Underscoring the pan-African battle against desertification and drought
The Great Green Wall Initiative (GGWI) is revitalizing an 8,000-kilometer stretch across the Sahara and the Sahel. It aspires to restore degraded lands, foster job creation and enhance carbon sequestration on the African continent. The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme avails volunteer talent to partners to deliver on these ambitions. One of these partners is the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).
Seven UN Volunteers are serving with UNCCD and the Panafrican Agency for the GGWI in West and Central Africa. They are based in Burkina Faso, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Senegal. Their collective endeavors exemplify how the GGWI goes beyond 'simply' planting trees. It aims to improve livelihoods and combat climate change on a continental scale.