The Bonn challenge pledge is a global commitment to restore 150 million hectares of degraded lands by 2020. In addition to that pledge, many countries, as well as the civil society, development partners and private sector have signed up to the New York Declaration on Forests in 2014, increasing that total amount to 350 million hectares to be restored by 2030 - which also concur with the SDGs horizon, and the expected achievement of SDG target 15.3 on Land Degradation Neutrality. 

To operationalize the implementation of these global targets and goals, regional initiatives will have a key role to play. A number of countries have already started partnering through regional initiatives with a view to support the Bonn challenge implementation, such as the 20x20 Initiative, aimed at supporting the restoration of 20 million hectares by 2020 in Latin America or the AFR100, aimed at restoring 100 million hectares of degraded landscapes in Africa by 2030.

During COFO 23, the Forest and Landscape Restoration Mechanism of FAO organized a side-event entitled "towards the regionalization of the Bonn challenge" with the objective to foster exchange and feed the current FLR movement towards coalitions that are closer to the ground. The side event was the occasion to share first lessons learned from the implementation of AFR100 and 20x20 initiative, to discuss first elements related to the development of regional dynamics in the Mediterranean and in the Asia Pacific region, and to get perspectives from countries -in particular Peru, Lebanon, and Philippines- regarding their expectations about these regional initiatives.

Participants highlighted the importance of regional initiatives for exchanging knowledge, fostering policy commitments and mobilizing resources. The signature of an agreement between FAO and the International Model Forest Network (IMFN) closed the side-event, offering perspectives for enhanced exchange of knowledge, good practices, and lessons learned on FLR efforts across neighboring countries.

For more information on the side event contact Douglas McGuire (Douglas.McGuire[email protected])