To advance the development of a value chain, a multi-stakeholder platform (MSP) was established. In the field of traditional medicine, it included representatives of local communities, traditional practitioners and/or small enterprises, researchers, and national government actors.

The first meeting introduced participants, clarified their roles and contributions, and allowed space to discuss interests, expectations, needs, and challenges. It also served to define strategic directions and a shared vision for the platform.

In a second workshop, stakeholders were trained by experts in the valorisation of traditional medicine- from plant to product- covering sustainable use, market access, toxicity testing, quality standards, and other key steps in building a viable value chain.

The third MSP meeting focused on building trust through intensive dialogue and the development of a joint action plan as well as a written agreement outlining each group’s roles and responsibilities.

The process was supported by a study on the availability and sustainable use of selected medicinal plants.

Joint results were presented to the Ministry of Environment during a public event with all stakeholders, media, a mini-exhibition, product displays, and a short video featuring community feedback.

The use of illustrated cards 

Natural Justice was commissioned to develop a set of eight illustrated cards and a facilitator manual to support local communities in understanding ABS processes. Designed for use in low-literacy, multilingual settings, these cards simplify complex topics like the value of genetic resources, value chains, and benefit-sharing agreements. This visual tool encourages dialogue enabling local communities to engage meaningfully in ABS discussions. Only the images are shown to participants, while the manual helps facilitators explain each concept and ask the right questions.

The cards allow community members to connect the content to their own lives strengthening ownership.

The use of role games

Role games help communities understand complex processes, such as ABS by simulating real-life access requests to local resources. Participants act out roles, being community members, government, and users (e.g., companies) to practice negotiations, benefit-sharing, and communication. Performed in local languages, the sketch is repeated until key ABS steps are correctly represented, helping embed knowledge through active participation. It should be explained that the role play is to illustrate how the procedure just explained works in practice. The script is explained to all participants before the sketch begins. 

The key game changer in the process was the inclusion of young community members, known as animateurs, who had been identified by GIZ’s bilateral Pro2GRN project, active in the Comoé region. Already engaged in local outreach, these animateurs supported the transfer of project ideas to village level. With their strong standing in local structures, they facilitate internal discussion of GIZ ideas, fostering local ownership without GIZ presence.

In collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, the ABS Initiative conducted a workshop with around 40 animateurs. Using illustrated cards and role games, they were trained on key issues of valorising biological resources and ABS processes in an interactive, playful way.

The animateurs also developed initial criteria to identify local representatives for upcoming workshops. Over the next three months, they reached around 250 villages, raising awareness, helping communities select around 100 workshop participants. They provided crucial assistance with translating information and actions into local languages.

During the workshops, the animateurs facilitated group activities, led role games, translated, and enabled open, participatory dialogue on genetic resources, traditional knowledge, community needs, effective value chain participation and ABS.

The approach began at the national level, recognising the pivotal role of traditional leadership in community engagement. The National Chamber of Kings and Traditional Chiefs, representing 31 regions and thousands of villages, serves as a key communication channel between communities and the national government, even up to the presidency.

Together with the Ministry of Environment (MINEDDTE), an interactive workshop was held with ten kings to openly analyse the current context and co-design activities to better integrate local communities into the valorisation of biological resources. These sessions were not only informative but essential in shaping a locally grounded and culturally appropriate approach.

With official ministerial backing, the project engaged regional administrative representatives, followed by administrative and traditional authorities in northeastern Côte d’Ivoire, especially near Bouna and Dabakala.

At each level, interactive, participatory methods tailored to local realities were used. Authorities expressed support, shared insights, and provided key contacts. Their involvement enabled direct outreach to communities and laid the foundation for their participation in the value chains on medical plants.

Integrating different forms of knowledge to learn and plan how to restore degraded farmland into biodiverse natural habitat

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Wewalkele is one of the pilot ESAs, is home to several threatened animal species such as the Thambalaya (Labeo lankae), the Leopard (Panthera pardus), the Fishing cat (Prionailurus vi-verrinus), the Elephant (Elephas maximus), and the Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra). Amidst the 125 flora species identified, cane plants grow to be quite tall and dense, are usually located in mud-dy groves, and are extremely thorny. People from the surrounding villages harvest Heen Wewal (Calamus) from Wewelkele using unsustainable means to make handicraft items that often sup-plement their household incomes. Recognizing the role played by the Wewalkele area in biodi-versity and sustenance of ecosystem services, and its potential threats, Divisional Secretariat (DS) and the community members joined hands to safeguard it via the respective Local Management Committee (LMC) in 2018, defining Wewalkele Co-Management Plan. The area was surveyed both socially and physically, demarcated to avoid further encroachment to ensure its conservation targets are met. And, to leave no one behind, the project focused on incentivizing the surrounding community to conserve the ESA while sustaining the economic benefits derived from it by transforming their existing natural resource usage to green jobs by enhancing their skills, facilitating stable market linkages and ultimately promoting the cane industry further. To ensure the sustainability of the community livelihoods, the project also worked towards setting up cane nurseries along with the required replanting facilities and support the village craftsmen to develop craftsmanship on value added products and to link them with marketing networks. The strong partnership with the local government bodies the community and oversight of LMC was the secret to the success of the managing ESA. Communities, natural habitats and biodiversity can co-exist, benefit each other, be protected and thrive, and the Wewalkelaya ESA is evi-dence of that!

This building block focuses on communication and advocacy as essential tools for creating systemic change—not just spreading information. Menstrual health is deeply personal but also shaped by institutional silence, stigma, and policy neglect. To challenge these patterns, the way we communicate must be intentional, inclusive, and tailored to each audience.

We develop distinct strategies for different stakeholders: government actors require policy-aligned framing and formal presentations; schools and youth respond better to creative, interactive materials; funders seek clarity, evidence, and long-term potential. Understanding what matters to each group—and delivering it in their language—has been key.

At the same time, we frame menstrual health as part of larger social goals: education, gender equality, environmental sustainability, and health equity. This framing helps broaden the base of support, positioning the issue within mainstream development agendas and attracting allies beyond the menstrual health space.

Advocacy happens through both formal and informal channels. While we participate in national alliances like MHMPA Nepal to shape policy and coordinate campaigns, we also invest in everyday conversations with local leaders, NGOs, and school staff. In both spaces, trust and consistency matter as much as messaging.

Strong communication gives menstrual health a visible, legitimate place in public life. It opens doors to new partnerships, mobilizes communities, and helps dismantle the silence that sustains discrimination.