African Ministers Reflect on Past, Imagine Future Environmental Action
How did your country report this? Share your view in the comments.
Diverging Reports Breakdown
Africa’s Ministerial-level body on environment should prioritize strengthening climate and environmental journalism – ipi.media
IPI calls on policymakers to prioritize the indispensable role of climate and environmental journalism in achieving the continent’s environmental goals. From July 14-18, the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN) was hosted in Nairobi, Kenya, under the theme ‘Four Decades of Environmental Action in Africa: Reflecting on the Past and Imagining the Future’ Quality reporting on climate and the environment is also beneficial to member states in various ways, including to national security, trade and investment, and food security, among others. Yet across Africa, journalists covering critical environmental and climate-related stories face attacks, abuse, and harassment. These attacks – including physical threats and violence, legal harassment, censorship, access restrictions, and targeted disinformation fuelling mistrust in the media – impede the public’s right to news and information.
From July 14-18, the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN) was hosted in Nairobi, Kenya, under the theme ‘Four Decades of Environmental Action in Africa: Reflecting on the Past and Imagining the Future.’ The conference, which marked its 40th anniversary, informs Africa’s positions and goals regarding climate and the environment.
Journalists reporting on climate and the environment provide critical news and information about issues often affecting the most vulnerable populations, from extreme weather events, deforestation, biodiversity loss, water scarcity, and the adverse effects of extractive industries. These and other challenges have far-reaching consequences for livelihoods, security, and sustainable development.
Support press freedom in Africa. Join IPI’s Africa programme newsletter to follow our work and receive regular updates on press freedom stories and opportunities for journalists. Join us!
Robust, fact-based, independent journalism is essential to addressing these challenges. The media plays an indispensable role in informing the public, holding governments and businesses accountable, and driving meaningful action and policy responses. Quality reporting on climate and the environment is also beneficial to member states in various ways, including to national security, trade and investment, and food security, among others.
Yet across Africa, journalists covering critical environmental and climate-related stories face attacks, abuse, and harassment. These attacks – including physical threats and violence, legal harassment, censorship, access restrictions, and targeted disinformation fuelling mistrust in the media – impede the public’s right to news and information as well as the search for sustainable solutions.
“To truly tackle the environmental crises that Africa is battling with, we must collectively champion the safety and security of journalists who contribute to an informed public and accountable leadership through their climate and environmental reporting,” said Nompilo Simanje, IPI’s Africa Advocacy and Engagement Lead.
AMCEN is recognized as ‘Africa’s foremost ministerial-level body on environmental governance, providing political guidance and regional leadership to promote sound environmental management and sustainable development practices in all member states.’
As one of the priorities for the 2025 conference also focused on leveraging the upcoming G-20 to address Africa’s environmental challenges, IPI urges the Ministers to include safeguarding climate and environmental journalism as one of their key priorities for the G-20 and the rest of the continent.
Specifically, we urge AMCEN to :
Recognize the importance of reliable information for climate action and the role of the media in facilitating access to genuine and truthful information.
Prioritize the safety and security of journalists, including against disinformation attacks aimed at undermining their reporting.
Support efforts to create an enabling legal and operational environment where journalists can carry out their work without fear of reprisal, especially through SLAPPS by multinational corporations and other businesses.
Strengthen mechanisms for ensuring journalists have unhindered access to information, data, and relevant stakeholders, fostering transparency and accountability in environmental governance.
Strengthen and support efforts urging national authorities to improve accountability for harassment and violence against journalists covering climate and the environment.
African ministers demand urgent climate action, biodiversity protection
The African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN) held in Nairobi, Kenya, on Friday. The conference marked the 40th anniversary of the organization. The theme was “Four Decades of Environmental Action in Africa: Reflecting on the Past and Imagining the Future” More than 1,000 delegates discussed topics such as climate change, biodiversity loss, plastic pollution, and climate finance at the conference.
The five-day conference, which ended on Friday, was held under the theme “Four Decades of Environmental Action in Africa: Reflecting on the Past and Imagining the Future” and marked the 40th anniversary of AMCEN.
More than 1,000 delegates, including ministers and representatives of multilateral agencies, civil society, academia, and industry, discussed topics such as climate change, biodiversity loss, plastic pollution, deforestation, and climate finance.
“You have collectively shaped the African environmental agenda, championing climate action, protecting biodiversity, addressing land degradation and pollution, and ensuring African voice is heard on the global stage,” said Zainab Hawa Bangura, director-general of the United Nations Office at Nairobi.
The officials urged faster action to protect Africa’s forests, biodiversity, and communities. Meanwhile, calls for climate reparations were amplified, along with demands for holding polluters accountable and securing direct funding for indigenous-led conservation efforts.
