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Mohamed Sessay
Mohamed Sessay
Topic: Implementation of UN Convention to Combat Desertification in Africa
Mohamed F. Sessay is Regional Coordinator for Africa for Land Degradation within the Division of GEF Coordination, United Nations Environment Programme, in Nairobi, Kenya. Sessay coordinates implement...
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Number of questions: [4]
Posted on 16/06/2007 01:36:14
Given that UNEP is based in Nairobi, Kenya, how can we engage your organization in stopping the desertification of Kenya which is so fast and evident now?
Ruth Oniang'o (from Kenya)
Dear Ruth,

Thank you for this interesting and pertinent question.

I would like to respond to your question by firstly referring to the excellent relations between the government and people of Kenya and UNEP. Through the years UNEP has developed good collaboration and partnership with various government agencies and has contributed to a number of environmental initiatives in Kenya in the area of policy development (e.g. Forestry Policy, Environmental Bill) as well as programmes such as the Nairobi River Basin Project, The Aberdare Forest Management, to name a few. One can also cite the partnership with the Nobel Laureate Professor Wangari Maathai in raising the profile of the environmental both nationally and internationally. UNEP support has been channeled through the various divisions in particular, the Regional Office for Africa and the Division of Global Environment Facility Coordination.

With regard to the issue of stopping desertification in Kenya, UNEP is investing a lot of resources in the more vulnerable northern parts of Kenya through projects such as the Desert Margins Programme, Management of Indigenous Vegetation for the Rehabilitation of Degraded Rangelands and Sustainable Resource Management Plan for Marsabit Mountain and its Associated Watersheds. In partnership with other GEF implementing agencies, UNEP is providing assistance to NGOs and Community-Based Organizations, through the GEF Small Grants Programme (SGP) to community initiatives in natural resource management and improving livelihoods including tackling land degradation and desertification. More generally, UNEP is also contributing to the protection of critical ecosystems in Kenya such as the Mount Kenya Ecosystem through the Mount Kenya East Pilot Project for Natural Resource Management.

With regard to information about further engaging UNEP please visit the website (www.unep.org). You can also contact UNEP Regional Office for Africa (www.uneo.org/roa) and UNEP Division of GEF Coordination (www.unep.org/gef).

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you require further information.

Best regards,

Posted on 15/06/2007 10:21:43
What objectives it is planned to reach in questions of a biodiversity and sustainable land management the nearest 10-15 years in Africa?
Alexey Kopeykin (from Russian Federation)
Dear Alexey,

Thank you for your question.

With regard to biodiversity and sustainable land management in Africa, the immediate and short term objectives are to conserve all ecosystems and promote sustainable use of biodiversity and to promote widespread adoption of sustainable land management in tackling land degradation. These objectives also compliment the efforts to reduce poverty and promote sustainable development on the continent that is being advocated by the New Partnership for Africa’s Development, NEPAD.

A recent initiative to address land degradation in Africa is TerrAfrica, a global partnership that is designed as a multi-partner platform to enable African governments and their partners to focus attention, facilitate sharing of knowledge and best practices, galvanize advocacy and make the case for increased investment in support of sustainable land management interventions on the continent.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you require further information.

Best regards

Posted on 15/06/2007 06:35:51
What strategies do you propose for educating policy-makers in your area of specialization?
Centre for Environment Education (from India)
Educating policy-makers in Africa engaged with the implementation of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is being tackled at several levels.

First, the Secretariat of the UNCCD has several initiatives and programmes for engaging policy-makers in its work and the implementation of the convention. One such initiative is the Parliamentary Network on the UNCCD (PNoUNCCD) a network of information, interaction and influence aimed at increasing involvement of parliamentarians in the various fields of combating desertification, soil erosion and land degradation. Details of this and other initiatives at the secretariat are available at www.unccd.int.

Secondly, the Global Environment Facility which serves as financial mechanism of four conventions including the UN CCD has supported capacity building and enabling activities for implementation of the conventions over several years. An important element of capacity building is training and awareness raising and information sharing with policy-makers. Third, at the practical level, there are the individual projects with activities that involve training of policy-makers through interactions and also linking of project outcomes and informing various policy dialogues at national and regional levels. Further information about the GEF capacity building and enabling activities can be obtained at www.thegef.org.

Please do not hesitate to contact me should require further information.

Best regards

Posted on 15/06/2007 06:05:01
In your opinion ,What do you see as the greatest challenge or hurdle in environment management and conservation?
shyamini Ekanayake (from Sri Lanka)
Dear Shyamini,

Thank you very much for this interesting question.

From my point of view the greatest challenge to environmental management and conservation is climate change. Responding to climate change requires a review of existing policies, strategies and techniques of environmental management and conservation. Existing policies and strategies will have to be adapted and new and appropriate ones developed. At the global level this will require new forms of collaboration and partnerships as well as provision of resources to respond to the challenge of climate change.

Other equally important challenges that should be taken into account include striking the balance between development and conservation, globalization and for developing countries in particular the lack of adequate capacity and resources to respond to environmental challenges.

    
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