Knowledge Generation and Management to support the Implementation of the UNCCD COP15 Abidjan  Legacy Program (KGM-LEGAP) To generate and use knowledge products to stimulate investments to support Parties to the UNCCD to successfully implement the Abidjan Legacy Program. Note: Disbursement data provided is cumulative and covers disbursement made by the project Agency. 1. It is reteirated here that this project is cross-cutting knowledge management and learning pillar and precursor of the Legacy Program of the COP that will focus on transforming production systems of target value chains (cocoa, coffee, palm oil, cashew and cotton, among others) including making them more resilient to climate change , inclusive and mitigate their contribution to land degradation and deforestation. Therefore, it is designed to support the overall implementation of the Legacy Program. In increasing access to knowledge and appropriate tools and innovations, participating coun tries and the private sector will make better informed decisions in the AFOLU business sector. Thus, in this regard, the MSP will contribute to reducing or arresting trends in deforestation and associated land degradation of targeted agricultural value chains, while supporting livelihoods of local communities that directly depend on the integrity of forests and soil fertility to survive. Improved forests and reduced levels of land degradation have positive impacts on biodiversity but also reduce carbon emissions that result from particularly agriculture, but also generally, from land use change.     2. As a principally knowledge-generation and exchange focused project to support the implementation of the Legacy Program, the MSP is conceived to contribute to reducing land degradation, deforestation, loss of biodiversity and GHG emissions associated with agricultural commodity value chains – thereby supporting livelihoods of communities that directly depend on land for their survival.     3. The MSP will generate and disseminate reliable information to support the integration of environmentally-friendly systems, such as those informed agroecology approach into agricultural commodity value chains in production landscapes across different biomes – facilitating the mainstreaming of different innovations, practices and technologies in production landscapes to increase food security, diversify agricultural livelihoods, reduce environmental degradation and biodiversity loss and increase soil carbon sequestration.    4. The MSP is a precursor of the Legacy Program to facilitate its implementation to achieve both environmental benefits as well as contributing to the socioeconomic wellbeing of local livelihoods. In its role as a cross-cutting knowledge management and learning pillar and precursor of the LP, the proposed MSP is poised to:    · Support eight (8) events to foster national-level knowledge exchange and scaling up of SLM and LDN best practices;  · Establish one community of practice with strengthened capacities targeted on climate resilient and low emission agricultural value chains, forest and land use;   · Build capacities of direct beneficiaries of 30,000 individuals, inclusive across the gender divide to ensure 50% representation of both males and femals;   · Produce knowledge products (on low emission agricultural value chains, forest and land use and technologies investments, financial models and instrument) and devise dissemination mechanisms to reach out to all relevant stakeholders in Côte d’Ivoire that will participate in the LP and beyond, including peer-reviewed publications. During the dissemination process of knowledge products and learning, the project will also involve GEF National Focal Points and the UNCCD National Focal Points. As noted by STAP, the involvement of the Focal Points will create a ‘knowledge and practice multiplier effect’ as they will be equipped with the right skills and understanding of how to define knowledge exchange needs and help develop, implement, measure, and report knowledge results[1]; and  · Create one open access information platform for targeted investments to facilitate knowledge sharing and stimulate interest in investments in SLM and LDN in support of sustainability in priority value chains – this will also seek to learn and contribute to responding to the challenges in value chains e.g recurrent difficulties on the cocoa value chain in Côte d’Ivoire , carbon credit owners etc.  5. In consultation with other key stakeholders who include the GEF and the UNCCD Knowledge Hub, the creation of one open information will be informed by other existing knowledge information systems, user access and platform content – to best synergise through interoperability rather than duplicating efforts.   6. As a cross-cutting knowledge management and learning pillar and precursor, it should be noted that future projects, principally the LP will benefit from the MSP’s knowledge products and built capacities in production landscapes through maintaining or improving the flow of agro-ecosystem services to sustain food production and livelihoods; and reducing pressures on natural resources from competing land uses and increase resilience in the wider landscape. Overall, this will involve the use of SLM practices such as agroforestry, silvo-pastoral systems, agro-ecological intensification, and other practices. Production systems such as agroforestry, for example, support the generation of global environmental benefits through the preservation of biodiversity, carbon emissions avoided and carbon sequestration. Additionally, this helps to maintain important local ecosystem services including the provision of clean water for crops and communities – contributing to food and nutrition security, resilience, and livelihoods of local farmers. The role of the MSP as a cross-cutting knowledge and learning pillar of the LP cannot therefore, be underestimated in catalysizing the generation of socioeconomic and environmental benefits in production landscapes.     7. Consistent with the expectation that a GEF project will not cause any harm to environment or to any stakeholder and, where applicable, it will take measures to prevent and/or mitigate adverse effects, this project is a cross-cutting Knowledge Management and Learning Pillar of the LP. According to IFAD’s Environmental and social categorization and criteria, this is a Category C project – not requiring additional environmental analysis because the activities have positive environmental impacts, or negligible or minimally adverse environmental impacts.[2]          [1] STAP (2021). Understanding South-South Cooperation for Knowledge Exchange      [2] IFAD (2017) Social, Environmental and Climate Assessment Procedures (SECAP): Managing risks to create opportunities