“As we mark this important milestone, let us draw inspiration from AMCEN’s legacy and renew the dedication of the environmental challenges and opportunities ahead. Together we can build on this strong foundation to secure a sustainable future for generations to come,” said Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, deputy executive director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).
Furthermore, a political declaration was adopted at the conference, establishing bold priorities to ensure Africa’s voice is heard at the UN Climate Change Conference in Belem (COP30) in Brazil later this year and in the future.
Since its inception in 1985, AMCEN has served as a vital forum for African countries to collaboratively tackle the environmental challenges facing Africa. Across its diverse sessions, AMCEN has fostered the development of crucial resolutions that have not only influenced regional policies but have also bolstered Africa’s role in global environmental governance.
African ministers demand urgent climate action, biodiversity protection
Africa must use technology to tackle climate, build resilience
Africa must use technology to tackle climate, build resilience. Leaders and experts stressed the urgency of integrating innovation into national climate and environmental strategies. Countries must cut greenhouse gas emissions to limit global warming. They must conserve at least 30 per cent of lands, inland waters, and oceans worldwide to curb biodiversity loss. Equally important is the need to swiftly conclude an ambitious global treaty on plastics and finalise a protocol on drought management to strengthen resilience and safeguard ecosystems.“The world must do more to halt temperature rise and adapt to its negative consequences on communities and ecosystems. Business-as-usual will intensify climate change, damage critical habitats and ecosystems as well as increase illnesses and deaths,” said Musalia Mudavadi, Kenya’s Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs. “The frequency and magnitude of these challenges are undermining efforts at poverty alleviation and achievement of sustainable development. Fortunately, we have the ability to turn these challenges into opportunities, and to restore hope in the face of despair.”
Environment, Forestry and Climate Change Cabinet Secretary, Dr Deborah Barasa speaking during the ministerial dialogues on Sustainable and climate-resilient financing and budgeting as a pathway to addressing climate change, natural disasters, and environmental degradation in Africa. PHOTO/Ministry of Environment
African countries must harness digital technologies, artificial intelligence (AI), and early warning systems to drive environmental sustainability and build climate resilience.
This call to action was made during the official opening of the 20th African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN 20), where leaders and experts stressed the urgency of integrating innovation into national climate and environmental strategies.
“Without urgent and increased action, ecosystems will become less resilient, and the vital services they provide will be severely compromised, aggravating water scarcity, food shortages, disease outbreaks, and extreme weather events,” said Musalia Mudavadi, Kenya’s Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs of the Republic of Kenya.
According to him, as climate threats intensify across the continent, leveraging technology is a critical step toward timely response, improved resource management, and sustainable development.
Apart from that, countries must cut greenhouse gas emissions to limit global warming. They must conserve at least 30 per cent of lands, inland waters, and oceans worldwide to curb biodiversity loss. Equally important is the need to swiftly conclude an ambitious global treaty on plastics and finalise a protocol on drought management to strengthen resilience and safeguard ecosystems.
“The world must do more to halt temperature rise and adapt to its negative consequences on communities and ecosystems. Business-as-usual will intensify climate change, damage critical habitats and ecosystems as well as increase illnesses and deaths,” he added.
Plastic problem
The UN estimates that about one million species face the risk of extinction. This may become a reality if the world fails to mitigate unsustainable use of land, water, energy, as well as to meet the 2030 biodiversity conservation targets.
Pollution is intensifying. According to UNEP about 7 billion metric tonnes of plastic waste is already circulating in the environment. Yet the world continues to generate some 430 million metric tonnes of plastics each year.
“The frequency and magnitude of these challenges are undermining efforts at poverty alleviation and achievement of sustainable development. Fortunately, we have the ability to turn these challenges into opportunities, and to restore hope in the face of despair. We must positively disrupt these worrying trends to safeguard human health and wellbeing and avoid ecosystems collapse,” Mudavadi noted.
Speaking at the same event, Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Forestry Dr Deborah Barasa, emphasised that geopolitical shifts—ranging from economic realignments to intensifying resource competition—are reshaping the global landscape. In this evolving context, she noted, Africa must assert its rightful place not only as the custodian of critical ecosystems but also as a strategic actor in shaping global environmental policy.
With the African Union now a full member of the G20 and the continent pushing for reforms in multilateral systems, AMCEN must serve as a beacon of coherence, ambition, and decisive action.
In this regard, she underscored the importance of strengthening synergies across multilateral environmental agreements, particularly the Rio Conventions on climate change, biodiversity, and desertification. Fragmented approaches, she warned, will not serve the continent.
“By integrating efforts through joint programming, harmonised reporting, and shared indicators, countries can maximise impact, reduce duplication, and better support national implementation aligned with both the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Africa’s Agenda 2063,” said Barasa.
Held under the theme ‘Four Decades of Environmental Action in Africa: Reflecting on the Past and Imagining the Future’, AMCEN provides a critical moment for African leaders to reflect on past achievements, assess current challenges, and strategise future responses to the continent’s environmental priorities.
