Mali
As part of the GM-NGARA initiative in Mali, a national workshop on the Potentials for the Development of the gum arabic Sector to Combat Land Degradation and Promote Food Security in Mali was held in Bamako (Mali), on 13 and 14 November. The diverse range of participants included representatives from the Ministries of Environment and Trade, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the private sector, and communities in the main gum arabic producing regions. Discussions focused on key issues regarding promotion of the gum arabic trade, integration of the gum arabic sector into ongoing policy processes, and mobilization of financial resources for development of the sector.
Specific opportunities were identified for integrating SLM-related issues and United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) priorities into the national strategy for the gum arabic sector developed in the context of the Integrated Framework (IF). The IF is an international initiative of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), International Trade Centre (ITC), United Nations Convention on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), World Bank and the World Trade Organization (WTO), which aims to facilitate coordinated support of development partners to trade development of Least Developed Countries (LDCs) based on country identification of trade development priorities and their mainstreaming into national development plans and poverty reduction strategies.
Gum arabic was identified by the Diagnostic Trade Integrations Study (DTIS) as one of the priority sectors for development under the IF, given its market potential and its capacity to contribute to poverty reduction. In order to draw on resources from this process, the GM and the International Trade Centre (ITC) are jointly developing an opportunity study on gum arabic using the approach of ITC’s Export-led Poverty Reduction Programme (EPRP). This will allow the identification of priority areas for development of the sector to be negotiated for funding under the IF.
Opportunities are also being explored for leveraging regional synergies, including with Burkina Faso, where the GM-NGARA initiative on gum arabic is also ongoing.
Related Links:
- ITC (International Trade Center)
- EPRP (Export-led Poverty Reduction Programme)
- IF (Integrated Framework)