JUNE 2022 United for lands: from national coalitions to a pipeline of bankable projects for the Great Green Wall GGW Accelerator technical brief n 3
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JUNE 2022
United for lands: from national
coalitions to a pipeline of bankable
projects for the Great Green Wall
GGW Accelerator technical brief n°3
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Table of contents
1. The Great Green Wall Accelerator mandate……………………………………………………………………….2
2. What progress has been made in terms of harmonization of the programming framework,
multi-actor intervention on the pillars and impactmeasurement?..........................................4
a. The results management framework
b. Coordinated multi-stakeholder approaches
3. What support did it provide to connect actors and break the spiral where countries
wondered where the funding was and donors where the projects were? ……………………………7
a. GGW National coalitions
b. High-level and technical dialogues
c. Advocacy with financial partners
4. What successful initiatives has the accelerator been able to promote in the Sahel and what
measures to involve the private sector, civil society, and research/innovation in GGW
efforts?......................................................................................................................................8
a. The non-state stakeholder’s study
b. The GGW Heroes identification ongoing process
c. Relations with the scientific community
5. What impact has the Great Green Wall had so far?................................................................11
a. Impact monitoring
b. Financial monitoring
6. Annexes…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….15
a. Mapping of countries priorities
b. Assessment of GGW National agencies needs
c. Analysis of the pipeline of bankable projects submitted by the countries
d. Details of the already existing GGW projects in the One planet summit pipeline
e. List of scientific contributions 2022
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• The Great Green Wall accelerator mandate
In September 2020, the Ministers of Environment of the Great Green Wall met and called on the
international community to better coordinate efforts following the release of the Great Green Wall
Progress Report.
In January 2021, during the One Planet Summit Biodiversity, the Great Green Wall Investment Forum
was held at the Elysee Palace in Paris under the leadership of :
• Mr. Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic
• Mr. Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, President of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania
• Mr. Moussa Faki Mahamat, President of the African Union Commission
• HRH The Prince of Wales
The main announcements of the Forum were:
• 9 international organizations have committed to coordinate their efforts with the PAGGW
(Panafrican Agency for the Great Green Wall) around 5 pillars of action and 1 common vision.
• A total of US$ 19 billion in funding for 2020-2025 has been announced.
• The creation of the Great Green Wall Accelerator hosted at the United Nations Convention to
Combat Desertification to set up a harmonized monitoring and evaluation system around 5
action pillars and 1 vision, publish an annual progress report and organize an annual
monitoring meeting bringing together all stakeholders.
• The promotion of the private sector in the achievement of the Great Green Wall objectives
with the announcement of a 2.5 billion Euros investment envelope from the Natural Capital
Investment Alliance to invest in value chains participating in land degradation neutrality
efforts.
The Great Green Wall Accelerator was established and hosted by UNCCD in April 2021. Led by the
Sahel team of the Global Mechanism, the accelerator team is composed of 2 project officers who are
under the supervision of the Senior Sahel Manager. Its mission is:
• Coordinate the efforts of all actors through the harmonization of impact measurement
indicators
• Support the implementation of the Great Green Wall initiative through a multi-stakeholder
and structured approach based on five pillars.
• Enable a more comprehensive mapping of available funding and projects
• Connect actors to scale up successful initiatives and promote the Sahel as a land of
opportunity
• Integrate the private sector, civil society, and research/innovation into Great Green Wall
efforts
The accelerator began by working on the results management framework - working with all actors to
standardize approaches under the 5 new pillars. This has allowed us to unite all actors around a
common core and to dialogue on the basis of renewed and coordinated ambitions, going beyond the
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simple tree planting program to propose a mosaic of initiatives in a land-based restoration program
for development.
Several activities were conducted:
- Creation of a taskforce of funding partners with regular meetings and development of a
harmonized financial monitoring framework for funding partners - Preparation of the financial
analysis and note on funding mobilization.
- Creation of a monitoring and evaluation task force with the monitoring and evaluation managers
of the national GGW agencies and Development of a harmonized monitoring and evaluation
framework for the national agencies of the Great Green Wall
- Creation of a communication taskforce with the PAGGW and the African Union and development
of a communication strategy - Organization of training for journalists from the GGW countries,
and for communication officers from the ministries of the environment.
- Creation of the "platform" taskforce to bring together around the PAGGW the leading regional
actors in data collection and information processing.
- Preparation of a mapping of financial, state, non-state and technical actors
- Organization of high-level and technical events to support dialogue between actors
- Advisory support and advocacy at all levels of decision making
- Supervision of a consultant to conduct a study on non-state actor mobilization
- Supervision of a consultant to develop the "Heroes of GGW" program
- Supervision of a consultant to prepare the terms of reference for the monitoring and evaluation
platform
- Supervision of a consultant for the preparation of a project pipeline and the identification of the
needs of the NAGGWs
- Supervision of two consultants to carry out the gender analysis and the risk analysis of the ADA
project for the PAGGW
- Preparation of concept notes for the creation of a catalytic fund for the private sector, for the
integration of GGW in the framework of the plant protein plan
- Preparation and implementation of the 2022 resource mobilization strategy
- Support to the animation and secretariat of national coalitions
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• What progress has been made in terms of harmonization of
the programming framework, multi-actor intervention on the
pillars and impact measurement?
1. The results management framework:
All the financial and technical partners involved in the One Planet Summit Great Green Wall Coalition,
as well as the Great Green Wall National Agencies, and the PAGGW, have been working together on
the implementation of an results management framework since May 2021.
This has led to the establishment of 2 tools:
- The annual financial tracking table to track commitments and disbursements by pillar and
country for each funding partner.
- The annual impact monitoring table to track achievements on the ground by pillar, for each
national agency of the Great Green Wall.
These tools will allow the PAGGW and the accelerator to aggregate, analyze, and assess progress (see
"Results management framework" document).
2. Coordinated multi-stakeholder approaches:
The technical and financial partners meet every six weeks to present their programs, give their
opinions on the tools proposed by the accelerator, and dialogue with the PAGGW and the NAGGW.
Over the past 12 months, the Accelerator's work has consisted of compiling information on each
existing program for each financial partner, as well as the financial opportunities available (see
document "Note on mobilizing funding").
The Accelerator organized a series of events with the PAGGW to initiate a dialogue between funding
partners and governments:
- High-level dialogue on financing the GGW (October 2021)
- COP26 - High-level event on land restoration in Africa: the case of the Great Green Wall (November
2021)
- Participation of the Accelerator in the preparation of the "European Union-African Union Plant
Protein Plan" program, mobilization of the World Bank, IFAD, European Investment Bank, African
Development Bank and compilation of proposals for the EU-AU Summit (February 2022)
- Individualized strategic meetings between the PAGGW and the financial partners to identify the
regional priorities of each and propose avenues for collaboration.
- One-on-one meetings during the UNCCD COP15
To date, the Accelerator has acted as an intermediary to facilitate dialogue, make strategic proposals
and collect proposals, and above all, keep the level of ambition high.
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• What support did it provide to connect actors and break the
spiral where countries wondered where the funding was and
donors where the projects were?
1. GGW national coalitions
Following the analysis of financial data, qualitative and quantitative interviews conducted as well as
the analysis of the needs of the national agencies of the Great Green Wall, it appeared that the main
obstacle to the mobilization of resources was the positioning of national agencies. These agencies are
under the direction of their country's Ministry of the Environment. However, the financial partners all
dialogue at the level of each country with one interlocutor: the Ministry of Finance and Planning. There
is therefore a need to communicate about the opportunities available, not only to the Ministry of
Finance and Planning, but also to the sectoral ministries that prepare projects for the government
budget.
National coalitions are among the priorities established by the PAGGW at the December 2021 Heads
of State Summit. At the PAGGW Strategy Seminar held in January 2021, the accelerator proposed the
January-June 2022 strategy adopted by all participants.
At the GGW Ministerial meeting in June 2022, the accelerator will propose the outcome of the 1st
semester strategy, and the 2nd semester strategy. The latter will focus more on the preparation of a
pipeline of projects.
2. High-level and technical dialogues
The accelerator has facilitated dialogue between stakeholders, both at a high level and at a technical
level by providing data on available funding, and the major political interest of the initiative. The team
is constantly supporting the PAGGW in the organization of all events by providing strategic proposals,
action plans, contact lists.
The Accelerator has published several documents for the public, financial partners, and governments
in order to bring together all stakeholders around a common understanding of the issues and to offer
avenues for collaboration and action.
The Accelerator has published the Great Green Wall "communication kit" which brings together all
the information.
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3. Advocacy with financial partners
Through regular solicitation of financial partners, invitations to technical and high-level dialogues, the
accelerator supports the maintenance of political momentum around the Great Green Wall and
ensures that each financial institution is accountable for its One Planet Summit commitments. The
accelerator has facilitated the identification of a country focal point for each financial partner, as well
as a regional focal point for each financial partner.
This tighter network makes it easier to access information, but also to quickly mobilize the right people
to negotiate with national GMV agencies and ministries in each country.
With the study on the mobilization of non-state actors, and the "Heroes of the Great Green Wall"
program, the accelerator supports the PAGGW's advocacy for the financing of civil society, the private
sector, research, local authorities and, more generally, all the actors on the ground who currently do
not benefit from any financing opportunities via the One Planet Summit partners.
• What successful initiatives has the accelerator been able to
promote in the Sahel and what measures to involve the
private sector, civil society and research/innovation in GGW
efforts?
The Accelerator has not yet promoted successful initiatives and has focused on setting up working
procedures that would allow for better mobilization of resources, and effective monitoring and
evaluation that is well adopted by the actors.
However, we are planning the presentation of the study on the mobilization of non-state actors, which
includes a mapping and proposals to better take into account these important actors. We are also
actively preparing a communication campaign on the "Heroes of the Great Green Wall" which will
appear during the PAGGW Youth Caravan. These 100 heroes of commitment (entrepreneurs, activists,
influencers, scientists, local elected officials) will illustrate the importance of funding innovation actors
at the territorial level.
f. The non-state stakeholder’s study
In June 2021, the accelerator started working with non-state stakeholders by participating in a webinar
organized by the French Scientific Committee on Desertification to explain its work and collect
proposals and ideas of work from non-state stakeholders to initiate a roadmap.
In September 2021, during the IUCN World Congress, the Accelerator, PAGGW, Mauritania and France
organized the first conference bringing together governments, financial and non-state stakeholders
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to illustrate the new dynamics and structured dialogue between all key stakeholders to accelerate
activities on the ground.
