On June 16, 2026, at the SAVANO Hotel in Maroua, the Support Service for Local Development Initiatives (SAILD) organized a workshop to present the findings of the 2026 Désertif’actions International Summit, held from March 25 to 28, 2026, in Djerba, Tunisia. The meeting brought together about twenty representatives from government agencies, decentralized local authorities, civil society organizations, farmers’ organizations, technical and financial partners, as well as stakeholders involved in the sustainable management of natural resources.
The main objective of this workshop was to share the key lessons learned from the Summit, analyze their relevance to the context of Cameroon’s Far North Region, and collaboratively develop a local roadmap aimed at strengthening the regions’ resilience to drought, land degradation, and the effects of climate change.
Les travaux se sont articulés autour de quatre principaux temps forts que sont ; le mot de bienvenue du Chef d’antenne SAILD-Maroua, la restitution synthétique du sommet, les travaux de groupes et l’élaboration d’une feuille de route locale.
Workshop Objective
The overall objective of the workshop was to lay the groundwork for translating the recommendations from the Désertif’actions 2026 summit into tailored local solutions, with the aim of strengthening the resilience of rural communities in the Far North Region of Cameroon in the face of drought and climate crises, while fostering cooperation among institutional, community, and civil society actors for the sustainable management of land and natural resources. Specifically, the workshop addressed the following topics:
- Share the key lessons and recommendations from the Désertif’actions 2026 Summit (Djerba, March 25–28, 2026);
- Identify the implications for the affected regions and communities;
- Develop a roadmap tailored to the local context;
- Strengthen stakeholder engagement (CSOs, local governments, institutions, youth, women, etc.).
Expected Results
The expected outcomes at the end of the workshop were as follows:
- The key takeaways and recommendations from the Désertif’actions 2026 Summit (Djerba, March 25–28, 2026) are shared;
- The implications for the affected regions and communities are identified;
- A roadmap tailored to the local context has been defined.
- Engagement with stakeholders (CSOs, local governments, institutions, young people, women, etc.) is being strengthened.
Results Obtained
The follow-up workshop for the 2026 Désertif’actions International Summit provided an opportunity to share with local stakeholders the key lessons learned from this major event on combating desertification and building regional resilience to drought.
In this context, the discussions reinforced the fact that challenges related to drought, land degradation, and natural resource management require localized, participatory, and sustainable responses. The working groups identified concrete courses of action in the areas of land restoration, local governance, conflict prevention, and mobilizing funding.
Furthermore, the approval of a local roadmap represents an important step toward building a regional framework capable of addressing the concerns of the people of the Far North while contributing to national and international efforts to combat desertification.
Finally, the participants reaffirmed their commitment to working together to translate the recommendations into concrete actions that will benefit local communities and future generations.
