The Government of Sudan is leading a two-day Validation Workshop (24-25 August 2015) on the National Action Plan for Sudan’s Great Green Wall for the Sahara and Sahel Initiative, which was recently finalized with technical support from FAO. 

The Great Green Wall for the Sahara and Sahel (GGW) Initiative is a program initiated in 2007 that links 20 countries from Africa’s Sahel-Saharan region and aims to address desertification, land degradation and drought in the Sahara and Sahel. It is an initiative of the African Union and is supported and led by stakeholders across diverse sectors at regional and international organizations, national institutions, local authorities and communities.

Since 2007, FAO has supported country-led processes to develop action plans and strategies for GGW Initiative activities in 14 countries.  So far, there are 11 countries that have endorsed national action plans and strategies for implementation of the Initiative. FAO has provided technical assistance and resource mobilization support to 6 of 11 countries. Sudan is the 12^th and most recent country in the region to finalize a National Action Plan and strategy for implementation and is now seeking endorsements from stakeholders.

“In line with the UN Sustainability Development Goals, Sudan’s great green wall initiative contributes to achieving food security, improved livelihoods and promote sustainable agriculture,” says Abdel Hamied Adam Hamid, Senior Forestry Officer with the FAO Regional Office for the Near East and North Africa. “We would like to praise the government of Sudan for finalizing the National Action Plan. This is an important step towards implementing the Great Green Wall Initiative in Sudan.”

The Sudan’s GGW Initiative will harness national and local capacities for land management to support local communities in sustainable management and use of forests, croplands, rangelands and water in dryland areas, as well as to protect biodiversity. The Initiative will also strengthen the resiliency of local communities by contributing to climate change mitigation and adaptation, with significant improvements to food and nutrition security and livelihoods for Sudanese communities.

The National Action Plan provides a framework for long-term solutions to deforestation and land degradation in Sudan.  There are 6 intervention zones across the states of North Darfur, Northern Kordofan, Kassala, River Nile, Northern State and Khartoum State. The Plan contains 5 key components: Rehabilitation of degraded lands; forest and rangeland management; livelihood support for local communities; capacity building; and the development of an implementation framework. The Plan outlines a set of activities and outcomes for each component and intervention area, and provides a detailed provisional budget for each. Many of the activities outlined in the Plan will also generate income and create jobs for Sudanese households, especially those involved in food and livestock production.

“The Plan’s components cover diverse themes and many sectors in Sudan. Collaboration and cooperation across all sectors are essential for the Initiative’s success,” says Rosanne Marchesich, Deputy FAO Representative in Sudan. “This will require strong leadership and maximum coordination by the leading agency, especially through effective policy and enforcement on land use and natural resource management issues. FAO is willing and ready to provide further technical support in all areas proposed under the National Action Plan and across all sectors, as well as help in resource mobilization with the full support of the Initiative’s leading agency.”

The two-day Validation Workshop will introduce the National Action Plan to stakeholders and will seek their endorsement in order to make the Plan operational and move forward on implementation. Implementation of the Plan will involve many different partners at the national, state and local levels and across ministries, institutions and agencies.

“The Government of Sudan supports all of the projects proposed under this Plan,” says His Excellency, Hassan Abdelgadir Hilal, Minister of the Environment, Natural Resources and Physical Development. “This Plan represents an integrated approach involving all sectors at all levels. We are all accountable for responding to these environmental issues that impact us all.”