The year 2025 marks the fortieth anniversary of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN). Established in 1985, the Conference serves as Africa’s foremost ministerial-level body on environmental governance, providing political guidance and regional leadership to promote sound environmental management and sustainable development practices in all 54 member states.

AMCEN’s mandate is to: champion environmental protection; promote sustainable development that meets basic human needs; advance social and economic progress at all levels; and support food security through sustainable agricultural practices.

At the twentieth ordinary session of AMCEN (AMCEN-20), ministers discussed matters under the banner “Four Decades of Environmental Action in Africa: Reflecting on the Past and Imagining the Future.” They engaged in four policy dialogues on:

• sustainable and climate-resilient climate financing and budgeting as a pathway to addressing climate change and environmental challenges in Africa;
• leveraging the G-20 to address Africa’s environmental challenges;
• the role of sustainable digital technologies, artificial intelligence (AI), and early warning and assessments for environmental sustainability in Africa; and
• critical minerals and energy transition in Africa.

Delegates in attendance agreed on a political declaration as well as decisions and policy messages related to Africa’s common positions for upcoming international environment meetings on wetlands, plastic pollution, mercury, climate change, and the global environment. AMCEN-20 agreed on the continent’s environmental priorities for the 2025-2027 biennium.

To commemorate 40 years of AMCEN (AMCEN@40), delegates issued a high-level statement on the Ministerial Conference’s achievements over the past four decades, as well as also offer policy recommendations for its future.

The Conference meets every two years, except in special circumstances. AMCEN-20 was hosted by the Government of Libya at the Headquarters of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) in Nairobi, Kenya, from 14-18 July 2025. It included a technical segment, a Ministerial segment, and a High-Level Special Session on AMCEN@40.  

IISD provided coverage of the Ministerial Segment and the High-Level Special Session.

The Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) writers for this meeting were Tallash Kantai and Emma Vovk. The Digital Editor was Natalia Mroz. The Editor was Leila Mead.