Africa - part of its corporate citizenship activities

Name of thecandidateDave LoubserName of theOrganization orNetworkThe AfricanWildlife FoundationTitle Address/Country Telephone/Fax/e-mail Website Language(s)SpokenDirector Ngong Road,of KarenClimateP.O. Box 310,Change00502NAIROBI, KENYATel: +254 20 2765000Fax: +254 20 2765030dloubser@awfke.orgwww.awf.org English The African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) is aninternational non-governmental organizationcommitted to conserving Africa’s naturalresources while leveraging the continent’stremendous natural endowment for economicgrowth and improved livelihoods for its people.AWF was founded in 1961 to improve thecapacity of African institutions and individualsto manage wildlife and other natural resources.AWF’s program has evolved and today isbased on an integrated landscape-scaleapproach that conserves critical habitat,enables sustainable natural resourcemanagement, and improves livelihoods. AWF’smission is to work with the people of Africa toensure the wildlife and wild lands of Africaendure forever. AWF’s core value is ‘Africanledconservation’ and over 85% of AWF’s staff,including its leadership, are African nationals.AWF is Headquartered in Kenya and is activelyworking with communities, local governments,scientists and civil society organisations in 9large landscapes in 14 countries of subSaharan Africa (Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda,Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo, ,Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Namibia,Botswana, South Africa, Burkina Faso, Niger,and Benin).Question #1 Question #2 Question #3 Question #4In each of its heartland programs, AWFworks closely with communities, local civilsociety organizations, individuals, and localgovernments to plan for and implementconservation actions including REDD+activities. AWF uses a range of approachesto gathering insights and perspectives fromthese individuals and groups includingworking group meetings, targeted interviews,stakeholder roundtables, communitymeetings, and informal conversations. Wedraw on these insights and perspectives toinform our policy advisory work approachesat national, regional and global levels. Wherepossible we bring local stakeholders directlyinto touch with policy makers throughspecially designed forums. As an example,AWF convened a diverse group ofrepresentatives (women’s groups, forestscouts, District officers, and local farmers)from a REDD+ project in Northern Tanzaniato discuss their achievements, challengesand insights with Norwegianparliamentarians. As a pan-Africanconservation NGO working on severalREDD+ pilot programmes across easternand Central Africa, we also aim to ensure ourproject proponents benefit from region-wideperspectives on REDD+ challenges and bestpractice through the wide dissemination ofinformation through our community networks.AWF collaborates closely with a number ofmultilateral agencies ranging from theCIFOR group to FAO. This collaborationinvolves field-based work in areas of naturalresources management including REDD+implementation. AWF is also a longstandingmember of IUCN and members of AWF’sstaff are members of many of IUCN’sCommissions and make contributions to theIUCN program at the highest levels. AWFhas engaged in REDD+ policy discussionswith a focus on bringing field-basedexperience (in DRC, Tanzania and Kenya)to national and global dialogues. Thisincludes participating in the TanzanianREDD policy forum and engaging directly inthe UNFCCC process.AWF does not have any financial,technical or advisory arrangements withthe UNREDD programme directly, butcontributes to the UNREDD Programme inTanzania through our participation in theNational REDD Task Force as well asthrough the Norwegian Embassy. AWF’sREDD work is financed through theNorwegian government, USAID and theDutch government and links with thesedonors regularly on a technical andadvisory basis including, for instance,participating in structured dialoguesaround social and environmentalsafeguards for REDD+, benefit sharingmodels, satellite –based classification ofdeforestation and degradation, GIS tools,and community-based Measurement,Reporting and Verification approaches.Geofrey MwanjelaTanzania NaturalResource ForumHead Tanzania +255 684 009575 http://www.tnrf.org/ EnglishofandProgrammesSwahiliTanzania Natural Resource Forum based andoperating in Tanzania, is a membership-basednon governmental organization registered in2006. TNRF membership is made up ofrepresentatives from civil society organizations,academia, private sector and individuals withan interest in improving natural resourcesgovernance in Tanzania. Within this broadcontext, TNRF focuses attention on thegovernance of wildlife, forestry and rangelands.To strengthen active membership engagementand action, TNRF facilitates member-drivenWorking Groups on policy and practice issuesthat are of direct use and interest to members.TNRF also provides support to projects andinitiatives that respond to member’s interests.TNRF strengthens dialogue in variousinitiatives: task forces, meetings, debates,media, newsletters, film and electronicinteractive communications. All of theseinitiatives provide opportunities for TNRF’sdiverse membership to collaborate and tackleissues of policy and governance in a practicalway and at different levels. TNRF’s mission isto work for improved natural resourcegovernance by being a demand-driven networkof members and partners that helps people tobridge the gap between people’s local naturalresource management needs and practices,and national natural resource managementpriorities, policies, laws and programs.Over the past 6 years, TNRF has beengathering, facilitating and representing viewsof various groups within the society throughplatforms. The platforms have been onnatural resources focal areas - land, forests,wildlife and rangelands. The focus ongender, rights on use of resources, capacitybuilding, and economic empowerment hasalways been the center of discussions in theplatforms. These areas of engagement havealso prompted TNRF to strengthen andstrategise how the organizationcommunicate and disseminate information tomembers and partners. At the moment,TNRF has a strong communicationdepartments reaching not only the memberswithin Tanzania but also in countries outsideTanzania through various informationpackages.In terms of Forestry and REDD – TNRFhosts the Tanzania Forestry Working Group(TFWG) and the global initiative (ForestGovernance Group). The two groups havebeen active in steering forestry policyreviews over the past few years. The TFWGinitiated a recently launched 5-years MamaMisitu Campaign program (US$ 5 Million)finance by two governments that will becoordinated by TNRF and implemented by10 partners at national and local level. Thecampaign overall aim is to improve forestgovernance in Tanzania throughcommunication strategies. TNRF alsocoordinates REDD Lessons learningnetworks/Knowledge sharing among CSOsworking on REDD+. Through this network,TNRF has actively led and engaged with alearning network for CSOs working onREDD+, which includes coordination of thecarbon community network and regularmeetings for REDD pilots; TNRF has alsobeen disseminating information throughpublications, films, radio and TV to manystakeholders on REDD+ issues; TNRF andother partners have worked with Ministry ofEnvironmental Affairs in Mozambique andengaged fully with other Africangovernments at two COPs on REDD+issues.TNRF does not have any financial,technical and/ or advisory arrangementwith the UN-REDD but over time TNRFhas been requested by the country's UN-REDD programme to coordinate REDDstakeholders meetings. TNRF as anational platform for organizations dealingwith natural resources has been the focalpoint for REDD pilots projects within thecountry - coordinating regular meetings;facilitating joint statements to thegovernment and international community;designing, conducting and disseminatingstudies on REDD (e.g. REDD an gender);providing space for national organizationsin annual conference of parties (COP). Ofinterest to this arrangement with REDDpilots, TNRF was asked by the NationalREDD Task Force (NRTF) to coordinatethe election of representative from the civilsociety organization to the task force.