In October 2021, the accelerator took part in a series of meetings organized during the New Africa-
France Summit in Montpellier (France) by CARI, the French Scientific Committee on Desertification,
the University of Montpellier. Following the participation of more than 200 representatives of non-
state organizations, online and face-to-face, areas of work emerged:
• Towards preparation / support programs for the readiness of GGW projects
• Better implication of CSOs and research actors in the dynamics of the GGW via a support program
for the field actors of the GGW.
• Better reconcile territorial approach and economic approach in projects
• For better connections between GGW actors, existing opportunities and knowledge through the
creation of a GGW multi-actor hub
• Advancing on the implementation of monitoring-evaluation and reporting mechanisms
• Mobilization of all knowledges for Innovations in the field / Agroecology – Nature based solutions
• Involvement of local authorities in the implementation of the GGW
In November 2021, during the COP26 Climate Change conference in Glasgow, the accelerator
organized a high-level meeting in the presence of Heads of State, heads of financial and technical
institutions, and representatives of civil society, during which the role non-state stakeholders was
highlighted, and the preparation of an effective roadmap to “turn billions of dollars into hectares” was
called for.
UNCCD commissioned, in the continuity of these efforts, and following the request formulated by the
high-level representatives of the Great Green Wall, a study on the mobilization of non-state
stakeholders of the Great Green Wall. A consultant was recruited, and his mission took place from
February to June 2022.
This study made it possible to identify more than 1,500 non-state actors through the production of a
mapping, an online survey on the perception of the Great Green Wall, qualitative interviews with
political and governmental actors, and representatives of the main networks, but also the realization
of 4 online workshops presenting examples and calling on participants to testify on the axis of work
defined in October 2021.
May 24 - Build territorial approaches including the economic dimension
May 31 - Improve connections between actors and existing opportunities and knowledge
June 2 - Mobilizing all knowledge for innovations in the field
June 7 - Build support programs for stakeholders of the GGW
Each workshop presented two experiences in the field and gave the floor to the participants to testify
about their experiences. In total, more than 200 participants discussed, and dozens of testimonies
collected.
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In April 2022, the Great Green Wall Accelerator participated in the workshop organized by UNEP in
Niamey on the theme "2nd Meeting of GEF and GGW Focal Points on the preparation of project
portfolios in the countries of the GGW”.
In May 2022, during COP15 Desertification, the Accelerator participated in a series of events organized
by the partners of the Great Green Wall and organized the Great Green Wall Day at the Rio Pavilion,
during which all the actors of various horizons were able to dialogue during a whole day rich in debates
and ideas.
On June 9, 2022, the GGW Accelerator is organizing the restitution workshop for all this work on the
theme: "How to advance the community of non-state actors of the GGW?”
8 recommendations came out from the study:
1. Bring the GGW as a tool for improving the livelihood of populations to the highest political
level
2. Set up multi-actor, multi-sector dialogue mechanisms around the objectives of the GGW
3. Get closer to producer organizations and associate them with the GGW
4. Give local authorities a significant role in local project management
5. Facilitate local land tenure security mechanisms
6. Define practical modalities of dialogue for planning, consultation for action at local and
national levels
7. Establish legislative and regulatory frameworks favorable to local initiatives
7'. Establish practical, simple and clear criteria and procedures for engagement
8. Integrate the greatest number of actors thanks to a system of recognition of different levels
of commitment of actors and actions
The study also proposed several next steps:
• Towards the definition of new
programs targeting non-state actors to
strengthen their role with the support
of TFPs
• Towards a better representation of
CSOs in GGW institutions and activities:
initiate a regional advisory council of
non-state actors linked/attached to the
PAGGW or the African Union
• For the involvement of CSOs in
national GGW coalitions
• A new milestone at the
Desertif'actions summit in October 2022
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b. The GGW Heroes identification ongoing process
The Great Green Wall has gathered global attention as a symbol of humanity’s ingenuity and
determination. Indeed, the Great Green Wall is the sum of efforts from individuals living across the 11
countries which have joined the initiative. Placed under the flagship “Land Heroes Program”, the Great
Green Wall Heroes campaign seeks to put in the spotlight these individual’s stories, by identifying 100
GGW local actors and project leaders and showcasing their work to local and global communities.
The campaign aims to:
- Increase the Great Green Wall’s notoriety
- Enable the development of partnerships to increase the development of awareness on the
Great Green Wall
- Encourage collaboration between the GGW Heroes and potential partners and investors.
c. Relations with scientific community
Achieving the objectives of the Great Green Wall initiative is only possible through the full involvement
and coordination of all GGW stakeholders. The international scientific community is one of these
stakeholders. Since the launch of the initiative, international and national researchers, from
humanities to biophysical science, have been strongly mobilized to try to provide evidence on the real
and potential impacts of this initiative at both the global and local levels.
With a will to take advantage of all the scientific knowledge existing, the accelerator has started
discussing with several scientific partners, notably the United Nations University, the French scientific
Committee on Desertification (CSFD), the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), or with some
Africa Center of Excellency and their networking program (ACEs-Partners program)
Exchanges with these researchers have led to several activities such as webinar ( notably on the Land
Restoration-Water-Nexus) and participation at different workshops (African France Summit, UNCCD
COP 15).
