Article

Equipments to strengthen the capacities of BIOPALT's implementing partners

On 2 July 2020, UNESCO officially handed over equipments to the Directions of the Ministry of Environment, Water and Fisheries of Chad and to the Department of Biology of the University of N'Djamena in the context of the BIOPALT (Biosphere and Heritage of Lake Chad) project. The ceremony took place in the UNESCO antenna in N'Djamena in the presence of Mr. Adoum Abdelkerim Bahar, Secretary General of the Chadian National Commission to UNESCO.
UNESCO hands over equipments for the management of protected areas to partners in Chad

In order to strengthen the capacities of the implementing partners of the BIOPALT project in the five countries of the Lake Chad Basin (Cameroon, Niger, Nigeria, Central African Republic and Chad), 91Â鶹¹ú²ú¾«Æ·×ÔÅÄ provided equipment and material to help improve the performance of the beneficiaries in their mission. This includes a total of 28 GPS, 7 laptops, 60 tents and 10 desktops.

In these times when COVID-19 is hitting the world and teleworking has become a universal norm, the reception of this equipment by the BIOPALT Project Partners is of great relevance. Thus, the Direction of Conservation of Wildlife and Protected Areas, the Sena Oura Park in the province of Mayo Kebbi West, the National Laboratory of Waters and the Laboratory of Systematic Botany and Plant Ecology of the University of N'Djamena will see their capacities reinforced and their resilience accelerated. 

These institutions, through the voice of Mr Brahim Taha Dahab, Director General of the National Water Laboratory of the Ministry of Environment, Water and Fisheries, thanked UNESCO for the equipment received. He welcomed the quality of the partnership between the different ministries and UNESCO. "The handing over of the equipment is an opportunity to celebrate the partnership between our institutions, to appreciate the progress in the implementation of the project and the actions to be taken to meet the challenges," he stressed. According to Mr. Brahim Taha Dahab, "this important act, in addition to contributing to the improvement of the performance of our services and agents and the strengthening of the systems in which they work, is part of the sustainability of the multiple interventions of UNESCO in our areas of action.

During the ceremony, Mr. Assan Gomse, Regional Coordinator of the BIOPALT project, recalled the foundations of the project: to promote peace in the Lake Chad Basin and to fight against poverty thanks to a better knowledge and approach of the link between humans and nature. Recounting the history and achievements of the project, he stressed that "these objectives can be achieved if local populations and state actors in charge of managing the hydrological, environmental and cultural resources of the Lake Chad Basin take ownership of the project and make it sustainable. The collaboration of all partners in the implementation of the project is therefore essential."

This last point was also taken up by Mr. Yambaye Telnodji Delodji, Acting Coordinator of the UNESCO Antenna, who welcomed "the regular development of UNESCO's strategic partnerships as well as mutual cooperation which have proved to be very advantageous and fruitful. They allow the success of the BIOPALT project". He closed his speech by expressing his gratitude to the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC) for having chosen UNESCO as their technical partner.

The Secretary General of the Chadian National Commission for UNESCO, Mr. Adoum Abdelkerim Bahar, for his part, insisted on "the historic character of this project insofar as it constitutes an important step towards strengthening the resilience of the socio-ecological systems of the Lake Chad Basin". He recalled that this project is also in line with the vision of the Head of State H.E. Marshal Idriss Déby Itno and his peers of the Member States of the Lake Chad Basin Commission who want to bequeath to humanity Lake Chad as a World Heritage site due to the exceptional character of its cultural and natural landscape. The nomination of the "Lake Chad Cultural Landscape" to the World Heritage List was submitted by the four countries bordering the lake (Cameroon, Niger, Nigeria and Chad) on 28 January 2020. It will be examined at the 45th session of the World Heritage Committee to be held in 2021.

 

Contacts:

Odinakachi, Jean Philippe

Eko'o, Vanessa