We, the participants gathered in Kigali, on 26-28th May 2021 for the fifth AFR100 Annual Partnership Meeting, hosted by the Government of Rwanda, the African Union Development agency AUDA-NEPAD, gathering 33 country members of AFR100 Initiative, technical and financial partners issue this “ Kigali call to action on the African forest landscape restoration Initiative”.

Recognizing and Valuing the African Landscape Restoration (AFR100) Initiative as a country-led effort, and a Panafrican initiativeto restore 100 million hectares of deforested and degraded landscapes across Africa by 2030 and as the continental Platform to contribute to and implement the New York Declaration of Forests, the Bonn Challenge, a global initiative to restore 350 million hectares of degraded landscapes and lands by 2030 and the recently endorsed UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration.

Highlighting that the economic cost of land degradation regularly exceeds 6% of GDP within the region and costing Africamore than usd 6 billion of its GDP annually

Emphasizing that the costs of inaction on land degradation exceed the costs of action by an estimated factor of four to one andfor every dollar invested in landscape restoration brings back 7 dollars in return

Highlighting the momentum for the next decade of action for nature (2021-2030) with implementation of Paris agreement through NDCs; the Panafrican agenda on ecosystem restoration as part of CBD post 2020 biodiversity framework and the UN decade of ecosystem restoration.

Recognizing the role of private sector and non-state actors in landscape restoration as part of security of supply chains andinvestments.

Reaffirming previous declaration and call to action such as

KIGALI DECLARATION ON OF FOREST LANDSCAPE RESTORATION IN AFRICA in 2016

And

THE LILONGWE CALL FOR ACTION ON FOREST LANDSCAPE RESTORATION IN AFRICA in 2017.

And

Niamey Call to action on Landscape Restoration in 2019

Confirming that a total of 127 million hectares have been mobilized and committed by 33 countries across the continent andquite significant efforts to implement these commitments are under way,

Recognizing that accelerating implementation of Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR) will require action by a different relevant stakeholders; inclusive of ministries, technical and financial partners, investors and private sector, civil society, non-governmentalorganizations, farmer organizations, academics/ research institutions, etc.

WE:

1. Reaffirm the need to accelerate implementation of countries commitments and acknowledge the need for a coordinatedefforts with all stakeholders at national level to achieve the required scale of action
2. Reaffirm the importance of forests landscape restoration in achieving NDCs, Sustainable Development Goals, National Biodiversity targets, Economic growth and Food and water security at community, National and continental level.
3. Appreciate the developed documentary “The Grand African Greenup” , which is a great example of the importance ofcommunication and advocacy to inspire and empower farmers and the wider audience across the continent and beyond,
4. Encourage increased domestic investments from governments into landscape restoration to achieve these ambitioustargets,
5. Recommend dedicated AFR100 investment Fund to catalyse both private, public and community partnership in achievinglandscape restoration goals and develop economies,
6. Call for a coordinated efforts and engagement with all Non State Actors in particular farmer organizations, private sector ( agribusiness, mining, logging companies) to actively participate in Landscape restoration
7. Encourage other African Countries none participating to continue make ambitious commitments to the AFR100Initiative.
8. Recommend a continued coordinated efforts between AFR100, the Great Green Wall for Sahara and the Sahel withother continental or multi country initiatives to reverse degradation
9. Call for all technical and financial partners to coordinate efforts in developing a user friendly and demand responsiverestoration tracking and monitoring system to enable countries report their progress.
10. Encourage continued south-south cooperation for successful restoration programmes;
11. Recommend the inclusion of youth and women in Forest Landscape Restoration action;