Representatives of the PPI community at the IUCN World Congress are working for greater recognition of the role of local civil society in nature conservation actions !
Published on 16 December 2021
Despite the uncertainties about the holding of this great event and the stress of administrative and health formalities, there were still about twenty representatives of our PPI community who managed to brave the difficulties to participate in the IUCN World Congress which was held. is held from 03 to 09 September 2021 in Marseille.
Once there, there is no rest for these ambassadors of African civil society. It is often at a run that they alternate between discovering the exhibiting organizations ; participation like speakers or spectators at numerous thematic sessions ; provoke or are called upon by others to take part in formal or informal, planned or unplanned, day or night meetings, held standing between two doors, or seated between two rooms and in the presence of a varying number of eyes and attentive ears….
It is therefore impossible to relate in detail here the abundance of life which characterized this congress. However, we can come back to some of the results obtained by the PPI community that seem to us to be the most striking:
– The debate on the interest of the status of ‘member of the IUCN’ for African civil society organizations through the participation on RFI of Maximin DJONDO (BEES) and Guillaume TATI (AGSAC / ESI-CONGO) in the program ” IUCN: faced with the decline of biodiversity, is there strength in unity ?” in the presence of Bruno OBERLE (DG IUCN) and Aliou FAYE (Dir. Reg. IUCN PACO). Interview during which, BEES and AGSAC were also able to publicly bring the grievances of members with a view to improving relations between the secretariat and them.
– The support and adoption of an IUCN motion aimed at strengthening the conservation of African great apes by involving local actors supported by AGSAC. As the title of an article published in Sciences et Avenir magazine of September 7, 2021, the adoption of this motion is a real recognition of the role of African CSOs in the protection of the great apes which will allow – we hope – to orient more resources for the benefit of local conservation actors.
– The participation of Abdoulaye SAMBA (FENAGIE) as a speaker at the session of the European Commission to illustrate the importance of the work of African CSOs in the sustainable management of natural resources and the choice of a better involvement of this category of actors within the framework of NaturAfrica, the new European policy in terms of support for biodiversity conservation actions in Africa.
– The joint animation by Alexandre GIRARD (RASTOMA) and Joséa DOSSOU BODJRENOU (WASTCON) of a presentation of their two networks of organizations active in the conservation of marine turtles in West and Central Africa.
– Participation as ‘big witnesses’ in the public presentation of the Small Initiatives Program (PPI) and in the signing ceremony of the PPI-6 financing agreements . Sessions during which the brochure and the film resulting from the cross-capitalization work of the PPI and PPI-OSCAN sister programs will have been officially presented .
Also, at the time of the assessment, we retain that after almost two years of COVID crisis and reduced mobility, the congress will have been a real breath of fresh air for many of us. It will of course have enabled us to meet again and facilitate networking and putting in contact between civil society actors and potential technical and financial partners.
Beyond that, we also have the feeling that this congress will have made it possible – more than the previous ones – to offer greater visibility to African civil society organizations as well as better recognition of the impacts of their actions on biodiversity. , sustainable local development and resilience to climate change in their area of intervention.
At the end of so many good times shared, we must admit it to you, it was difficult to separate and that is why we have a particular thought for the representatives of the organizations which, despite all our efforts, were finally unable to do so. join us : Justice MENSAH (Hen Mpoano), Bachirou MOHAMADOU (CERAF), Romarci Tsafack (TF-RD) and Emmanuel WIRSIY (CAMGEW).