COPAR AFD-OSS

The COPAR is an initiative aimed at developing and disseminating advocacy tools, organizing high-level roundtables, and hosting scientific events on topics shared by the visions of the two institutions and outlined in their respective strategies. In its first phase (2021-2023), COPAR focused on one of the most vulnerable regions globally: the Maghreb and the Sahel. These vulnerabilities are exacerbated by the impacts of climate change, which threaten the availability of water resources, ecosystems, food, housing, and the health of populations, undermining their well-being and stability. The 6th IPCC report (2022) only confirmed this fragility.

The objective of the second phase (2024-2025) is to mobilize the international scientific and political community around crucial issues related to sustainable land management, climate change adaptation, and natural resource governance in Africa.

The specific objectives are as follows:

• Objective 1: Advocate at a high scientific and decision-making level for the need to protect ecosystems, in order to preserve and stabilize African populations and help them adapt to the effects of climate change;
• Objective 2: Spark debate and discussions on the state of land degradation in Africa and potential solutions for their restoration;
• Objective 3: Shift the discourse on the environment, climate, and natural resources toward solution-oriented possibilities and foster a positive debate on these issues.