- Leaders, experts and practitioners will convene on 17 September to discuss critical topics ahead of the year’s three COPs.
- The GLF Africa 2024 Hybrid Conference: Greening the African Horizon will explore biodiversity, sustainable food systems, protecting rights and livelihoods, the role of technology in sustainability, and more.
Nairobi, Kenya (29 August 2024) – This September, the GLF Africa 2024 Hybrid Conference: Greening the African Horizon, hosted by the Global Landscapes Forum (GLF), will be the epicenter of knowledge and action on how the continent can pave a sustainable way forward for all of humanity.
Africa’s tropical forest and savanna landscapes are threatened by unsustainable land use practices and degrading at unprecedented rates.
Around 40% of Africans face climate change, increasing desertification and economic marginalization in the continent’s drylands and the Sahel.
Although African freshwater, marine and coastal landscapes have a projected value of $405 billion by 2030, they are threatened by degradation and water insecurity.
The continent’s challenges are significant, but so are its people’s talent and expertise.
Co-creating knowledge and driving action at GLF Africa 2024
On 17 September, thousands of in-person and online participants will gather for an enthralling experience, exploring Africa’s shifting landscapes through transformative locally-led solutions, insightful debates, workshops and cultural showcases.
Highlights from the conference agenda include:
- New frontiers of action – Join leading African and global thought leaders as they build a common understanding of how global climate, biodiversity and land challenges are all interlinked and how local landscape-level solutions can work in an African context.
- Effective ecosystem restoration to tackle global warming, biodiversity loss and food insecurity – Explore the publications and harmonized monitoring tools developed to help achieve the mission of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration – learn from good practices, success factors and lessons learned of the three African World Restoration Flagships.
- Harnessing the power of partnerships – Engage with experts on integrated landscape management approaches with examples from Kenya, Ghana, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, spanning landscape governance, financing models, innovative measuring tools and much more.
- Green tree commodities in Africa – Participate in a discussion with experts in the cashew and wood sectors about the prospects of the two commodities, including a continental look at financial flows, a multi-stakeholder approach to tree commodities, and policy and institutional frameworks guiding tree commodities in Africa.
- A green leap in the AI era – 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.
- Restoring forest landscapes in Africa – Dive into the complex and multilayered fields of governance and action behind the impressive numbers of hectares to be restored under the African Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative (AFR100); a conversation covering people as rights holders, their land and livelihoods.
- A transformative partnership platform for tree seed and seedling delivery systems – Contribute to the creation of a partnership platform to enable Africa-wide stakeholders to design practical interventions, as part of the Right Tree in the Right Place – Seed initiative, which aims to increase the supply of diverse, high-quality seedlings of native tree species to achieve Africa’s restoration targets.
- Women’s land rights – Gain insights into how securing land tenure rights for women can build resilience to the impacts of climate change and devise effective land use and control systems, enabling us to live in harmony with the planet.
- Community stewardship in action – Participate in the making of a call to action towards community-level action by emphasizing stewardship, local knowledge and rights and showcasing innovative, evidence-based, community-led landscape initiatives, considering how global policy decisions impact all of us – including local communities in Africa, who are all too often excluded from these decision-making processes.
Africa’s growing young population is a driving force for landscape restoration. Youth landscape leadership can be a major catalyst for positive change, challenging conventional norms and advocating for stewardship mindset and practices.
Some exciting youth sessions at GLF Africa 2024 include:
- Social juice for breakfast – Network with fellow young leaders, practitioners and scientists, as they share ideas, thoughts and experiences to build a mural of solidarity. With limited spots available, this session is by invitation only. Apply by 10 September – learn more in the session description on our agenda.
- A tapestry of policy: Can civil society unite the Rio Conventions? – Engage in this in-person, interactive workshop that 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.
- Beyond urgent solutions: How landscapes communities seed lasting change for people and nature – Alongside GLFx chapters and Restoration Stewards, delve into what local people value as the foundational components that need to be integrated into fund allocation and targets definition for grassroots restoration initiatives to achieve lasting impact.
We will also announce the winners of the 2024 African Youth Storytelling Contest, which brings together young creators from across the continent to share stories to inspire a brighter and bolder future for Africa. The top 10 entries will be featured at GLF Africa 2024 and on the GLF website and social media channels.
Explore the full agenda here.
Register here for Africa’s biggest conference on landscape restoration in 2024. Learn more at bit.ly/GLFAfrica2024
###
NOTES TO EDITORS
- Apply for a press pass to attend the conference online or in person here: English or French
- Stay tuned to the conference updates, check key messages about the GLF Africa 2024 themes, access the conference images and learn more on the event’s concept note at our newsroom
- For more information, please contact Kelly Quintero (k.quintero@cifor-icraf.org)
About the GLF
The Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) is the world’s largest knowledge-led platform on integrated land use, connecting people with a shared vision to create productive, profitable, equitable & resilient landscapes. It is led by the Center for International Forestry Research-World Agroforestry Centre (CIFOR-ICRAF), in collaboration with its co-founders UNEP and the World Bank, and its charter members. Learn more at www.globallandscapesforum.org.
Share your thoughts with us