This landmark session has drawn wide participation, with 35 ministers of environment and representatives from 53 African countries in attendance. Also present are senior officials from the African Union Commission, United Nations agencies, international organisations, and other key stakeholders committed to advancing sustainable development and climate resilience in Africa.
Author Milliam Murigi View all posts by Milliam Murigi
Egypt’s Environment Minister attends AMCEN conference in Nairobi
Egypt’s Minister of Environment, Yasmine Fouad, has arrived in Nairobi to participate in the 20th session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN) The conference is taking place from 14 to 18 July under the theme “Four Decades of Environmental Action in Africa: Reflecting on the Past and Imagining the Future” Fouad highlighted the importance of AMCEN in shaping unified African positions ahead of major international events, including COP30.
This high-level gathering brings together ministers from across the continent, alongside senior figures including the Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Africa, the President of the African Development Bank, and the African Union Commissioner for Environment, as well as prominent environmental experts.
Fouad highlighted the importance of AMCEN in shaping unified African positions ahead of major international events, including the seventh session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-7), ongoing negotiations towards a global treaty on plastic pollution, and the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference (COP30).
She noted that the conference will also review progress on previous resolutions and set Africa’s environmental priorities for the period 2025–2027.
During the opening session, which included the ceremonial handover of the AMCEN presidency to Libya, Fouad took part in several high-level ministerial dialogues. These included discussions on “Sustainable and Climate-Resilient Budgeting and Finance” as a means to address climate change, natural disasters, and environmental degradation.
She also engaged in a dialogue titled “Leveraging the G20 to Address Environmental Challenges,” and participated in the official launch of the African Union’s Continental Circular Economy Action Plan (2024–2034), designed to support sustainable economic growth and reduce environmental waste across Africa.
On the sidelines of AMCEN-20, Minister Fouad is holding a series of bilateral meetings, including with Musonda Mumba, Secretary-General of the Ramsar Convention, to discuss preparations for COP15; Elizabeth Maruma, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director of UNEP; and Jim Skea, Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), to follow up on preparations for the IPCC’s 63rd session scheduled for October 2025.
She is also set to meet with Jessica Roswall, EU Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience, and a Competitive Circular Economy.
Nairobi meeting to define Africa’s environment plan
20th African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN-20) began on Monday, July 14, 2025, and concludes on Friday, July 18, 2025. Meeting aims to strengthen collaboration among institutions and enhance implementation of global and regional environmental frameworks. Meeting will deliver a political declaration and decisions, and policy messages related to Africa’s common positions for upcoming international environmental meetings on wetlands, plastic pollution, mercury, climate change, and the global environment. Delegates are engaging in four policy dialogues on sustainable and climate-resilient climate financing and budgeting as a pathway to addressing climate change and environmental challenges in Africa. They are also discussing the role of sustainable digital technologies, artificial intelligence (AI), and early warning and assessments for environmental sustainability in Africa, and critical minerals and energy transition in African. Africa alone, an estimated 4.4 million hectares of productive land are lost to desertification annually, reducing agricultural productivity and contributing to undernourishment for over 68 million people.Desertification leads to the extinction of approximately 27,000 species each year and costs the global economy 10 per cent of its GDP.
African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN-20), which began on Monday, July 14, 2025, and concludes on July 18, 2025, aims to strengthen collaboration among institutions and enhance implementation of global and regional environmental frameworks. PHOTO/@UNEP_Africa/X
African countries’ ministers on the environment are meeting in Nairobi to discuss critical environmental issues facing the continent amid the triple global crises of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution.
Convened under the theme, ‘Four Decades of Environmental Action in Africa: Reflecting on the Past and Imagining the Future’, the 20th African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN-20), which began on Monday, July 14, 2025, and concludes on Friday, July 18, 2025, is addressing these issues under a common agenda.
The session at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) headquarters in Gigiri aims to strengthen collaboration among institutions and enhance the implementation of global and regional environmental frameworks to address environmental challenges facing the continent.
Bringing together ministers and experts, AMCEN-20 will discuss and provide policy guidance for the effective participation of Africa in upcoming key global environmental events, including the UN Climate Change Conference (COP 30) convened by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Belém, Brazil.
AMCEN-20 will also discuss Africa’s participation at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES CoP 20), the Minamata Convention on Mercury (COP-6), the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar COP 15), the Montreal Protocol (MOP 37), and the seventh session of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-7).
Ministers and experts are also reviewing progress in the implementation of decisions adopted at AMCEN 18 and AMCEN 19, and identifying and agreeing on Africa’s environmental priorities for the period 2025-2027.
Taking stock
Marking the 40th anniversary of AMCEN, the session will feature a high-level special session on Friday, focused on AMCEN’s achievements over the last 40 years, and dialogues on key accelerators for achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Africa’s Agenda 2063.
