interactive session will provide delegates with an opportunity to learn and interact with seasoned experts on integrated landscape management approaches with examples from Kenya, Ghana, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It will also provide a platform to share best practices and experiences on landscape governance, financing models, innovative tools to measure landscape progress and maturity, and partnerships to support smallholders transitioning to regenerative agriculture and sustainable commodities.

Related Knowledge Products:

• Climate solutions: rooted in nature, driven by communities
• The Rainforest Alliance’s work in East Africa
• Rainforest Alliance Mission: People and Nature Thriving Together
• Mount Kenya sustainable landscape and livelihood program
• Video: Uganda Education Children Project
• Video: Cobalam Project

More than 30 years after the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, trust in the impact of environmental policies can only be kept alive if we can finally translate promises into tangible results by breaking down silos. The three Rio Conventions – Climate Change, Biodiversity and Desertification – should be working together to create real change, but reports show that none of these international environmental agreements are delivering on their promises.

While there have been successes that can be celebrated, the big picture shows that implementation is struggling and the results are far from enough.

So, how can we hold decision-makers accountable and ensure that the commitments made under the various conventions translate into meaningful action? What powers do we currently have, or what powers must we build, to influence the decision making and implementation of these Conventions?

What are the conditions needed to ensure the implementation of policies that support people and the planet? What are the barriers that hinder them? These are some of the questions that we will be bringing people together to explore in this digital interactive workshop.

Join local practitioners from the GLFx chapter network and Restoration Stewards program in learning easy techniques and methods for restoration.

A local buffet-style lunch with a variety of small dishes will be provided.

Come and join Kenyan artist Shadrack Nduati throughout the afternoon at the Exhibition Area for a hands-on time of collective mural painting.

GLF Africa offers a unique opportunity to meet and connect with people from all over the world working towards a sustainable future. During this networking session, you will be randomly matched with other participants and have the chance to chat for five minutes. After that, the platform will automatically assign you another participant so you can start another interesting conversation.

Always make sure to briefly introduce yourself and start by explaining why you’re interested in the conference themes and how they relate to your work.

Since the late 2000s, billions of dollars have been invested in restoration efforts across Africa. Initiatives such as the Great Green Wall and the AFR100 Initiative alone have mobilized over $10 billion in funding from African countries, international donors and various financial institutions. These restoration projects, which focus on rehabilitating deforested and degraded lands, are carried out in collaboration with local communities that rely on these lands for the rainfed agriculture that sustains their livelihoods. These communities are among the most vulnerable to environmental crises, caught in a cycle of poverty, land degradation and climate change impacts.

While there have been notable successes, investments in restoration could achieve greater impact if guided by a coordinated national strategy that integrates both environmental and social welfare objectives. Across Africa, social welfare programs exist in almost every country, although their scope, coverage and effectiveness vary significantly between countries. These programs provide financial assistance to the same demographic group targeted by restoration projects, focusing specifically on the elderly, children, disabled individuals and low-income households.

This session aims to bring together key rural development experts and local stakeholders to explore opportunities to align restoration programs with social protection objectives, thereby supporting governments in building household resilience, improving social protections and restoring landscapes.

Numerous strategies exist for scaling up food production and transforming food systems in Africa, including commercial commodity crops, fertilizer and high-quality seeds input intensification, and integration of advanced technologies. AI and digital tools in particular are rapidly revolutionizing food systems and landscapes within Africa and beyond.

But what does an AI-driven future mean for Africa’s food systems, where smallholder farmers contribute 80% of the continent’s food supply? How can AI and machine learning be harnessed to drive a green leap forward across Africa’s food systems and landscapes?

In this plenary, we will explore two pivotal questions through dynamic debates and discussions. The first will focus on the choice between input-intensive agriculture and agroecology, while the second will examine the potential of AI for building sustainable, inclusive, and resilient agrifood systems.

More than 30 years after the Earth Summit in Rio, hope for strong environmental policies can only be kept alive if we transform promises into tangible results.

The idea of breaking silos is not a novel one—climate, biodiversity and land are all interconnected in the real world—but what is needed to bring all the relevant policy commitments to the same table, especially in an era of rising conflict? How can doing so help us hold decision-makers accountable and ensure that the commitments made under the various conventions translate into meaningful action?

This in-person, interactive workshop brings together young and seasoned experts to explore how the three Rio Conventions—Climate Change, Biodiversity, and Desertification—can work together to create real change.

This session is RSVP only.
If you are interested in joining, please complete the form here before 10 September 2024. If you have any questions or doubts please write to Eirini, at mailto:e.sakellari@cifor-icraf.org.

