Virtual Launch of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration in the Near East and North Africa Region

23 March 2022. Virtual Launch of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration in the Near East and North Africa Region

The launch event of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration in the region aimed at building a common understanding among involved stakeholders of the objectives, ensuring active participation of each member in a coherent way and discussing the way forward for realizing the Decade’s objectives.

• Raise awareness of the importance of healthy ecosystems for livelihoods in the NENA region and inform about the costs that the region and its people will incur if no action is taken.
• Inform all relevant stakeholders of the UN Decade about the global appeal and opportunity for action by all; and define roles and responsibilities of each partner in achieving the Decade’s goals.
• Discuss linkages between the UN Decade and the existing international conventions and agreements such as CBD, UNCCD, UNFCCC as well as its contribution for achieving the SDGs.
• Deliberate on policy and technical constrains facing implementation of the Decade in the region as well as opportunities

Opening and welcome remarks

• Mr. Abdulhakim Elwaer – Assistant Director General, Regional Representative, FAO Regional Office for the Near East
• Mr. Sami Dimassi – UNEP Representative, Regional Director for West Asia
• HRH Princess Basma Bint Talal – Chairperson, Jordanian Hashemite Fund for Human Development
• H.E. Sheikha Al Dhaheri (Ms) – Secretary General of the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi

Presentation of the UN Decade

• Mr. Eduardo Mansur – Director, Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and the Environment, FAO
• Ms. Natalia Alekseeva - Team Leader for National Climate Change Action at the Office for Climate Change, Environment and Biodiversity, FAO (in behalf of Mr. Tim Christophersen – Coordinator UN Decade Global Partnership, UNEP)

Experience sharing from other regions:

• Mr. Brahim Said – Secretary General, Pan Africa Agency for the Great Green Wall Initiative - The Great Green Wall of the Sahel and Sahara Initiative 
• Eng. Abdo Gasim Alshareef – The DG for the General Directorate of Climate Change and Environmental Agreements - Saudi Green Initiative and Saudi-Led Green Middle East Initiative
• Dr. Rachid Mrabet – Director of Research/Senior Scientist at the National Institute for Agronomic Research (INRA) Morocco experience in promoting the adoption of Conservation Agriculture- for restoring and sustainably managing agroecosystems;  successes, challenges and lessons learned 

MOROCCO TO CONVERT 1M HA TO CONSERVATION AGRICULTURE

Morocco, the only country in the region to practice Conservation Agriculture (CA) at scale, will now become a hub for dryland sustainable agricultural systems, boosted by decades-long joint research on CA between ICARDA and the National Agricultural Research Institute (INRA) of Morocco.

For Rachid Moussadek, Senior Researcher at ICARDA (International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas) and INRA (Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique) sustainable intensification, agro-ecology and no-till practices are essential for building soil structure and sequestering carbon.