In the recently concluded Abidjan Declaration, following the 10th Special Session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN) in Côte d’Ivoire, African ministers have urged the adoption of a drought management protocol to tackle rising environmental challenges.
The declaration highlighted concerns over escalating temperatures, land degradation, and the urgent need for action to bolster social and ecosystem resilience across African nations.
The ministers expressed a unified African voice in preparation for critical global discussions at several international environmental conferences, including the Convention on Biodiversity (CBD COP 16) in Colombia, Climate COP 29 in Azerbaijan, and UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP 16) in Saudi Arabia later this year.
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These conferences are expected to shape the future of environmental sustainability, with African leaders reinforcing their commitment to developing global, legally binding protocols to combat plastic pollution and environmental degradation.
Urgent Call for Action and Strong African Representation
UNEP Executive Director, Inger Andersen, encouraged African ministers to focus on land restoration and climate pledges as part of national biodiversity strategies. She emphasized the need for innovative financial models to secure the $1.2 trillion required to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, noting that while $400 billion was spent globally on clean energy in 2023, only a fraction, $2.6 billion, reached Africa.
Global Cooperation and Policy Revisions
Speaking at the session, UNCCD Executive Secretary, Ibrahim Thiaw, called for a revision of development policies to address the root causes of land degradation. Thiaw emphasized the need to shift from an exploitative approach to a managerial one, particularly in resource extraction.
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Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), reiterated that the climate crisis poses significant economic risks to African countries. He urged global leaders, particularly from G20 nations, to recognize the crisis and proposed a new international financial goal tailored to the needs of developing countries.
Praise for African Leadership
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) praised African ministers for their commitment to tackling urgent environmental challenges. Amos Wemanya of Greenpeace Africa also called on African governments to advocate for debt-free climate finance at COP29, rejecting carbon offsets as climate finance and pushing for financial solutions focused on ecosystem protection and renewable energy investment.
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As the continent faces increasing environmental threats, the unified stance from African ministers highlights the urgent need for global cooperation to safeguard Africa’s future.
