Brazil, through the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation and its institutions CGEE (Center for Management and Strategic Studies) and CNPq (National Council of Technological and Scientific Development), will initiate a series of strategic actions aimed at scientific cooperation with the African continent in order to strengthen the fight against desertification, through a Tripartite Agreement between Brazil, France and the African Sahel regional bloc countries, primarily.

The official launch of the agreement will be done within Rio+20’s program, in the morning of Wednesday, June 20 at 11 am at the Parque dos Atletas’ Brazil Pavilion.

The opening ceremony will be attended by the Heads of States and researchers from many countries. Among the ones already confirmed are the Ministers Marco Antonio Raupp (Science, Technology and Innovation), Pascal Canfin (Development – France) and Jean Kouldiaty (Environment and Sustainable Development - Burkina Faso). And as a special guest, former President Luiz Inácio da Silva.

The signing will be done by Mr. Michel Laurent, President of the Institute for Development Research, IRD (France), Abdoulaye Dia, executive-assistant of the Pan-African Agency of the Great Green Wall, APGMV (Africa), Glaucius Oliva, President of CNPq (Brazil).

History

This Tripartite Agreement marks the consolidation of an initiative that began in the second United Nations Conference for Development in Semi-Arid Regions (ICID +18 in 2010 in Fortaleza). In October 2011, the CGEE partnered with the IRD and the APGMV in the city of Niamey, the capital of Niger. The agreement was strengthened in the 6th World Water Forum, with the important direction of CNPq in 2012, and will now be officially launched at Rio +20.

The focus area on the continent is the Sahel-Sahara strip, which has arid and semi-arid climate. The region comprises countries such as Senegal, Sudan, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Chad and Niger. The Portuguese-speaking countries in Africa that have similar climatic conditions were also considered as participants in this project.
According to the CGEE’s advisor and President of the Scientific Committee of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), Antonio Magalhães, such cooperation is consistent with the Convention and provides the structuring for a scientific research front, which will act as a group.

What the agreement provides

The Tripartite Agreement aims at strengthening governance and sustainable development of dry lands, and supporting national and local policies, focusing on six topics: 

• 1. Agriculture and food;

• 2. Management of natural resources (water, soil, biodiversity, etc.);

• 3. Adaptation to climate change;

• 4. Sustainable and Human Development;

• 5. Governance;

• 6. Technology and Innovation.

The funding agencies CNPq, IRD and APGMV should work closely together. It is intended in the future that this initiative could attract new donors and development financers which will boost sustainable development in dry land Africa.

The initiative will also provide the transfer of science and knowledge through support initiatives and programs of interdisciplinary research.

For further informations:
Christiane Telles
CGEE media at Rio+20
+55 (61) 9979-5747