Join us on a journey across Africa and witness how GLFx chapters and Restoration Stewards are spearheading landscape restoration. From wetlands in Nigeria to forests in Sierra Leone and coastal mangrove ecosystems in Kenya, local communities are transforming degraded environments and protecting the millions of livelihoods they provide. Discover the diverse and dynamic projects to restore and protect landscapes across Africa.

Come and take a tour of CIFOR-ICRAF Genebank, Genetics and Genomics Lab accompanied by an expert.Start place of the tour is at the GLF Info Desk, located between the Conference Hall and Media.

Registration has now been closed.

Achieving Africa’s restoration targets will require effective tree seed and seedling delivery systems to support tree planting, but current systems are suboptimal. This issue has gained prominence on the restoration agenda, with substantial investments being made to address it. The Right Tree in the Right Place – Seed initiative, which aims to increase the supply of diverse, high-quality seedlings of native tree species, is building a partnership platform to enable Africa-wide stakeholders to design practical interventions.

If you are an investor, landscape restoration planner, policymaker or organization involved in tree planting, consider joining this session to help guide the platform’s development.

Related Knowledge Products:

• Tree Commodities And Resilient Green Economies in Africa
  

It’s finally time to announce the winners of our highly anticipated African Youth Storytelling Contest. Get ready to immerse yourself in the world of imagination as we celebrate the power of storytelling and honor the talented young Africans who have captured our hearts and minds.

In this session, we will unveil the three winners of the contest, whose stories have left an indelible mark on our digital audience. Discover captivating, emotive and creative narratives that will transport you to another realm.

Come and take a tour of CIFOR-ICRAF Spatial Unit Lab accompanied by an expert. The tour starts at the GLF Info Desk, located between the Conference Hall and Media.

Registration has now been closed.

Join local practitioners from the GLFx chapter network and Restoration Stewards program in learning easy techniques and methods for restoration.

HerVoice is a film set in Madagascar that explores the experiences of women in conflict zones. Funded by The Maypole Fund, which supports feminist activism against militarism, and produced by the EcoShe Project, the film delves into the intersection of gender, conflict and sustainability. Through powerful storytelling, it highlights the resilience and agency of women affected by war, emphasizing their unique responses to these challenges. The film seeks to amplify the voices of marginalized women, ensuring their perspectives are included in global discussions on peace and sustainability.

Join local practitioners from the GLFx chapter network and Restoration Stewards program in learning easy techniques and methods for restoration.

Explore the crucial role of financing in scaling up nature-based solutions in Africa. This session will highlight challenges and opportunities in securing investment for sustainable projects. Hear from finance experts on innovative models and from project leaders on navigating funding for landscapes, and engage in discussions about attracting investment, bridging financing gaps and evaluating project impact. Whether you’re a financier or project developer, this is an opportunity for you to gain crucial insights into how we can collectively advance nature-positive initiatives in Africa.

Women contribute significantly to sustainable agricultural production and land-based livelihoods, thus promoting food security and biodiversity conservation. Despite this, they are particularly exposed to the adverse impacts of climate change due to their disproportionate reliance on land-based resources.

They bear the brunt of the crisis through climate-induced droughts, torrential rains, floods and other extreme weather patterns. Land that was once considered productive is becoming barren and wasted due to these negative impacts of climate change, making it harder to provide for families and leading to internal conflicts and migration.

This situation is exacerbated by social and gender inequalities in the control and ownership of land, with women living in poverty unable to monitor and enforce their rights. Secure land rights play a crucial role in promoting effective mitigation, adaptation and land restoration efforts to address the effects of climate change. Rural and Indigenous women are also key agents for effectively achieving these three objectives. It is imperative to ensure that women have fundamental resources and are included in climate action to build a sustainable and equitable future for all.

By securing land tenure rights for women, we can build resilience to the impacts of climate change and devise effective land use and control systems, thus enabling us to live in harmony with the planet.

Join local practitioners from the GLFx chapter network and Restoration Stewards program in learning easy techniques and methods for restoration.

As the world turns its attention to the upcoming global climate, biodiversity and land summits, we look at the landscapes and livelihoods of local communities in Africa, that hold the keys to securing a sustainable, resilient, and prosperous future for the continent and beyond.

This plenary will reflect on what is needed for Africa to leverage local knowledge and action on the ground to advance global climate, biodiversity, and land ambitions while securing the rights and livelihoods of its communities. It will centre community stewardship at the heart of regional and global agendas, and discuss the strategies and resources needed to harness the power of local solutions, bridging the gap between local realities and global processes to forge a prosperous and sustainable future for Africa.

Join us for the Closing Reception of the GLF Africa 2024 Hybrid Conference. Network with colleagues from a variety of organizations and backgrounds, enjoy refreshments and celebrate the day with music and dancing.