The Call for proposals to organise events at APAC ( high level dialogues, conservation clinics, knowledge cafes, technical workshops, posters etc). closes on 31st October 2021. The call is open to government and parastatal agencies, regional bodies, non-governmental organizations, international organizations, community-based organizations, youth organizations and networks, organizations and networks representing indigenous peoples and local communities, and private sector and business. Visit the Congress website to register and submit your proposal: https://apacongress.africa/
Background
The Africa Protected Areas Congress (APAC) is looking for key players in the biodiversity and conservation sector to submit proposals to participate in the Congress scheduled to take place from 7th– 12th March 2022 in Kigali Rwanda.
APAC, which was relaunched in April 2021, will be convened by the Government of Rwanda, the International Union for Conservation of Nature – World Commission on Protected Areas (IUCN-WCPA), and the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) in collaboration with key conservation organizations and development partners.
“Economic development and conservation must rely on each other for prosperity. The main challenge African nations face is that economic growth comes too often at a cost to Protected Areas. Therefore, it is very important for us to have government participation in APAC and are thus very glad that the Government of Rwanda is playing a very instrumental role in the convening of this Congress,” said Africa Wildlife Foundation CEO Kaddu Sebunya.
“African governments need to come together and discuss protection of biodiversity in tandem with economic development. One of the key challenges we face as governments is to mobilize enough required funding and resources to deal with the biodiversity and protected areas management at large. A crucial point of discussion of this Congress will be funding and ways to diversify financing of wildlife economy activities, ultimately to support sustainability,” added Rwanda Minister of Environment, Dr. Jeanne d’Arc Mujawamariya.
The Call for Proposals is designed to attract contributions from interested groups from across Africa, which focus on the APAC objectives, streams, and cross cutting themes. It is open to all who have an interest in contributing to the success of APAC. APAC will focus on applications from Africa and can be submitted in English, French, and Portuguese.
There are various types of events that interested groups can apply for. The various events include: –
- High level dialogues
- Conservation Clinics
- Knowledge Cafés.
- Technical Workshops
- Conservations Campus (capacity building sessions)
- Pavilions
- Social events
To view the instructions on how to submit proposals and selection criteria, applicants can visit https://apacongress.africa/call-for-proposals/.
“We hope to receive proposals and thereafter have representation from all countries across the continent at the Congress. We are encouraging governments to support the participation of key stakeholders from each country. Our collective effort will contribute to achieving the vision of the African Union’s Agenda 2063 of “an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in international arena,” remarked Luther Anukur, IUCN Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa.