The World Overview of Conservation Approaches and Technologies (WOCAT) Secretariat, based at the Centre for Development and Environment (CDE), Switzerland, announced that the Water and Land Resource Centre (WLRC) has been elected as the Research Institution Member to the AfriOCAT Regional Coordination Team. The election marks a significant milestone in the Centre’s growing continental engagement in sustainable land management (SLM) and land degradation neutrality (LDN) initiatives.
The announcement made on May 29, 2026, on behalf of the WOCAT Secretariat and the AfriOCAT Community revealed that the election was conducted among African organizations holding a Memorandum of Understanding with the WOCAT, where WLRC received the highest number of votes in the Research Institution category and the Sahara and Sahel Observatory (OSS) in the Technical Specialized Agency category. The election reflects strong confidence from the AfriOCAT community in the Centre’s technical capacity and long-standing commitment to evidence-based land and water management.
On behalf of WLRC, the Director General of the Centre expressed appreciation to the WOCAT Secretariat and AfriOCAT Community for the confidence they placed in it and reaffirmed WLRC’s commitment to advancing science-based and impactful solutions for sustainable land and water resource management across the continent.
According to the WOCAT Secretariat, WLRC and OSS will be joining AUDA-NEPAD, the designated Continental Coordination Body, to form the AfriOCAT Coordination Team.
It is noted that AfriOCAT serves as an important platform for strengthening collaboration, knowledge exchange, and coordinated action on sustainable land management across Africa. WLRC’s inclusion in this coordination structure is expected to further enhance its contribution to regional dialogue, promote innovative approaches, and support the scaling of best practices across diverse landscapes.
The WOCAT Secretariat also indicated that the Broader Coordination Body would convene an inaugural meeting of the Coordination Team along with the WOCAT Secretariat and the STRATEGIES! facilitation team to discuss next steps and lay the groundwork for the work ahead.