Established in 1985, AMCEN is Africa’s foremost ministerial-level body on environmental governance, providing political guidance and regional leadership to promote sound environmental management and sustainable development practices in all 54 member states.
AMCEN’s mandate is to champion environmental protection, promote sustainable development that meets basic human needs, advance social and economic progress at all levels, and support food security through sustainable agricultural practices.
Delegates are engaging in four policy dialogues on sustainable and climate-resilient climate financing and budgeting as a pathway to addressing climate change and environmental challenges in Africa and leveraging the G-20 to address Africa’s environmental challenges.
They are also discussing the role of sustainable digital technologies, artificial intelligence (AI), and early warning and assessments for environmental sustainability in Africa, and critical minerals and energy transition in Africa.
The meeting will deliver a political declaration and decisions, and policy messages related to Africa’s common positions for upcoming international environmental meetings on wetlands, plastic pollution, mercury, climate change, and the global environment.
Last September, policymakers and development partners from across the continent convened in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, for the tenth session of AMCEN under the theme ‘Raising Africa’s Ambition to Reduce Land Degradation, Desertification, and Drought’, which drew attention to the urgent need to address land degradation across Africa.
Organised in partnership with the government of Côte d’Ivoire, the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), African Union (AU) Commission, African Development Bank, UNEP, and UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the meeting catalysed collective action and elevated the political profile of land degradation, desertification, and drought in Africa.
With 65 per cent of Africa’s land degraded, impacting over 400 million people, the discussions in Abidjan were held at a critical juncture in Africa’s efforts to restore its land resources.
Globally, land degradation affects 3.2 billion people, with developing countries disproportionately bearing the burden.
In Africa alone, an estimated 4.4 million hectares of productive land are lost to desertification annually, reducing agricultural productivity and contributing to undernourishment for over 68 million people.
Desertification leads to the extinction of approximately 27,000 species each year and costs the global economy 10 per cent of its GDP, with Africa shouldering 22 per cent of the total cost of land degradation.
Global solutions
Cote d’Ivoire Prime Minister Robert Beugré Mambé told participants: “There is a disproportion that is very worrying.
We must be able to keep ourselves in the loop to provide answers to our concerns, with the global community, which is worried about the very negative impact of climate change on our economic, human and social activities.
Some examples show that climate change affects more than 100 million hectares of land every year”.
Among the solutions to fight against degradation of Africa’s land, he emphasised the need to adopt a circular economy to use the continent’s natural resources as little as possible and develop the ability to anticipate meteorological forecasts.
ECA Deputy Executive Secretary and Chief Economist Hanan Morsy said climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss are not just environmental issues, but economic and social challenges that threaten the very fabric of our societies, demanding immediate and united action.
“Climate change is costing African economies up to 15 per cent of GDP annually. Governments are diverting up to 9 per cent of their budgets to cope with extreme weather, while grappling with debt distress, facing difficult trade-offs between climate action and meeting critical development needs, such as health and education,” said Morsy.
“The challenges we face are immense, but so are the opportunities for Africa to lead with innovative, sustainable solutions. By leveraging our collective strengths and deepening our collaboration, we can protect our ecosystems, empower our communities, and drive sustainable development. This path forward will require commitment, both in resources, policy, and action.”
Climate finance will also feature at AMCEN-20 in Nairobi. African nations led the developing world in pushing for more money at last November’s UN climate summit (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Negotiators from the 200 countries faced divisions pitting developing nations and wealthy governments after a draft deal proposing developed nations provide US$300 billion to poorer nations drew criticism from all sides.
Developing countries said the US$300 billion was too low as it fell far short of the US$1.3 trillion they need to cope with climate change.
The deal enraged African nations led by Kenya, Malawi and Uganda, which are disproportionately affected by the impacts of climate change it did little to cause.
Ali Mohamed, Kenya’s special envoy for climate change, who is also the chairman of the African Group of Negotiators, speaking on behalf of 50 African nations, said the proposed target was “totally inadequate and would lead to unacceptable loss of life in Africa and around the world.”
This view was echoed by the small island states, with Tina Stege, climate envoy for the extremely vulnerable Marshall Islands, calling it “shameful”.
“This package puts small island developing states and the least developed countries first on the chopping block. It is incomprehensible that, year after year, we bring our stories of climate impacts to these meetings and receive only sympathy. We are not here to tell stories. We are here to save our communities,” she added.
The heated reaction to the proposed target intensified the wrangles with Panama’s representative Carlos Monterrey Gomes, saying the figure was too low.
“I’m mad. It’s ridiculous, just ridiculous. It feels that the developed world wants the planet to burn.”
Author Alberto Leny View all posts by Alberto Leny
Source: https://sdg.iisd.org/news/african-ministers-reflect-on-past-imagine-future-environmental-action/