In November 2016, German Foreign Ministry funding enabled 16 GEN delegates to attend the UNFCCC COP22 event in Marrakech. Attended by world leaders and thousands of changemakers working on climate and environmental issues, COP22 was the perfect convergence by which gain exposure for GEN’s programmes. At the forefront of our delegation was the launch of our Pan-African Ecovillage Development Programme (PAEDP) which is putting communities at the centre of the development processes across the African continent. Government officials and countless well-connected individuals were deeply receptive to our vision, manifesting with GEN signing a Memorandum of Understanding with Morocco for the implementation of ecovillages in the North, and the initiation of similar processes with many other governments and allied organisations.