Several topics were highlighted during these exchanges. Without the ambition of being exhaustive,
some first contributions from have been offered to the accelerator (cf. annexes) on:
• Social relationship and the security crisis (in French)
• Securing land tenure in agropastoral production systems (in French)
• The Great Green Wall and the territorial approach (in French)
• A multi-criteria analysis framework for GGW projects (in French)
• Boosting FMNR in the Sahel for the UN Decade of Restoration
This exercise will continue with new contributions on new themes, following the international agenda
and the progress of the GGW initiative
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• What impact has the Great Green Wall had so far?
1. Impact monitoring
According to the 2022 progress report, almost:
• 20 million hectares of land have been restored
• over 350,000 jobs have been created
• approximately $90 million has been generated between 2007 and 2018 through Great Green
Wall activities
• the restored area will sequester more than 300 million tons of carbon dioxide by 2030,
which would represent about 30% of the Initiative's target.
• To reach the restoration target of 100 million hectares of land by 2030, an average of 8.2
million hectares of land per year will be restored at an annual financial investment of US$4.3
billion.
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2. Financial Monitoring 2021
In January 2021 during the One planet summit, several financial institutions pledged to support the
Great Green Wall with a total pledge of 19 655 000 000 US$ for 2021-2025.
Despite the pandemic of Covid19 in 2021, most of these institutions honored their commitments to
the Great Green Wall stakeholders with a total amount spent of US$ 2 500 447 805
This represents 12 % of the total amount pledged that was disbursed on 2021 through projects in the
Great Green Wall countries over the 5 pillars of interest of the GGW Accelerator.
In the meantime, financial data collected informs already more than half of the amount pledged is
already committed into projects preparation or project implementation.
The European Commission has designated a team at INTPA in charge of developing the GGW strategy
with GGW partners, while the 2027 budget was being approved by the commission. For this reason,
there is no data available for 2021. Similarly, IFAD has been working on 2021 on the Umbrella Project
for the GGW (UPGGW). This project will support GCF Accredited agencies in developing projects in the
GGW countries.
The institutions who provided the most furnished information on their financial disbursements and
commitments are AFD, AFDB and Green Climate Fund for 2020 and 2021.
2020 2021
Total € Total USD Total € Total USD
AFD 114 580 000 139 284 638 87 140 176 99 090 489
AFDB not not 597 065 043 678 945 921
communicated communicated
BEI 848 200 000 1 031 080 726 284 900 000 323 970 889
EU DEVCO 654 370 000 795 458 966 not not
communicated communicated
GCF 242 183 981 294 401 362 241 848 479 275 015 328
IFAD 27 968 348 33 998 614 3 012 102 3 425 178
World Bank not not 984 928 000 1 120 000 000
Group communicated communicated
TOTAL 1 887 302 329 € $ 2 294 224 305 2 198 893 799 € $ 2 500 447 805
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3. The main goals of the resource mobilization strategy July-December 2022:
1. The structuration of national coalitions: only Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad have so far
organized their national coalition meetings. It would be relevant to take the example of Niger
and for each Head of State to convene his ministers on the subject to request the
establishment of a national coalition to prepare a pipeline of projects and a national GGW
strategy integrated into the national development strategy.
2. Mobilization of non-state actors in national processes: It is important to advocate to states
that the most important non-state actors are invited to national coalitions, in particular local
elected officials, NGOs, research actors and innovation entrepreneurs. Otherwise, the
projects presented risk lacking territorial anchorage. Funding partners should be encouraged
to set up dedicated funding programs for these actors.
3. The implementation of mixed funding models: each operator has specific funding needs. For
example, an entrepreneur will not require the same type of funding as a town hall or a
ministry.
a. The financial partners must position themselves on the level of financing proposed,
and in particular inform the States if they only wish to work with the ministries of
finance/planning, or if they are ready to finance other types of actors directly, and in
this case define the modalities.
b. Furthermore, for the financing of the private sector, it seems essential to push for
the creation of a catalytic fund, with an initial envelope of €50 million to finance the
preparation of investment dossiers and the technical support of actors in the agro-
ecological value chain.
c. Finally, at the state level, national coalitions should enable the establishment of
memoranda of understanding between ministries and decentralized institutions,
municipalities and cities, so that states can request dedicated funding for "Great
Green Wall" municipal plans.
The completion of the PAGGW audit is a condition for the release of many obstacles to
regional funding. Its completion will make it possible to provide keys to their understanding
and adapt the strategy to the new challenges accordingly.
UNCCD support for project preparation: UNCCD, through the Global Mechanism, will be able
to finance the preparation of funding applications to be submitted by national coalitions.
States can, through their UNCCD focal point (Ministry of Environment) and their national GGW
agency, make requests to UNCCD. The UNCCD will also provide each national agency with a
national consultant to support the resource mobilization strategy and the implementation of
monitoring and evaluation. Agencies should propose Terms of Reference to initiate the
recruitment of these consultants as soon as possible.
Preparation of the monitoring and evaluation platform: The accelerator and the agencies will
prepare an interim report on the status of the GGW on the new platform. This will enable
decision-makers to make strategic choices for 2023.
