RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (BG) – The Great Green Wall (GGW), a landmark African-led initiative to combat desertification and restore degraded land, secured €14.6 million in fresh funding commitments during COP16 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The conference in Riyadh from Dec. 2 to Dec. 13, 2024, addressed global land degradation, drought, and desertification challenges.

The Italian government pledged €11 million to support landscape restoration efforts in the Sahel, while Austria committed €3.6 million to strengthen the initiative’s coordination and implementation across 11 African nations.

The contributions are part of the GGW Accelerator, a framework supported by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) to fast-track progress toward the initiative’s ambitious goals.

The GGW, launched in 2007 under the African Union, aims to restore 100 million hectares of degraded land by 2030, creating a mosaic of green, productive landscapes.

The initiative spans 11 countries, including Burkina Faso, Chad, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, and Sudan.

Initially focused on tree planting, the GGW has evolved into a comprehensive rural development project to improve the livelihoods of communities across the Sahel.

It has a dual objective of climate adaptation and sustainability, with targets to sequester 250 million tons of carbon annually and create 10 million green jobs.

The financial commitments from Italy and Austria underscore the global recognition of Africa’s role in addressing climate resilience and land restoration.

In his closing remarks, COP16 President, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture Abdulrahman Alfadley, said the meeting marked a turning point in raising international awareness of the pressing need to accelerate land restoration and drought resilience.

“We hope the outcomes of this session will lead to a significant shift that strengthens efforts to preserve land, reduce its degradation, build capacities to address drought, and contribute to the wellbeing of communities around the world,” Alfadley said.

Great Green Wall Accelerator

The GGW Accelerator, launched in 2021 at the One Planet Summit, aims to coordinate funding and technical expertise for the project.

Supported by the Pan Africa Agency for the Great Green Wall (PAAGGW) and UNCCD, the accelerator focuses on collaboration among donors and stakeholders and tracking the initiative’s progress and impact.

To date, multilateral and bilateral organizations have mobilized more than $19 billion for the Great Green Wall, according to the UNCCD.

The initiative has become a global model for addressing interconnected challenges such as land degradation, climate change, and poverty.

The new funding commitments are expected to sustain momentum for the GGW’s transformative vision, offering hope for a greener and more prosperous future in the Sahel region.