The
13th Session and 25th Anniversary of The African Ministerial
Conference on the Environment (AMCEN),
was hosted by the Government of Mali and took place in Bamako,
21 - 25 June 2010. The CMS and AEWA Secretariats were represented
at this Session, by Ms. Evelyn Moloko, the Coordinator of
the African Initiative at the AEWA Secretariat.

AMCEN, established in 1985, is a permanent forum through
which the Ministers of Environment from the 53 African States
advocate environmental protection, sustainable livelihood
and socioeconomic development in Africa.

While Africa’s contribution to global green house
gas emissions is small compared to developed countries,
it is the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change
and even much less capable of adapting to its consequences;
thus the theme “Enhancing the interrelationship between
climate change, biodiversity and desertification for sustainable
development” for this session. The Ministerial deliberations
were centered on climate change issues in relation to Africa,
particularly on developing a common negotiation position
for Africa on a comprehensive international climate change
regime beyond 2012.

In
the context of climate change, the African Ministers of
Environment also recognized the role of the global and regional
biodiversity Conventions and Agreements which all contribute
to the global goal of biodiversity conservation. In her
opening
speech addressing the 13th Session of AMCEN,
the South African Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs,
Ms. Buyelwa Sonjica, highlighted the “need to enhance
linkages with other biodiversity and environmental related
multilateral agreements including but not limited to CITES,
CMS, AEWA, Ramsar and the Basel Convention”.

Furthermore, paragraph 57 of the Bamako Declaration called
on African countries to strengthen synergies with other
global and regional multilateral environmental agreements,
including CMS and AEWA. Paragraph 53 of the same declaration
urged all African countries which have not yet ratified
these conventions, to do so as soon as possible. The CMS
and AEWA Secretariat hope for strengthened collaboration
with the AMCEN Secretariat, as well as the African countries,
and thus better implementation of CMS and AEWA in Africa,
in future.

The President of Mali, H.E. Amadou Toumani Toure, who opened
the Ministerial Segment of the session, stated that “Africa
must be at the heart of the climate change movement because
our continent is the most fragile. Climate change isn’t
only taking away our land, rivers and crops; it’s
also dispossessing us of our heritage, our myths and beliefs”
(link).
The UNEP Executive Director, Achim Steiner, reassured the
Ministers of UNEP’s commitment to work together with
their Governments (link).

The session ended with some concrete decisions centered
on the need for action based on the latest scientific knowledge
and legally binding commitments on mitigating the impacts
of climate change (link).

For more information please see:

• 
  13th Session of AMCEN - Official Website

Or contact:

Dr. Peter Acquah

AMCEN Secretary

Tel +254 20 7624289

Email: Peter.Acquah@unep.org

Evelyn Parh Moloko

UNEP/AEWA Secretariat

Tel.: (+49) 228 815 2490

Fax: (+49) 228 815 2450

Email: emoloko@unep.de