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ANNEXES
a. Mapping of countries priorities
b. Assessment of GGW National agencies
needs
c. Analysis of the pipeline of bankable
projects submitted by the countries
d. Details of the already existing GGW
projects in the One planet summit
pipeline
e. List of scientific contributions 2022
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ANNEX 1 : Mapping the priorities of countries regarding the five pillars of the GGWA
Of the 11 GGW countries, by end of May 2022 a total of 7 countries have submitted PPT presentations,
reporting on their thematic and operational priorities (namely Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania,
Niger, Nigeria, and Senegal). These country PPTs have been guided by the proposed outline (“GGW
Country Strategies – Outline Note, dated 9 January 2022 – see Annex 1) developed by the consultant.
Summary Observations
Overall GGW countries have reported rather diverging priorities, rightly reflecting the major diversity
of their local and national settings and their different environmental, social, and economic challenges.
While some priorities such as ecosystems restoration and development meet wide recognition by
nearly all countries, most of the other priorities are less frequently expressed across the group of
reporting countries, making it more difficult to come up with main thematic GGW programs and
projects that would cut across several countries and regions.
In some cases, this rather high diversity in priorities expressed may also reflect a different
understanding between countries and their actors concerning the meaning and intentions behind
each of the five GGW Pillars. This would point towards a need for additional education and information
sharing by UNCCD with national stakeholders about the thematic goals and operational components
of the GGW Initiative.
Across all five GGW Pillars, the following primary priorities emerge:
• GGW Pillar 1: Value chains (agro-sylvo-pastoral)
• GGW Pillar 2: Ecosystems restoration and development
• GGW Pillar 3: Clean energy infrastructure
• GGW Pillar 4: Local and regional consultation
• GGW Pillar 5: Local training and empowerment
These five specific priorities could be described as the “five core GGW intervention areas” from the
perspective of GGW beneficiary countries. They could be used by UNCCD and the Pan-African Agency
of the GGW to facilitate the dialogue with Technical and Financial Partners about the desired thematic
areas of development programs and projects in the context of the GGW.
At the same time, local needs and opportunities in the ground will differ greatly. Therefore, tailored
solutions will be necessary to address these needs effectively.
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GGW Pillar 1: Farm investment
The primary priorities mentioned by at least 4 of the 7 countries in this area include the following:
• Natural resources (agro-sylvo-pastoral)
• Integrated farms (community-based)
• Value chains (agro-sylvo-pastoral)
• Trade (local, regional, exports, taxes)
• Green economy (jobs and income)
GGW Pillar 2: Land restoration
The primary priorities mentioned by at least 4 of the 7 countries in this area include the following:
• Land recovery & biodiversity protection
• Ecosystems restoration & development
• Water resources management
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GGW Pillar 3: Resilient infrastructure
The primary priorities mentioned by at least 4 of the 7 countries in this area include the following:
• Smart agriculture
• Clean energy infrastructure
• Water infrastructure
GGW Pillar 4: Governance frameworks
The primary priority mentioned by at least 4 of the 7 countries in this area is:
• Local and regional consultation
GGW Pillar 5: Capacity building
The primary priorities mentioned by at least 4 of the 7 countries in this area include the following:
• Local training and empowerment
• Institutional strengthening
• Communication and advocacy
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Burkina Faso – country priorities
The following priority themes, activities, programs, and projects for implementing the GGW have
been put forward by the country.
GGW Pillar 1: Investment in farms, value chains, local markets, exports
• Valorization of the potential of agro-sylvo-pastoral resources
• Setting up service centers
• Promoting the green economy
• Investment/support in small and medium enterprises (equipment and legal texts)
• Increased community income
GGW Pillar 2: Land restoration and sustainable management of ecosystems
• Development of agro-sylvo-pastoral systems
• Promotion and development of agroecology and good SLM practices
• Conservation of ecosystems, wetlands, watershed
• Mobilization and integrated management of water resources (hydraulic works and
development)
• Land tenure security (access of women and young people to land)
• Rehabilitation and conservation of biodiversity
GGW Pillar 3: Climate resilient infrastructures and access to renewable energy
• Promotion and development of smart agriculture
• Promoting clean and accessible energy
• Promotion of SMEs active in the popularization of renewable energies (facilitated access to
financing for the popularization of technology)
• Development of domestic energies and bioenergy
GGW Pillar 4: Frameworks for effective governance, sustainability, stability and security
• Institutional capacity building
• Monitoring and evaluation
• Institutional communication
• Gender equality
• Enabling environment (texts, laws, regulations, start-ups)
• Digitization
• Security
GGW Pillar 5: Capacity building
• Training and awareness of actors (institutions, NGOs, associations, etc.)
• Advocacy with stakeholders (local elected officials, etc.)
• Establishment of ecocentres
• Establishment and operationalization of the scientific and technical council
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Chad – country priorities
The following priority themes, activities, programs, and projects for implementing the GGW have
been put forward by the country.
GGW Pillar 1: Investment in farms, value chains, local markets, exports
Resilient Economic Development and Security:
• Development and enhancement of local and cross-border opportunities
• Promotion and development of productive green jobs
• Improved access to domestic needs and basic social services
• Development of frameworks for consultation and security of people and property in the
regions
GGW Pillar 2: Land restoration and sustainable management of ecosystems
Sustainable Management and Land Planning:
• Restoration and development of land and other ecosystems
• Mobilization and integrated management of water resources
GGW Pillar 3: Climate resilient infrastructures and access to renewable energy
• Water resources and biodiversity
• Climate actions and green economy
GGW Pillar 4: Frameworks for effective governance, sustainability, stability and security
(No points made here by the country)
GGW Pillar 5: Capacity building
• Strengthening scientific and technical capacities
• Information, communication, marketing, and advocacy
Mali – country priorities
The following priority themes, activities, programs, and projects for implementing the GGW have
been put forward by the country.
