10th Extraordinary Session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN)
The tenth extraordinary session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN), held in Abidjan from September 1 to 6, 2024, was a crucial step in the preparation of COP29. The meeting brought together ministers, experts and environmental representatives from various African countries to strengthen Africa’s position in international climate negotiations. As an accredited partner of UNEP, UCLG Africa took part in the proceedings and was represented by Mr. Nbou Mohamed, Special Advisor on Climate, Biodiversity and Food Systems, and Ms. Soumia Benlebsir, Project Officer in the Climate Department. One of the main objectives of this session was to prepare for the adoption of the New Collective Quantified Goal on Climate Finance (NCQG) at COP29, to reflect the specific needs of African countries to achieve the objectives of the Paris Agreement, notably through increased mobilization of climate finance.
The session also focused on improving strategies to combat land degradation, desertification and drought, while exploring opportunities for ecosystem restoration and partnerships to strengthen resource mobilization. By focusing on these issues, the Ministers’ meeting helped define priority actions for Africa, while ensuring that African countries are better prepared and coordinated to defend their interests on the international stage. The meeting marked a decisive step towards positioning Africa as a key player in the global ecological transition, with particular emphasis on the financial and technical challenges specific to the continent.
Strategic Decisions and City Recognition
COP29, often referred to as the “Finance COP”, will have to meet expectations in terms of mobilizing climate finance, while taking into account the economic constraints and specific realities of African countries. This AMCEN session was therefore of crucial importance in bringing cities into the climate finance process and highlighting the importance of a collaborative approach between the national and sub-national levels. It was particularly essential to highlight the efforts made to integrate cities and territories at the heart of AMCEN’s key decisions and messages, ushering in a new era in which these actors are recognized as essential in accelerating the implementation of the Paris Agreement. The Chair of the African Negotiators’ Group, in collaboration with the UCLG Africa delegation, worked actively to develop a text for integrating cities and territories into the climate change discussions with the parties, which is reflected in the final AMCEN declaration.
Indeed, the AMCEN declaration highlights several strategic decisions, including the importance of cities and local governments in the implementation of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). It encourages African countries to join the Coalition for High Ambition Multi-Level Partnerships (CHAMP), launched at COP28, which aims to strengthen collaboration between all levels of government for more effective climate action. This inclusion of cities in climate discussions represents a major recognition of their strategic role in adaptation and resilience to climate change.
In addition, the COP presidency has agreed to organize a Climate Day dedicated to cities, reinforcing their visibility and central role in the fight against climate change. This new focus on cities and territories in international climate negotiations marks a decisive turning point, positioning them not only as beneficiaries of climate policies, but also as key players capable of accelerating the implementation of global climate objectives. These efforts demonstrate a strong commitment on the part of African negotiators to take into account the realities and needs of cities in decision-making frameworks, thereby promoting resilient urban development and better mobilization of climate financing at local level.
B2B Meetings and Initiatives
- Structuring initiatives
On the sidelines of the meeting, B2B meetings were essential for advancing the local governments’ agenda. They highlighted several key initiatives, such as the Africa Adaptation Initiative (AAI), Building Climate Resilience for the Urban Poor (BCRUP), AfDAN (African Development Action Network, Focal Points for Sustainable Development in Africa) and the Coalition for High Ambition Multilevel Partnerships (CHAMP). These exchanges helped clarify the roles of each stakeholder and establish a collaborative framework based on complementarity and respect for prerogatives. As a result, collaboration was strengthened, and a consensus was reached to accelerate the implementation of these various initiatives. In parallel, discussions with the African Development Bank explored funding opportunities to support the waste initiative, including the BCRUP. These meetings helped to consolidate collaboration, identify opportunities for financial support and reach a consensus to accelerate the implementation of the initiatives, thereby strengthening the role of local and regional authorities in climate and environmental efforts in Africa.
Bilateral meeting with the Director General, NDA of Côte d’Ivoire: WAEMU Readiness Program / BCRUP
Working meetings were held with Mr. Yao Marcel, NDA Director General (Côte d’Ivoire) concerning the Regional Readiness of WAEMU countries, as well as with the consultant selected following the call for tenders for the study “Analysis of vulnerability to climate risks and gender-sensitive capacity in Côte d’Ivoire”. Discussions focused mainly on the progress of the study in the field in the two selected communes, where work is progressing satisfactorily. Also discussed was the commune of Daloa, proposed by the National Designated Authority and the consultant, to host the feedback workshop. Discussions also focused on obtaining a no-objection for the BCRUP’s Readiness program, a crucial step for the launch of climate initiatives in the region. The program’s Director was particularly supportive, underlining the priority given to this issue in Côte d’Ivoire, where the need to strengthen climate resilience is considerable. The non-objection is seen as an essential lever for unlocking the necessary funding and accelerating the implementation of projects aimed at strengthening the resilience of vulnerable urban populations to the impacts of climate change.
Workshop on “Transformative action in the waste sector in Africa”
On the sidelines of the 10th extraordinary meeting of the AMCEN, a workshop, co-chaired by AMCEN and UCLG Africa, was organized in collaboration with Engineering X and the focal points of several countries, including Morocco, Egypt, Angola, Côte d’Ivoire, Togo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Comoros and Lesotho. The aim of the workshop was to mobilize these countries to make waste management a central priority and to actively engage with the roadmap already established, which includes key milestones to achieve the Initiative’s goals of eliminating open burning of waste by 2040. The roadmap, developed in part with the support of Engineering X and partners such as Practical Action, UN Habitat and ISWA, is supported by the Climate and Clean Air Coalition and includes a baseline study, financial stakeholder mapping and regional consultations. Discussions highlighted the importance of transforming waste management systems in Africa by promoting circularity and reducing methane and black carbon emissions associated with waste burning. The workshop also highlighted the urgent need for African countries to take policy and legislative action to address systemic deficiencies in waste management, in line with the AMCEN resolution adopted in Dakar in 2022. This resolution calls on member states to promote integrated solid waste management systems and encourages the participation of all stakeholders, including local authorities, civil society, the private sector and development partners, to join the multi-stakeholder partnership launched to eliminate waste burning.
A key part of the workshop was to identify countries that could become champions of regional roadmap implementation. As well as reinforcing national commitments, these discussions also aimed to encourage countries to become more involved in pilot initiatives, such as the Kisumu project in Kenya, which will test transformative action plans in 2025. Finally, the workshop paved the way for the finalization of the African roadmap to be submitted to the 20th session of AMCEN for approval, while exploring funding opportunities with institutions such as the African Development Bank to support these crucial initiatives.