African Ministers Pledge Accelerated Action on Sustainable Development, Climate Change and Illegal Trade in Wildlife ahead of UNEA-2
Discussion details
Ministers of environment and representatives of over 45 African countries meeting in Cairo from 16 to 19 April have agreed to accelerate action on issues ranging from the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to climate change and the illegal trade in wildlife.
At the close of the sixth special session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN) in Cairo, the representatives pledged to engage strongly, with a common approach, in the second United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-2), which will be held in Nairobi from 23 to 27 May 2016, to shape the global environmental agenda in support of Africa's priorities.
In his concluding remarks, Dr. Khalid Fahmy, President of AMCEN and Egypt's Minister of Environment, pointed out that "the meeting has welcomed the adoption of the Paris Agreement, and has emphasized that the agreement accommodated many African concerns and interests.” He added that the meeting has ”stressed the need for African countries to continue engaging actively in climate change negotiations, in order to provide further guidance, and identify the modalities and rules regarding the implementation of the Agreement.”
Mr. Ibrahim Thiaw, Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), indicated that "the decisions taken at AMCEN today demonstrate that Africa's leaders are committed to both the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement as a means of building a sustainable future for every citizen on this diverse continent.”
The meeting was held just over a month ahead of the second United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-2), where major decisions of relevance to Africa will be taken. African countries intend to table a set of resolutions, ranging from natural capital and illegal trade in wildlife, to health and the environment, with focus on lead battery recycling.
African countries' effective engagement in UNEA-2 will ensure that national and regional priorities are addressed, especially the follow-up on the implementation of 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, as well as Agenda 2063.
Representatives of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), sub-regional economic communities, the African Development Bank, civil society organizations, United Nations agencies as well as other bilateral and multilateral partners, including the European Commission, also participated in this special session of AMCEN.
Key Outcomes
- Implementation of the 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063
The Ministers agreed on the urgent need for the sustainable management of Africa's natural capital in support of implementation of the 2030 Agenda, the SDGs and Agenda 2063 and its first ten-year implementation plan. They also agreed to put in place policies and practices to reverse ecosystem degradation and promote sustainable consumption and production patterns. In addition, the forum agreed to create and strengthen private and public partnerships and establish centres for sustainable harnessing of natural capital, value addition, green industries and agro-processing centres.
- Climate change and implementation of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change
The Ministers reaffirmed that adaptation to climate change is an essential priority for Africa and that there is an urgent need for immediate and adequate support for the implementation of adaptation measures to cover agreed full and incremental costs.
The forum also welcomed the progress made with regards to the two African owned and led initiatives - Africa Renewable Energy Initiative (AREI) and the Africa Adaptation Initiative (AAI) - and called for their swift implementation.
- Illegal Trade in Wildlife
The Ministers committed to provide leadership to establish inter-agency task forces involving relevant sectors, including police, customs authorities, the judiciary, defense forces, environmental agencies and intergovernmental and non-governmental partners.
The forum also agreed to support the African common strategy on combatting illegal trade in wild fauna and flora and facilitate the implementation of its action plan.
- Desertification, drought, floods and restoration of degraded land
The Ministers agreed to support the ongoing programme on land degradation neutrality initiated by the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). They requested member states to develop a Strategic Framework for Drought Management and Actions to Enhance Resilience to Drought and develop Early Warning Systems for African Countries, through the support and technical guidance of the UNCCD and other relevant partners.
The European Commission’s Participation at the 6th Special Session of AMCEN
Mr Roberto Ridolfi, DG DEVCO, Director for C. Sustainable Growth and Development attended the ministerial conference and addressed the ministers at the opening ceremony on 18 April, on behalf of Neven Mimica, European Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development.
On that same day Mr Ridolfi also took part in a side event on Africa’s Natural Capital Management with the Ministers of Botswana and Kenya with an intervention followed by a discussion. Mr Ridolfi emphasized the importance of mainstreaming natural capital into the stock markets as was done with the renewable energy by Bloomberg and others.
About AMCEN
The African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN) was established in 1985 in order to promote regional cooperation in addressing environmental issues affecting Africa. UNEP serves as the Secretariat of AMCEN and also provides both technical and financial support to the Conference.
AMCEN is critical in providing strong leadership on environmental and sustainable development matters in Africa. Through its strong convening power, it brings together African Governments to deliberate and craft common positions on important environmental issues for the region.
Regular sessions of AMCEN are convened every second year, with the most recent one being the 15th session that was held in Cairo, Egypt in March 2015.
European Commission’s Participation at AMCEN
The European Commission was also represented at the 15th regular session of AMCEN through DG Environment and the EU Delegation to the African Union (AU) in Addis, in February 2015. At the time, H.E. Moran, EU Delegation to Cairo provided an opening speech to the AMCEN pre-session on inclusive green economies for sustainable development. Mr Timo Mäkelä, DG Environment, Director for Directorate E. International Affairs & LIFE also delivered a speech at the opening ceremony and participated in a high level panel on Green Economy in Africa.
More information on the 15th session of AMCEN in 2015 and the Commission’s participation can be found here.
Download ‘the Cairo Declaration on Managing Africa’s Natural Capital for Sustainable Development and Poverty Eradication’ here.
To learn more about AMCEN and to access the outcomes of the sixthspecial session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN), click here.
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