The Assembly gathered Member organizations, coordinators, Council representatives, focal points and Honorary Members from five different regions: North Africa, West Africa, Madagascar and the Indian Ocean Islands, East Africa and the Horn of Africa, as well as Central Africa
First published on 07/04/2025, and last updated on 07/06/2025
By Najwa Es-siari and Mégane Hervé (North Africa coordination, ICCA Consortium) with the contribution of Diana San José
With a view to deepening and strengthening its action on the ground in favour of ICCAs-territories of life, the ICCA Consortium identified in 2017 “regional decentralization” — commonly referred to as “regionalization”— as a key organizational priority.
Initiated in 2018, this process marked a significant turning point, enabling the organization to realize its collective potential, particularly through its Council, regional coordination teams, and national networks. Members from each region manage their processes autonomously, following their own approach, while supporting the global vision and mission of the ICCA Consortium.
Regional assemblies, whether held online or in person, constitute key moments in this process. For regional coordinators, national focal points, Council members, and Honorary Members of each region, these assemblies are the ideal spaces for reflection, discussion, and identifying regional priorities in favor of territories of life, in line with the Consortium’s Strategic Plan.
The 2025 African General Assembly gathered Member organizations, coordinators, Council representatives, national focal points, and Honorary Members from five different regions: North Africa, West Africa, Madagascar and the Indian Ocean Islands, East Africa and the Horn of Africa, as well as Central Africa. All in all, nearly 60 participants contributed to making this event a valuable learning experience, which will undoubtedly mark a significant turning point in the consolidation of the ICCA-territories of life movement in Africa.
Pursuing the objective of a strong and sustained commitment to indigenous communities (the custodians of biodiversity), the meeting focused on four key topics : (i) building a common understanding of the Consortium, its values and its mission, (ii) reflecting on the key prospects for the region in the context of the organizational change process, (iii) formulating a strategy for better cohesion in the megaregion, (iv) developing a concerted action plan for the region.
Over the course of three days, participants were able to address, through plenary presentations and regional/thematic group workshops, various issues and aspects relating to:
The governance structure of the megaregion: selection criteria and terms of reference for national focal points, regional coordination, the Africa General Assembly (including its importance, organization, frequency, and means), the regional membership process in line with the Consortium’s global policies, and the regional action plan process.
Priority themes for the megaregion are directly linked to support for territories of life, which should be the subject of joint intra- and inter-regional initiatives. These themes include defending territories of life, securing biodiversity, enhancing resilience of livelihoods, ensuring food security, promoting community innovations for climate resilience and adaptation, and preserving indigenous culture, tradition, and science.
The megaregion’s position within the ICCA Consortium is strengthened by strengthening Member representation in the ExCo and in the thematic groups.
A new idea emerged during this meeting: involving “regional thematic facilitators” to be more active and effective in international forums.
The reflections and discussions on the fourth day led to the formulation of regional action plans and the drafting of an action plan for the African megaregion. The coordinators will finalize this document in a small committee.
The last day was dedicated to visiting projects run by the Association Aska and MBLA in the Ait M’Hamed territory, including the community tree nursery, the local climate-resilient seed bank, the transformation unit for medicinal and aromatic plants, and the biochar production unit. Other visits were also on the program, to the M’Goun Geopark and to the Souk Solidaire d’Azilal. Finally, the participants were able to share a unique cultural moment with the inhabitants of the Central High Atlas, the “Tbourida”, a traditional equestrian art form that simulates Arab-Amazigh ancestral rituals and military parades.
Photos, video editing, transcribing, and subtitle translation(English-French): Ibtissam Boussetta/MBLA and Mégane Hervé
Translation by Antoine Scherer
