Catalysing political and community-based solutions for land governance in West and Central Africa: a pathway to peace and prosperity

Organized in collaboration with the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA)

The nations of West and Central Africa face many inter-connected challenges: food insecurity, povery, environmental degradation, climate change, weak governance, violent extremism and armed conflict. These challenges affect both communities and states. 

Across a region where the vast majority of the population is dependent on rain-fed agriculture and pastoralism, one issue stands out: the governance of land and its link to security.

This interactive exchange was be based on concrete experiences of the cross-cutting dimensions of land governance in West and Central Africa. The intersection between land governance and food security, environmental degradation, climage resilience, transhumance, protected areas, natural resource extraction, resource competition, marginalisation and armed conflict, amongst others, were explored with the objective of stimulating fresh thinking, strengthening regional collaboration and contributing to generating policy shifts for a brighter future for the region.

Find out more about the Caux Dialogue on Environment and Security 2021

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Moderator: Luc GNACADJA, Founder and President of the think tank GPS-Dev (Governance & Policies for Sustainable Development); former Execytive Secretary of the UNCCD (2007 - 2013); former Minister of Environment and Urban Development (Benin, 1999-2005)

Co-organizers: Dr Alan CHANNER, Peacebuilding, Environment & Communications Specialist, and Carol MOTTET, Senior Advisor, Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA)

When: Wednesday 21 July 2021, 14:00 - 16:00 CEST

Panel:

• Boubacar BA, Director, Centre d'Analyse sur la Gouvernance et la Sécurité au Sahel/ONG Éveil - Mopti, Mali
• Ousseyni KALILOU, Co-chair of the Forest Interest Group (FIG), Environmental Peacebuilding Association (EnPAX), Niger/USA
• Salima MAHAMOUDOU (Niger), Research Associate, Global Restoration Initiative, World Resources Institute, Washington DC, US
• Abdoulaye MOHAMADOU, Executive Secretary, Permanent Inter-State Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel - CILSS