Excellencies,
You are gathered today at this high-level special session to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN).
Forty years ago, Africa’s environment ministers came together to form AMCEN so that this great continent could shape its own environmental destiny.
From shaping regional environmental agreements, such as the Bamako Convention banning hazardous waste imports, to facilitating major assessments, such as the Africa Environment Outlooks, this body has proven itself to be a force for change.
At the 8th AMCEN Session in 2000, ministers decided to develop common positions for all major environmental conventions – on climate change, biodiversity, desertification, plastic pollution, chemicals and more. This led to the formation of the African Group of Negotiators. Such a united approach led to a stronger focus on adaptation and Africa’s needs in the Paris Agreement.
When, in 2005, African leaders proposed the Great Green Wall to combat Sahelian desert encroachment, AMCEN ministers gave early political endorsement to this bold vision. Today, the Great Green Wall stands as a global example of how restoring land and combatting desertification is possible and increases the prosperity of communities.
This, of course, is just a snapshot of what AMCEN has achieved. I congratulate you on forty years of leadership and commitment to environmental sustainability. UNEP is proud to provide the AMCEN Secretariat.
Excellencies, the theme of this session, “Four Decades of Environmental Action in Africa: Reflecting on the Past and Imagining the Future,” invites not only a celebration of past achievements. It invites the charting of a new course.
I am pleased that your vision for the future, as outlined in the political declaration, commits AMCEN to conserving, protecting and strengthening the environment for shared prosperity.
Commits AMCEN to safeguarding natural capital, one of your continent’s greatest resources.
Commits AMCEN to creating green growth and providing green jobs.
Commits AMCEN to empowering women, youth and Indigenous Peoples in environmental stewardship.
And so much more.
We at UNEP will be here to support AMCEN and its Member States on everything from climate-resilient financing to digital innovation to ensuring sustainable supplies of critical minerals for the energy transition.
Together, we can accelerate progress towards Agenda 2030 and Africa’s Agenda 2063, working towards a continent that is resilient, inclusive and lives in harmony with nature.
