Beating Famine in Southern Africa

1. Beating Famine in Southern Africa
Accelerating impact through landscape and livelihoods regeneration
World Bank Address, April 14, 2015
by Richard Record, Senior Economist and Acting Country Manager
Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen
On behalf of the World Bank, I would like to congratulate the country of Malawi and its many
partners on the organization of this conference. Some of the partners have their logos listed on
the board behind me, but I am sure that there are many more perspectives represented among
the conference participants here today, and I am sure that we all look forward to hearing of your
dedicated work to find innovative solutions to improve the resilienceof people by beating famine
on this continent.
This gathering is an opportunity to celebrate the successes that countries have achieved in
dealing with the many challenges faced by the people whose livelihoods depend on the land and
its natural resources. We have already head a little of Niger’s success this morning, and we look
forward to learning more of other country successes in the coming days of the conference.
Throughout the continent, people, communities, political leaders and private sector are investing
to restore and protect their natural resources, a fundamental asset for reducing poverty and
boosting shared economic growth. The World Bank is contributing to this effort through its
program on Africa’s resilient landscapes.
The World Bank’s mission is to eradicate poverty and boost shared prosperity in a sustainable
manner. As the World Bank President, Dr. Kim, stated “Resilience is about development and
development is about resilience. One cannot exist without the other.” The floods that Malawi
experienced just a couple of months ago show the very real human costs that Malawians face as
a result of weather-related shocks, that are exacerbated by environmental degradation.
To transform Africa into a stable, sustainable, and resilient region, there is a need for:
 a deeper recognition of the poverty-environment nexus;

2.  a move to multi-sectoral landscape approaches that can advance the goals of food
security, environmental security, and climate;
 an emphasis on African ownership, because transformation is only sustainable if it comes
from the inside and finally;
 stronger networks for sharing experience and knowledge, and inspiring change.
The World Bank’s response has included a regional approach to help clients build resilience of
both ecosystems and livelihoods. Working with partners from all sectors, the World Bank has
supported actions that tackle the inter-linkages between climate change, natural resources
degradation, drought, food insecurity, and political instability.
TerrAfrica, one of our flagship partnerships, was created in 2005 under the auspices of African
ministers of environment and agriculture, addresses land degradation by scaling up knowledge
sharing, investments and coalition building. Co-chaired by the World Bank and the African Union
NEPAD, TerrAfrica gathers 26 Sub-Saharan member countries and 20 international partners.
Together, we have secured $3 billion for sustainable land and water management investments,
and have brought land degradation, climate adaptation, and resilient landscapes and ecosystems
to the forefront of many policy and investment dialogues at international and national levels.
TerrAfrica is now recognized as a game changer and a partner of choice on these topics.
This year, as we celebrate the tenth year anniversary of TerrAfrica, we worked with partners to
prepare the new Business Plan for 2015-2020 that supports the African Landscapes Action Plan
endorsed by the AMCEN in 2015.
This Action Plan, signed by the Africa Union NEPAD, spells out priority actions that embrace all
actors, extends to all sectors and integrates both policies and services. It commits partners to
create policy changes, build institutions, develop business plans, balance power dynamics and
develop technologies that together will bring concrete, sustainable solutions.
The challenges and opportunities of managing natural resources in Africa – at a time when the
climate is changing and economies are growing – are intrinsically tied to the development

3. objectives of the continent. These challenges and opportunities are only matched by the amount
of human energy deployed to address them, with the ultimate goal of achieving sustainability.
That is why, the African Union NEPAD, in collaboration with the World Bank, TerrAfrica, the World
Resources Institute, African centres of excellence like the Permanent Interstate Committee for
Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS) and others are joining forces to build the Resilient
Landscapes Initiative.
This mobilization is hoped to promote an inclusive and sustainable use of natural resources,
centered on social,economic and environmental welfare. It alsopresents an opportunity to scale
up and leverage sectoral interventions such that the whole is greater than the sum of individual
interventions.
This is how we will contribute towards achieving environmental security, climate security, water
security and food security.
Thank you for your attention and your support.