This panel, initiated by the World Bank, brought together key players. The opening session was chaired by the Saudi Minister of the Environment, accompanied by Dr. Valérie Hickey, Director General of the Environment the World Bank.

The discussions, led by Mrs Paola Agostini, highlighted the experiences and challenges of several countries: Mali, with the participation of the national coordinator of the Degraded Land Restoration Project (PRTD-MALI), Mr Diallo Madou, Niger, represented by its Minister of the Environment, Turkey, by his Minister of the Environment responsible for desertification and erosion, and the head of World Vision.

In his speech, Mr. Diallo presented an alarming picture of the situation in Mali, with 90% of households dependent on wood as the main source of energy, increasing pressure on forests. Every year, the country loses about 500,000 hectares of forest, while only 10,000 hectares are reforested.

Faced with these challenges, he presented the initiatives of the Malian government through the implementation of the Degraded Lands Restoration Project, which aims to restore the country's social, cultural and natural capital to meet the challenges of land degradation and environmental protection.

The panel was fruitful, marked by rich and constructive exchanges that allowed to share experiences, identify concrete solutions and pave the way for international mobilization for technical and financial support with strong recommendations to support vulnerable communities in addressing these challenges.