GGW Pillar 1: Investment in farms, value chains, local markets, exports
• Development and enhancement of the potential of agro-sylvo-pastoral resources and
optimization of agricultural, forestry and pastoral value chains
• Development and enhancement of local and cross-border opportunities
• Realization of integrated community agricultural farms (FACI)
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• Creation and rehabilitation of hydraulic structures and infrastructure for access to drinking
water and hydro-agricultural facilities
GGW Pillar 2: Land restoration and sustainable management of ecosystems
• Land restoration and development and protection of biodiversity
• Development of agro-sylvo-pastoral systems
• Mobilization and integrated management of water resources and development of
watersheds.
GGW Pillar 3: Climate resilient infrastructures and access to renewable energy
• Promotion and development of smart agriculture
• Promoting the green economy
• Developing and strengthening resilient energy infrastructure
• Promotion and development of domestic renewable energies
GGW Pillar 4: Frameworks for effective governance, sustainability, stability and security
• Development of frameworks for consultation and security of people and property in the
regions
• Implementation and operationalization of information systems
• Youth Green Caravan
• Women's Green Platform
• Structuring and functioning of national alliances
GGW Pillar 5: Capacity building
• Strengthening the technical and logistical capacities of GGW structures and Local
development initiatives
• Strengthening the scientific and technical skills of the structures and other actors of the
Great Green Wall
• Training and development of actors on GGW themes
• Capacity building of actors in monitoring and evaluation of natural capital and information
management
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Mauritania – country priorities
The following priority themes, activities, programs, and projects for implementing the GGW have
been put forward by the country.
GGW Pillar 1: Investment in farms, value chains, local markets, exports
This Pillar aims to restore degraded land and includes:
• Mechanical fixing
• Biological fixation
• Prohibitions
• Direct seeding
GGW Pillar 2: Land restoration and sustainable management of ecosystems
This Pillar aims to manage vulnerability to climate risks and includes:
• The promotion and development of smart agriculture
• Promoting the green economy
• Valorization of non-timber forest products (NTFPs)
• Distribution of butane gas cylinders
GGW Pillar 3: Climate resilient infrastructures and access to renewable energy
This Pillar aims to develop income-generating activities by setting up infrastructures relating to
water, the community shop, poultry farming or market gardening, production of seedlings in
nurseries, etc.
All these infrastructures are grouped together under the name of Integrated Community Agricultural
Farms or FACIs and which exclusively benefit women's cooperatives.
GGW Pillar 4: Frameworks for effective governance, sustainability, stability and security
• Support for university research
• Final study of the route in the 2 Hodhs and in Assaba
• Capacity building of ANGGW staff
• Participation of ANGGW staff in regional exchanges
GGW Pillar 5: Capacity building
• Design and production of communication/ media activities
• Animation of broadcasts, national media and workshops to boost the National Alliance
project
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Niger – country priorities
The following priority themes, activities, programs, and projects for implementing the GGW have
been put forward by the country.
GGW Pillar 1: Investment in farms, value chains, local markets, exports
• Promotion of promising value chains
• Promotion of the 17 NWFP sectors in the national strategy in this area, in particular gum
arabic and Moringa
• Facilitation of taxation to be granted to exporting traders
GGW Pillar 2: Land restoration and sustainable management of ecosystems
• Construction of 1,000 water catchment structures (retention basins, boreholes)
• Land recovery (reforestation, protection, dune fixation, RNA) over 10,000,000 ha
• Restoration and development of terrestrial ecosystems (watersheds, wetlands, protected
areas, community forests) over 500,000 ha
GGW Pillar 3: Climate resilient infrastructures and access to renewable energy
• Construction of 1,000 water catchment structures (retention basins, boreholes)
• Installation of 500 renewable energy kits to strengthen rural electrification
• Installation of 100 Climate-Smart Villages
• Achievement of at least 500 FACI
GGW Pillar 4: Frameworks for effective governance, sustainability, stability and security
• Strengthen synergy with all actors and sectors in the implementation of the GGW
• Mobilize all bilateral and multilateral cooperation around the ideals of the GGW
• Strengthen collaboration between actors and all sectors to succeed together
Alliances and coalitions between all actors and all sectors need to meet the different challenges.
GGW Pillar 5: Capacity building
• Completion of at least 100 thematic training sessions including diagnostic audits of local
development opportunities
• Ensuring to meet at least 80% of needs in monitoring & evaluation and communication
infrastructures and sharing of results
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Nigeria – country priorities
The following priority themes, activities, programs, and projects for implementing the GGW have
been put forward by the country.
