Regions & Countries

As part of the WOCAT 2020+ strategy, a decentralization process is ongoing with the aim to set up several Regional Clusters, anchoring WOCAT in different regions around the globe.

The WOCAT Regional Clusters are official representatives of WOCAT, defend its interests and promote its messages, visibility and acceptance in the regions. They act as catalysts for mainstreaming SLM  and LDN in strategic agendas and for enhancing capacities, through South-South Cooperation (SSC) with other Clusters and partners, in implementing and scaling up SLM.

South-South Cooperation (SSC) has vast untapped potential for knowledge exchange. There is a pool of relevant knowledge and experience about SLM and restoration that can, and should, be shared between countries – and between regions. This can help stimulate action and innovative problem solving.

The Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) Regional Cluster is the first Cluster to be set up. It is lead by WOCAT Consortium Partner Alliance Bioversity & CIAT in collaboration with LandDev and AUDA-NEPAD.

About LLandDev

LLandDev (Land, Landscape and Development) is a laboratory located at the University of Antananarivo, Madagascar. The objective of LLandDev is to support a science-policy interface through capacity building in the field of land degradation, landscape management and territorial planning. Priorities are offering a permanent curriculum to Master students on these topics as well as carrying out applied research with key stakeholders in SLM. Through its knowledge working package LLandDev is addressing the gap on bringing global knowledge into local communities in order to improve adoption and adaptation of SLM technologies and approaches at the local scale.

About AUDA-NEPAD

The mandate of AUDA-NEPAD is to: a) Coordinate and Execute priority regional and continental projects to promote regional integration towards the accelerated realisation of Agenda 2063; and b) Strengthen capacity of African Union Member States and regional bodies, advance knowledge-based advisory support, undertake the full range of resource mobilisation and serve as the continent’s technical interface with all Africa’s development stakeholders and development partners.

The lead of the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) Regional Cluster is still to be defined.

A South-South survey (see on the right hand side) has been realized in 2022 with over 40 institutions in LAC participating. Expertise and demand is being mapped in order to establish a roadmap for the LAC Regional Cluster.

In November 2022, a first LAC regional exchange workshop on LDN was organized in collaboration with the governments of Ecuador, Panama and Argentina. The three countries presented their strategies for the UNCCD PRAIS4 reporting process and participants from more than 10 countries exchanged knowledge to capitalize on lessons learned and good practices regarding the development of the PRAIS4 report.

The Near East and North Africa (NENA) and Central Asia (CA) Regional Clusters will be lead by WOCAT Consortium Partner ICARDA.

A South-South survey (see on the right hand side) has been realized in 2022 with over 50 institutions in NENA and over 20 institutions in CA participating. Expertise and demand is being mapped in order to establish a roadmap for the NENA and CA Regional Clusters.

The Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) Regional Cluster will be lead by WOCAT Consortium Partner ICIMOD. It will be based on the already existing HIMCAT initiative.