By Momodou Jarju
The United Nations Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) Thursday launched a project worth three million dollars (D203, 400, 000.00 according to the current exchange rate) to address land-related conflicts worsened by climate change in The Gambia. The event, which was held at the Sir Dawda Kairaba International Conference Centre, Senegambia, also witnessed the inaugural meeting of the Project Steering Committee.
The project titled “Empowering Communities in The Gambia to Prevent, Mitigate, and Resolve Land-Related Conflicts Exacerbated by Climate Change”, aims to foster community resilience and social cohesion by addressing conflicts over land and natural resources, both within communities and between them. It will be jointly implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), World Food Programme (WFP), and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
The initiative will last for 36 months and FAO being the lead agency is given 1.4 million dollars, WFP 950 thousand dollars, and IOM 650 thousand dollars. Ten communities in three regions namely, Lower River Region (LRR), North Bank Region (NBR), and Central River Region (CRR) will be empowered by this project.
Stating the beneficiaries for this project, IOM official Aminata Bah said: “Training will be done for local government authorities, but also communities will reap the benefits from the training from this project, those involved in green initiatives will also benefit from this project, youth and women as well.”
FAO Country Representative, Moshibudi Rampedi, said the initiative underscores their collective commitment to addressing pressing challenges worsened by climate change in the country. Like many other developing nations, she said The Gambia faces daunting impacts from climate change.
Rampedi said rising temperatures, erratic weather patterns, and rising sea levels are not just environmental concerns but have profound socio-economic implications, particularly on agriculture and land use.
“These changes have led to saline intrusion on agricultural lands, rendering them unproductive and causing disputes over diminishing fertile areas,” she said.
In the spirit of joint programming, Madam Rampedi said WFP with its extensive experience in food security, climate change adaptation, and community development will leverage its expertise to ensure the initiative’s success. IOM on other hand, she said, will leverage on its mandate to promote safe and orderly migration in supporting Gambian communities to be resilient to the drivers of internal and cross-border mobility including land-related conflicts.
“The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) will lead efforts to promote climate-smart agriculture and sustainable land management,” she said.
Rampedi also commended the Gambia Government’s commitment to working with the United Nations, saying their joint efforts manifest their shared commitment to improving the lives of Gambians and building a sustainable future for generations to come.
IOM Chief of Mission in The Gambia, Mr. Emmanuel Murwisi, said the project recognises a strong link between migration, environment and climate change as well as the importance of adapting comprehensive approaches to addressing migration challenges in the context of climate change, environmental degradation and natural disasters which affect our communities
“The project is also in line with objectives of the 2030 agenda, the Paris Agreement on climate change as well as the global combat on safe and orderly migration,” he said.
UN Resident Coordinator in The Gambia, Mr. Karl Frédérick Paul, said the climate crisis is not only an environmental challenge, but a threat multiplier that worsens existing vulnerabilities and creates new ones. He said the reality is unfolding right before people’s eyes in The Gambia as changing weather patterns and resource scarcity fuel tension over land.
“I am reminded of farmers who are struggling to cultivate land that was once fertile, but is now parched due to changing rainfall patterns, as we can see today. This reality echoes across the Gambia, where 75% of our population depends on agriculture and where land-related conflicts have risen by 30% in the five years, largely due to climate change impact. In this context, we gather here today to launch this crucial project that we call Empowering Communities in the Gambia to prevent, mitigate and resolve land-related conflict exacerbated by climate change,” he said.
The Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Public Service, Alieu Loum, while speaking on behalf of the Secretary General and Head of Civil Service, said the project is in line with the National Development Plan (NDP) which recognises land governance, social cohesion, and climate vulnerabilities as the key drivers of conflicts in the country.
“The project, we believe, will help to reduce inter-community conflicts arising from land disputes, enhance food and security, promote climate resilience, and so on,” he said.
ThePermanent Secretary Ministry of Lands, Regional Government and Religious Affairs, Saffie SankarehFarage,revealed that President Adama Barrow is leading the formulation of the first land policy of the Gambia, which represents the connected commitment to addressing the complex and critical issues surrounding land governance, social cohesion and climate resilience in our country.
“Our vision is to create a fair, transparent and efficient system of land administration that aligns with the objectives of our National Development Plan, which identifies land governance, social cohesion and vulnerabilities to climate change as key conflict drivers,” she said.
“Therefore, the importance of this project cannot be understated, as it will contribute and complement the Government’s initiative in terms of providing security of tenure for land, access to agricultural land and ensuring the rights of vulnerable communities insofar as access to land is concerned.”