GGW Pillar 1: Investment in farms, value chains, local markets, exports
• On-farm natural regeneration of native species (50 ha per State) on community land
involving men and women
• Identification of participating farmer or households through social survey
• Suitability analysis of project sites for drip irrigation and vegetable cultivation
• Procurement and planting of high quality and improved vegetable varieties
• Construction of solar powered boreholes and provision of reservoir
• Promotion of NTFPs for selected community association members involving men and
women
• Market analysis on bee keeping and honey value chains in Nigeria
o Apiculture value chain (bee keeping and honey)
o Fodder production,
o Balanites oil extraction
o Fish farming and value chain development
• Establishment of micro-gardens for the production of vegetables and herbs in fadama areas
for local consumption and market involving women and youths (5 ha per State)
GGW Pillar 2: Land restoration and sustainable management of ecosystems
• Establishment of 405Km shelterbelt across eleven frontline states
• Establishment of 405ha woodlot established
• Establishment of 15 ha orchards each per State
• Establishment of 350ha Acacia Senegal (Gum Arabic)
• Establishment of 445 ha indigenous tree species plantation established
• Establishment of 350 ha institutional planting
• Establishment 350 ha large scale restoration of degraded land
• Establishment of 140 ha farmlands under farm forestry crop protection and soil quality
improvement
• Production of 10,335,500 seedlings at the central and community nurseries
• Support community members with assorted seedlings for boundary planting, trees on
farmlands (agro-forestry), amenity planting
GGW Pillar 3: Climate resilient infrastructures and access to renewable energy
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• Procure and distribution of 1,750 super saver-wooden stoves to families/inhabitants of the
communities to discourage indiscriminate tree logging for domestic purposes.
• Construction of motorized boreholes for shelterbelt and orchard plantations
• Construction of 25 Units of solar powered borehole for the provision of water to alleviating
hardship caused by drought, desertification, land degradation and climate change in the
affected communities
• Procure and install 741 units of solar-powered street lights across communities (in three
States)
GGW Pillar 4: Frameworks for effective governance, sustainability, stability and security
• Development of participatory rural appraisal manual
• Development and enhancement of local and cross-border opportunities (apiculture, fish
farming, poultry, etc.
• Promotion of non-timber product value chain development in drylands areas of Nigeria
(apiculture, balanites oil extraction, moringa value chain)
• Promotion of African Market Garden (AMG) for improved livelihood and poverty reduction
in Nigerian drylands (Micro Vegetable Market Gardens)
• Formation of project implementation committees
• State Implementation Committee (SIC)
• Local Government Implementation Committee (LGIC)
• Community Management Committee (CMC)
• Community Watch Groups (CWG)
GGW Pillar 5: Capacity building
• Result based training on monitoring and evaluation of project staff
• Training and empowerment of selected community members in apiculture value chain
• Training and empowerment of selected community members in herbaceous fodder
production
• Training and empowerment of selected community members in Balanites oil extraction
24Telephone + 49 (0) 228 815 2800
Email secretariat@unccd.int
Twitter @UNCCD
Web www.unccd.int
Senegal – country priorities
The following priority themes, activities, programs, and projects for implementing the GGW have
been put forward by the country.
GGW Pillar 1: Investment in farms, value chains, local markets, exports
• Emphasize the promotion of the green economy articulated around the strengthening of
SMEs and their economic environment
GGW Pillar 2: Land restoration and sustainable management of ecosystems
• Focus on the development of techniques and technologies for reforestation and integrated
and sustainable management of ecosystems
GGW Pillar 3: Climate resilient infrastructures and access to renewable energy
• Develop techniques and technologies that are resilient to climate change both in the field of
agro-sylvo-pastoral and fishing production (food security), in access to alternative energies
(energy security) and in the prevention of risks and disasters
GGW Pillar 4: Frameworks for effective governance, sustainability, stability and security
• Focus on improving the institutional and economic environment of the program intervention
area
GGW Pillar 5: Capacity building
• Develop capacity building activities for the various stakeholders for the effective, efficient,
and sustainable implementation of the program
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ANNEX 2: Assessment of GGW National agencies needs
Burkina
Type of needs for support Chad Djibouti Mali Mauritania Niger Nigeria Sudan
Faso
Q1: A more coordinated GGW approach in-country Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Q2: Needs assessments Medium Very high Very high Very high High Very high Medium High
Q3: Strategy development Medium Very high Very high Very high No needs Very high Medium High
Q4: Interaction with other agencies & local actors Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Q5: Project identification Very high Very high Very high Very high High Very high Medium High
Q6: Development of national data platforms Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Q7: Project preparation Very high Very high Very high High High Very high High High
Q8: Project submission and approval Very high Very high Very high High High Very high High High
Q9: Project implementation High Very high Very high Medium Medium Very high Medium High
Q10: Training, capacity building, advisory services High Very high Very high High Medium Very high Medium Very high
Q12: Fostering absorptive capacity of donor funds Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Between November 2021 and January 2022, eight of the eleven GGW countries have responded to a
survey asking about their needs for technical assistance to advance implementation of the Great
Green Wall Initiative.
Countries have been asked to self-assess their perceived urgency of receiving technical assistance
according to 11 different categories of possible support. Of the responding countries, Chad, Djibouti,
and Niger have expressed the highest degree of urgency for technical assistance support (with 7 out
of 11 categories of possible support needs rated “very high”), followed by Burkina Faso and Mali (with
4 out of 11 categories of need rated “very high”). Mauritania and Sudan have expressed an overall
high level of need across most support categories, followed by Nigeria with generally moderate needs.
