The Executive Director, Celline Achieng’ represented the LWF in this conference. The theme of the conference was ‘Earth: our only home’ and it was anchored on five thematic areas with various institutions and organizations presenting their research work and on-going projects. These thematic areas were: Agriculture and Food Security; Disaster Risk Reduction and Health; Land Administration and Management; Biodiversity and Blue Economy; and Innovations and Data. 1000 attendees, 15 exhibitors, 10 keynote speakers and 60 presenters, participated in this conference.
In his opening remarks, the Director General (DG), Dr. Emmanuel Nkurunziza emphasized the need for integrating science and policy. He informed that RCMRD was formed in the year 1974 while the international conference begun in 2017 hence this was the 8th.
The DG explained that the insights shared at the conference reflected the collective expertise of stakeholders from the RCMRD member states, academia, the private sector, NGOs, and local communities. He further added that the presentations made not only serve as a testament to their progress but also as a clarion call to action. He reiterated that it is imperative that we translate scientific knowledge into actionable policies that ensure the sustainability of our planet for future generations.
The conference ended with participants promising to ensure that the scientific results will be used for the benefit of humanity because it otherwise does not make sense to have good results that just sit on shelves. They also agreed that it was important to synergize rather than work in silos so as to achieve greater impact.
