The president of the Ivorian region of Nawa in the face of desertification

May has been a key month for the internationalization of the Ivorian region of Nawa. On May 9th, 2022, ORU Fogar's Bureau approved its membership in the organization. And on May 10th, Nawa Regional Council's president, Alain-Richard Donwahi, was elected as the president of the 15th United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and Drought (COP 15).

President Donwahi was elected to this post, on the proposal of the President of the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, Alassane Ouattara. This election was made in knowledge of the work of President Donwahi in the Nawa region and also for his brilliant record as Minister of Water and Forests for 5 years.

Indeed, during his time at this Ministry, Alain-Richard Donwahi implemented an innovative and dynamic forest policy with a view to recovering 3 million hectares of forest by 2030. Among these many successes we can cite, the restoration of the national zoo of Abidjan, the creation of the Special Brigade for Surveillance and Intervention (BSSI), the initiative of vast tree planning operations throughout the national territory, the development and implementation forest policy implementation.

Also, the impact of President Donwahi in the Nawa Region, located in the South-West of the country and of which he has been the President of the Regional Council since 2013, is considerable. Through a development policy focused on strengthening access to Health, Education and Entrepreneurship, Alain-Richard Donwahi has taken an active part in the improvement of the living conditions of the people who live in the first cocoa producing region in Côte d'Ivoire. His international leadership has also allowed this region to welcome many investors including CARGILL, BARRY CALLEBAUT... and to set up a number of innovative projects including the first 2nd chance school in Côte d'Ivoire, which will soon open its doors. in the Nava.

Alain-Richard Donwahi's new duties will now take him to oversee the work of COP15, which will revolve around the following theme: "Land. Life. Heritage: from a precarious world to a prosperous future".

On June 2nd and 3rd, Alain-Richard Donwahi was already invited to the important meeting convened by the United Nations: "Stockholm+50: a healthy planet for prosperity for all - our responsibility, our opportunity" (Stockholm+50). The meeting, attended by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, was being held five decades after the 1972 UN Conference on the Human Environment. The event allowed leaders the opportunity to review 50 years of multilateral action on the environment, always with the goal of achieving a bold and urgent action to ensure a better future on a healthy planet.

The aim was to highlight the importance of multilateralism dealing with the Earth's triple planetary crisis - climate, nature, and pollution - and the event was to serve as a springboard to accelerate the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, the 2030 Agenda, the Paris Agreement on climate change, the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework and to encourage the adoption of green recovery plans.

During his speech, President Donwahi was able to bring the experience of his management of the Nawa, territory of an incredible variety of landscapes, fauna and flora, with inside the Taï park, a park classified as UNESCO world heritage which constitutes a biosphere reserve of thousands of hectares. After recalling how this heritage had been preserved thanks to regional, national and international action, Alain-Richard Donwahi declared that it was urgent to implement the United Nations action plan to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. . He expressed concern about the difficulties that arise on the way to the year 2030, but showed his confidence in multilateralism. "Together - he said - we will get there".

On June 16th and 17th, it will also be attending the summit of the "World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought", celebrated in Madrid.