The Ecosystems Based Adaptation for Food Security Assembly (EBAFOSA)

EBAFOSA is a country-driven policy - implementation action framework, facilitated by the UN Environment programme (UNEP), that convenes multiple stakeholders in a country (from government/policy makers, private sector, academia, UN and multilateral agencies, NGOs, CSO, individual citizens) to build on their initiatives and foment mutual partnerships that will bridge gaps in policy processes, technology, technical capacity, markets, sustainable commercialization, finance - towards harmonized, optimized developments, complementing & synergizing actions of these multiple stake holders towards a common objective - actualizing EBA-driven Agriculture agro-industrial zones powered by clean energy – simultaneously ensuring socio-economic priorities of food security, job creation, macro-economic growth are actualized alongside climate actions through country-driven processes and institutions. EBAFOSA innovativeness is in its inclusiveness and country-driven-ness to enhance ownership, and building on established, on-going progress and planned initiatives towards harmonized optimized outcomes. This is unlike implementing initiatives in siloes where aggregate outcomes will be sub-optimal. While action is country driven through EBAFOSA National branches, UNEP and its partners form a continental level secretariat that coordinates progress and facilitates peer-to-peer exchange of innovations and solutions. In the process, multiple benefits accrue to each of the stakeholder groups. To date, EBAFOSA has been established in 40 countries across Africa and growing. EBAFOSA mandate of policy and ground actions to actualize EBA- driven Agriculture agro-industrialization powered by clean energy through multi-stakeholder mutual partnerships decentralized to countries actualizes multiple SDGs, and provisions of the Paris agreement.