UCLG Africa carries the voice of local governments in the 19th session of the Conference of African Ministers of the Environment (AMCEN)

The 19th meeting of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN) was held in Addis Ababa from 14 to 18 August 2023 under the theme: “Seizing opportunities and strengthening collaboration to address environmental challenges in Africa”. The main objective of the conference was to strengthen collaboration between the various institutions and improve the implementation of regional and global environmental frameworks in order to meet Africa’s environmental challenges.

UCLG Africa’s participation was in line with the significant progress made in recognizing the legitimacy and role of local and regional authorities in the process of implementing the decisions of the AMCEN, as highlighted at the 18th meeting of the AMCEN in Dakar in 2022.

The UCLG Africa delegation was led by its Secretary General, Jean Pierre Elong Mbassi. The meeting was divided into two segments: The technical segment held from 14 to 16 August 2023 made up of the heads of delegation and experts and the ministerial segment held on 17 and 18 August 2023 to adopt the draft decisions and declaration prepared by the technical segment.

Working group on the implementation of the decisions of the AMCEN

Following the decision of the 18th session of the AMCEN to admit UCLG Africa to the platform for the implementation of its decisions as the representative of local and regional authorities in Africa, a consultation meeting was held with representatives of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) with a view to integrating UCLG Africa into the joint UNECA-AfDB “CLIM DEV Africa” initiative, which has been mandated by decision of the African Union to support climate action in African countries.

Working group on waste and chemical and plastic pollution

At a side event, UCLG Africa presented the progress made in implementing decision 18/1(b) of the AMCEN taken at the 18th session in Dakar concerning the initiative “Towards the progressive elimination of open burning of waste in Africa”.

Following this presentation, a meeting was organized between the partners in the initiative, namely UNEP, the United Nations High Level Climate Champions (UNHLC), Engineering X, an international collaboration founded by the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Lloyd’s Register Foundation, the NGOs Practical Action and SEI, and UCLG Africa. The meeting agreed on the need to conclude a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with UCLG Africa, which has been entrusted with the leadership of the implementation of this initiative in Africa. As part of its leadership of the initiative in Africa, UCLG Africa is expected to initially propose a pilot project to implement the initiative in a limited number of African cities and territories.

Working group on climate change

Negotiations: Common African position on climate change

This group focused mainly on reframing and refining the African group’s position in order to have a greater influence on the negotiation process at COP 28. UCLG Africa drew the attention of the experts and delegations from the various African countries to the need to explicitly reaffirm the role of local and regional authorities as key players in bridging the gap between the decisions of the AMCEN and their implementation on the ground. To this end, the Chairman of the African Group of Negotiators, Mr. Ephraim Mwepya Shitima, has asked for a proposal to improve the text so that the issues and challenges facing cities and sub-national and local governments are taken more fully into account in the process of implementing the decisions of the AMCEN.

To further consolidate this role and amplify the voice of local and regional authorities at COP 28, a meeting was organized with the Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC, Mr. Simon Stiell. Mr Stiell was very receptive to the arguments in favor of taking greater account of local and regional authorities in climate action, but reiterated that the target of this advocacy should above all be the national delegations and the African Group of Negotiators. He did, however, offer the UNFCCC’s expertise in formulating draft texts to be incorporated into the conclusions, recommendations and declarations of the African Climate Summit, for which the UNFCCC secretariat is providing technical assistance to the Kenyan government.

Putting structuring initiatives into operation

Concerning the African Adaptation Initiative and the Hayat Karima Africa Initiative: These two initiatives were the subject of a meeting held on 16 August with the Egyptian representative in the group of experts. It was Egypt, the country to which the CMAE has entrusted the hosting of the African Adaptation Initiative (AAI) Technical Support Unit, that decided that the latter would be housed within the UCLG Africa Regional Office for North Africa (NARO) located in Cairo, Egypt. The purpose of the meeting was to: define the scope of intervention of the AAI Technical Support Unit; clarify the respective roles of the AAI coordinator and UCLG Africa, the host institution of the AAI Technical Support Unit; consider the operationalization strategy of the Hayat Karima Africa initiative; and define the prospects for collaboration with a view to COP28 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Concerning the Hayat Karima Africa initiative, the meeting proposed that a working session be organized very soon between the Egyptian Ministry of Economy and Planning and UCLG Africa to define mutual expectations following the decision to make the UCLG Africa North Africa Regional Office the Secretariat of Hayat Karima Africa.

Regarding the prospects for collaboration in the run-up to COP28 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, the meeting made it possible to specify that the transition committee between COP27 and COP28 is working on 1) the financial arrangements, in particular for the Loss and Damage Fund, the establishment of which was decided at COP27; and 2) the definition of Funds dedicated to specific deliverables.

Ministerial segment

The opening session of the ministerial segment took place on 17 August 2023.

Highlights of the session included:

The Presidency of the AMCEN informed that the 6th session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) will be hosted by Morocco.
Environmental issues are now at the heart of development initiatives in Africa.
The Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC urged countries to ensure their development while avoiding carbon-intensive paths.
COP28 is a COP of implementation, and Africa’s priority is focused in the following areas: Adaptation (GGA), global inventory, mitigation, loss and damage and new collective quantified target on climate finance.

The opening session was followed by the presentation of the various draft decisions and declarations to be examined by the Ministers for adoption. During this session, the UCLG Africa delegation led a major advocacy effort with a view to achieving the provisions and decisions making local and regional authorities a legitimate and essential player in the implementation of the decisions of the AMCEN and consolidating UCLG Africa in the implementation of strategies and programmes for the development of the African Union’s structuring initiatives in the field of climate, in particular the African Adaptation Initiative (AAI) ; the Climate Resilience Development in Poor Urban Areas (BCRUP) Initiative; the “Elimination of Open Burning of Waste in Africa” Initiative; and the Climate Change and Development in Africa Programme. This advocacy led to the designation of UCLG Africa as the central partner in the implementation of the initiative on building climate resilience in poor urban areas (BCRUP).

