17-06-2015 - Endorsed in 2007 by African Heads of State and Government, the Great Green Wall for the Sahara and the Sahel Initiative (Project GCP/INT/120/EC) aims to tackle the detrimental social, economic and environmental impact of land degradation and desertification in the Sahelo-Saharan region.

The initiative supports local communities in the sustainable management and use of forests, rangelands and other natural resources in drylands.  It also seeks to contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation, as well improve the food security and livelihoods of the people in the Sahel and the Sahara.

An example from Niger shows how a pan-African initiative to tackle desertification and land degradation is taking shape.