In terms of types of technical assistance support, the highest degree of urgency has been assigned to
the need for assistance for project identification (six out of eight countries rate this need as “very
high”). This is followed by the need for support for needs assessments, strategy development, project
preparation and submission as well as different types of institutional strengthening (training,
capacity building and advisory services). The area of project implementation has been rated the
lowest in terms of needing technical assistance support.
All countries have consistently affirmed that there is a need for support for a more coordinated GGW
approach in-country, for more interaction with other agencies and local actors, for the development
of national data platforms, and for fostering the absorptive capacity of donor funds.
When asked to list their top priority areas of technical assistance to advance implementation of the
GGW in their respective country, the following major themes are surfacing:
• Support to develop national data platforms related to GGW activities
• Support to foster the dialogue among GGW stakeholders at national, regional and local level
• Support for project identification and preparation
• Knowledge of priorities, procedures and requirements of financial partners
• Institutional strengthening and capacity development of the national GGW agency, including
through technical equipment
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Priority needs to advance implementation of the GGW
Country Priority Needs
Burkina Faso • Support for production of data on land & forest landscape restoration and capacity
building to promote the knowledge of scientific research.
• Knowledge of priorities, procedures and requirements of financial partners.
• Institutional strengthening and capacity development.
Chad • TA for development of concept notes and fundraising for the implementation of projects,
including for responding to tenders by funders.
• Linking planting and assisted regeneration activities with the socioeconomic activities of
the populations. The Focal Point of the UNCCD should also be truly involved in carrying
out activities for better monitoring.
• Recruiting engineers; strengthening the capacities of the central ANGMV and all related
branches.
Djibouti • Technical and financial strengthening of the SDGMV.
• Long- or medium-term capacity building on the implementation of the key themes of the
GGW.
• Support for the design and implementation of projects relating to GMV.
Mali • Revision of the strategy together with its action plan.
• Resource mobilization.
• Capacity building and the monitoring and evaluation system.
Mauritania • The creation of national alliances to strengthen the synergy between the different
departments.
• Support for project identification.
• Support for project submission and approval.
Niger • Training for the benefit of ANGM staff and implementing partner structures on the key
themes of the GGW.
• Short-term training will focus on handling of IT tools and technical materials, strategic
planning, monitoring-evaluation, technical modules (evaluation of sequestered carbon,
environmental economics, climate change, legislative and regulatory texts).
• Long-term training which will concern support for executives and/ or doctoral students,
executives and/ or specialization students, etc.
Nigeria • Support to develop national data platforms, gathering ex situ and in situ data related to
the GGW activities and UNCCD-LDN, CBD and UNFCCC-NDCs processes. There is a need to
strengthen existing national institutions for data harvesting, analysis, and data
management.
• Support to establish a more coordinated GGW approach at both national and sub-
national levels of government.
• Supporting the GGW national structure to identify and prepare bankable project
proposals for approval by financial partners.
Sudan • Strengthening linkages between GGW actors at national and regional levels.
• Capacity building and training in project preparation, M&E, reporting, data storage and
analysis.
• Tools and equipment to improve GGW implementation.
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ANNEX 3: Analysis of the pipeline of bankable projects submitted by the countries
Of the 11 GGW countries, by end of May 2022 four countries have submitted specific lists of projects
and activities proposed for implementation in the context of the GGW Initiative. These countries
include Burkina Faso, Chad, Mauritania, and Niger. Projects have been described per the suggested
project outline provided by UNCCCD for this purpose. This section summarizes these project proposals
and offers an initial evaluation with recommendations on possible next steps.
Summary Observations
Overall, the four GGW countries have proposed in total 15 projects for consideration by UNCCC and
external financial partners, as follows:
• Burkina Faso: 6 projects
• Chad: 5 projects
• Mauritania: 1 program
• Niger: 3 projects
All proposals appear well aligned thematically with the GGW Initiative and also the expected current
policy interests and priorities of financial partners. Most of these project proposals offer a good
amount of detail as to their specific objectives, the types of activities to be carried out and their
expected results and impact. Projects also appear to be generally well rooted in the current
environmental and socio-economic challenges of the GGW countries.
At the same time, there is at times a substantial amount of thematic overlap between these proposals,
making it challenging to separate one project from another, so that a greater thematic differentiation
could be helpful. It is also not sufficiently evident how the implementation of one given project would
be influenced by the other projects proposed in the same country, and whether these projects could
be carried out effectively individually or would require a joint implementation approach, for instance
to ensure that necessary governance improvements are implemented along with investments into
agriculture and forestry infrastructures.
What is generally underdeveloped is a sense of the proposed implementation arrangements for these
projects and how their long-term sustainability will be ascertained. In this context, it is also often not
sufficiently visible how local and regional stakeholders beyond the central government have been
involved in preparing these project proposals. It also seems that some of these projects could be
developed as regional programs, thus involving neighboring countries, given the similarity and the
interconnection of their development challenges.
Rather than developing these projects further on their own, GGW governments may be well advised
to seek the dialogue now with their preferred foreign financial partners (multilateral and bilateral
donors) about these projects. Those financial partners with a high degree of policy fit for a given
project should be identified and prioritized for a further dialogue. The objective would be to bring a
specific project onto the pipeline of planned future operations of the financial partner in the country
or the region. This would then trigger the necessary further preparatory activities on behalf of the
financial partner to bring a project proposal into a format and up to a standard that will satisfy the
institutional requirements of the given financial partner.
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