The Eighth Special Session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment

The 8^th special session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN) will be held virtually under the theme: ‘Enhancing environmental action for effective post-COVID recovery in Africa’. The theme calls for increased environmental action to protect and restore the environment, contribute towards building back different and better, to increase resilience to future crises, and steer the continent on a more sustainable path. Recovery efforts will give countries the opportunity to make the much-needed environmental improvements an integral part of the economic recovery.

A special message from the UNEP Regional Director for Africa:

In English: https://bit.ly/3lGRTqJ

In French: https://bit.ly/36IUQRp

Sessions:

Expert session: 30 November 2020

Ministerial session: 4 December 2020

Focus:

The special session will consider key issues on the agenda of the 5^th United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-5) to be held from 22 to 26 February 2021, and agree on Africa’s common approach for engagement in the Assembly. UNEA-5 aims at consolidating environmental actions within the context of sustainable development and give impetus to more effective implementation. This is in line with the outcomes of the 17^th regular session of AMCEN that called for an action-oriented approach with effective mechanisms for implementation of environmental policies to fully achieve the sustainable development goals and Africa’s agenda 2063.

The special session will also provide an opportunity for the continent to find common grounds for the 15^th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD-COP15) to be held in 2021. The COP comes at a critical time, taking into consideration the COVID-19 pandemic and the increase in the number of zoonotic diseases due to the unprecedented destruction of habitats by human activity. The COP will also be finalizing the post-2020 biodiversity framework that is expected to play a significant role in building resilience and galvanizing international cooperation.

While the COVID-19 pandemic has put additional challenges to the social and economic systems in Africa, it presents an opportunity to reset the global economy on a pathway towards a more environmentally sustainable and low-carbon developmental trajectory. It is thus critical at this stage of the pandemic to re-energize implementation of AMCEN and African Union commitments, with a focus on investing in innovative environmental solutions, including financing and policy interventions towards Africa’s recovery from the pandemic. This will set a foundation for long-term contribution to the post-COVID-19 recovery plan for Africa, premised on leveraging the environment to rebuild better. It is therefore proposed that a Green Stimulus Recovery Programme for Africa be developed and implemented as a priority to contribute to the overall post-COVID-19 Recovery Plan for Africa. A draft of this proposal will be considered at this AMCEN special session.

The Africa Group of Negotiators on climate change will brief Ministers on the preparations and key negotiation issues for the 26^th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC-COP26) to be held later in 2021.

Expected Outcomes:

The expected outcomes will be a ministerial statement and key regional messages reflecting the discussions under the various agenda items.

For more information, please contact:

Mohamed Atani, Head of Communication and Outreach

E-mail: mohamed.atani[at]un.org 

Tel:  +254 (0) 727 531253