The UCLG Africa delegation met with: the Minister for the Environment and Forest Resources of Togo, Mr. Foli-BaziKatari , the Minister for the Environment and Sustainable Development of Senegal, Mr. Alioune Ndoye , the Minister for the Environment, Water and Sanitation of Burkina Faso, Mr. Roger Barro , the Minister for the Environment, Sustainable Development and the Congo Basin, Ms Arlette Soudan-Nonault and Ms Soipan Tuya, Minister for the Environment and Forestry of Kenya.

Alongside the official activities of the 19th session of the AMCEN, the UCLG Africa delegation had numerous meetings with various partners.

Meeting with Resilient Cities Network

Discussions focused mainly on the actions and measures to be implemented in order to operationalize the Memorandum of Understanding signed between Resilient Cities Network and UCLG Africa. It was thus decided to:

– Carry out communication actions around the partnership between UCLG Africa and the Resilient Cities Network, during the African Climate Summit in Nairobi and the COP28 in Dubai, in particular through the organization of joint events.

– Launch of a call for expressions of interest to mobilize African cities in the Resilient Cities Network.

– Structuring the framework for mobilizing funds to develop the network of resilient cities in Africa.

Meeting with Dr Rose Mwebaza, UNEP Regional Director for Africa

At this meeting, after recalling the progress made at the 18th AMCEN meeting in Dakar, UCLG Africa Secretary General Mr. Jean Pierre Elong Mbassi proposed that the debate should focus on the following points:

– Framework for more space for local government voices in the AMCEN process

– Platform for implementing the AMCEN decision

– Partnership agreement/framework

UNEP supports the logic of further amplifying the voice of sub-national and local governments in the implementation of AMCEN decisions. UNEP proposes the organization of a meeting between the AMCEN Secretariat and UCLG Africa during the African Climate Summit in Nairobi to examine ways and means of strengthening the consultative process with major groups to speed up the implementation of AMCEN decisions and systematically include the issue of local and regional government on the agenda of AMCEN sessions. The two partners agreed to work towards the conclusion of a Memorandum of Understanding between UNEP and UCLG Africa.

Meeting with the GIZ AU Liaison Office

This meeting took place at the GIZ Liaison Office to the African Union Commission. GIZ is implementing the Africa Resilience Initiative (ARI) programme. This programme focuses on the urban sector. It has four pillars: 1) a learning and exchange platform; 2) integration of resilience and risk management measures into the development of the policies of the African Union Commission and the States; 3) taking account of risk management in the development of informal settlements; 4) adaptation to climate change, including taking account of the African Adaptation Initiative (AAI). Its partners are the African Union Commission’s Directorate for Sustainable Development and the Blue Economy; the Nairobi-based United Nations Disaster Risk Reduction Agency; the Resilient Cities Network; and Slum Dwellers International (SDI).

This is a regional programme whose deliverables must above all have a regional dimension. The GIZ RIA programme is willing to support UCLG Africa in its participation in the three flagship activities of the current year aimed at strengthening the capacities of sub-national and local governments in the field of resilience and adaptation, namely:

– The Africa Climate Summit and Africa Climate Week in Nairobi, Kenya

– UN Secretary General’s Climate Week in New York, USA; and

– COP28 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Meeting with representatives of the World Green Economy Organization

The World Green Economy Organization, whose Chief Executive Officer is Prince Mohammad Ahmed Al Tayer of the United Arab Emirates, would like to conclude a Memorandum of Understanding with UCLG Africa to entrust it with the chapter of its activity responsible for African cities. The draft Memorandum will be submitted to UCLG Africa for review and approval with a view to its signature at the African Climate Summit in Nairobi. This Memorandum of Understanding should be backed up by an action plan, which should be finalized and approved at COP28 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Main results achieved

At the 19th session of the AMCEN in Addis Ababa, local and regional authorities were definitively recognized, through UCLG Africa, as a key player in the implementation of AMCEN decisions, particularly those that have an impact on local populations or require their mobilization to be effective.

At the end of the AMCEN 19th session and the meetings organized in parallel with the various partners, UCLG Africa is particularly solicited to:

– Be the central partner for the implementation of the initiative to strengthen climate resilience in poor urban neighborhoods (BCRUP);

– Take the lead in the programme to eliminate open burning of waste in African cities and territories;

– Participate in the implementation of the GIZ Africa Resilience Initiative regional programme.

– Be responsible for implementing the World Green Economy Organization’s programme for African cities

– Develop and manage the African chapter of the Resilient Cities Network

– Host the Technical Support Unit of the African Adaptation Initiative (AAI) and the Secretariat

– Collaborate with institutions in the international climate ecosystem, in particular in the framework for involving local and regional authorities in climate action, particularly that relating to adaptation to climate change and resilience in the face of the impacts of climate change.

The African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN) brings together ministers responsible for the environment in Africa to discuss issues of importance to the region and to identify and adopt solutions to crucial environmental and climate challenges. The conference facilitates interaction and exchanges between ministers and development partners, as well as with other actors whose contribution to environmental sustainability in the region is crucial. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), through its Office for Africa, has provided the secretariat for the AMCEN since its inception in 1985. The Secretariat works with the AMCEN Chair and Bureau to manage the affairs of the conference.