On the sidelines of COP17, a meeting brought together the UN Resident Coordinators in Cameroon and Gambia with the African Development Bank on August 25, 2026, to lay the foundations for a strengthened partnership against desertification.
Multilateralism at work against land degradation. On the sidelines of the COP17 program on desertification, a high-level bilateral session was held on Tuesday, August 25, 2026.
Around the table were the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Cameroon, Issa Sanogo, his counterpart from Gambia, as well as two representatives from the AfDB, Laouali Garba and Arona Soumaré.
Objective: to explore concrete synergies between the United Nations System and the African Development Bank. The discussions focused on common challenges affecting the region, namely drought, food insecurity, pressure on land, and on opportunities to pool resources and expertise.
More than just a diplomatic meeting, this session emphasized that no institution can act alone in the face of desertification. Only strategic partnerships will accelerate community resilience and ecosystem restoration.
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Both institutions reaffirmed their determination to work hand in hand to deliver transformative solutions, aligned both with the Sustainable Development Goals and the African Union’s Agenda 2063.