AAFEBEN PARTICIPATES IN TWO INTERNATIONAL FORUMS.

From February 3 to 7, 2025, in Saly, and from February 2 to 7, 2025, in Soucouta, Senegal, are the two international events that filled AAFEBEN's agenda at the beginning of 2025.

Written on Tuesday, March 11, 2025

The first meeting follows an invitation from GIZ to take part in the pan-African workshop on the theme: « Supporting an enabling environment for ABS and BioTrade » from February 3 to 7, 2025, in Saly, Senegal, where AAFEBEN was represented at the highest level by its Executive Director, Mrs. AKONGONGOL Epse MINKAM Miranda. The objective of this forum was to share experiences for a better evaluation of the implementation of the ABS (Access and Benefit Sharing) and BioTrade project. This meeting was attended by about fifty people from several African countries, including ABS focal points, biodiversity managers, government members and several representatives of NGOs and associations.

This forum allowed the Director of AAFEBEN to participate in a series of thematic sessions organized as workshops related to: ABS and capacity building; ABS implementation and support needs in Africa; the valorization of biological and genetic resources in compliance with ABS, The example of Baobab: cosmetics, nutraceuticals, traditional uses; ABS related to baobab: Conservation and sustainable management; Multi-stakeholder partnerships for valorization in compliance with ABS: Success factors and challenges for biodiversity-based value chains; Integration of ABS and BioTrade: " Cross-sectoral messages " ; monitoring the implementation of KMGBF target 13; partner engagement and perspectives. To better explore the theme " ABS and BioTrade in practice " , an excursion and a Baobab fair were organized to allow participants to experience the Senegalese realities firsthand.

The second meeting comes on the occasion of the end of the sixth phase and the (almost) 20 years of the Small Grants Programme (SGP), which had the pleasure of inviting AAFEBEN for the 2nd edition of the SGP Exchange Forum, which was held from February 2 to 7, 2025, in the heart of the Saloum Delta Biosphere Reserve in Senegal. This meeting, which was hosted by the Nebeday association, was attended by more than 70 African project leaders who are preserving biodiversity in about twenty countries. AAFEBEN was represented by its Program Officer, MOPO KAYI Hermann. The objective of this event was to promote the exchange of experiences and expertise on biodiversity conservation in West and Central Africa, while strengthening links between SGP partners.

Through thematic sessions, organized in the form of participatory workshops, round tables, debate cafes, site visits, AAFEBEN had the opportunity to promote its projects and discuss concrete issues: How to create a community protected area? Why (and how) develop an ecotourism activity? How can new technologies improve the monitoring of species and their natural habitats? Why is it relevant to integrate the gender issue into a biodiversity conservation project? Why is it important to consider " well-being at work " within local environmental organizations? So many themes that filled this forum.

Furthermore, in the continuity of the forum's activities, the AAFEBEN Program Officer participated in this podcast organized by RFI on the theme: What tools are available to preserve African biodiversity?
https://www.rfi.fr/fr/podcasts/c-est-pas-du-vent/20250207-quels-sont-les-outils-%C3%A0-disposition-pour-pr%C3%A9server-la-biodiversit%C3%A9-africaine

In a word, these meetings were great moments of experience sharing and learning that will undoubtedly contribute to strengthening AAFEBEN's capacities to face new challenges.