The Twentieth Session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN-20) will be held from 7-11 July 2025 in Nairobi, Kenya.
The theme for the session is: “Four Decades of Environmental Action in Africa: Reflecting on the Past and Imagining the Future.” The session also marks the 40th anniversary of AMCEN.
AMCEN-20 is an opportunity for ministers and experts to discuss and prepare Africa’s common position and engagement in upcoming global environmental fora including the 15th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands to be held in Harare, Zimbabwe; the 6th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP-6) to the Minamata Convention on Mercury to be held in Geneva, Switzerland; the 30th Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC (COP 30) to be held in Belem, Brazil; the 20th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES CoP20) to be held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan and; the 7th United Nations Environment Assembly that will take place in December 2025 in Nairobi, Kenya under the theme “Advancing sustainable solutions for a resilient planet”.
In addition, the ministers and experts will review progress made in the implementation of the decisions adopted at the eighteenth and nineteenth ordinary and tenth special sessions of AMCEN and; identify and agree on Africa’s environmental priorities for the period 2025 to 2027. The session will also consist of dialogues on key accelerators for achieving the Agenda 2030 and Africa’s Agenda 2063. At the end of the conference, the ministers will adopt a declaration, a set of decisions, and key messages reflecting the discussions under the various agenda items.
To celebrate the 40th anniversary of AMCEN (AMCEN@40), a high-level special session will be held on 11 July 2025. The high-level special session will bring together high-level dignitaries from Africa and around the world who will deliver statements and participate in dialogues on environmental sustainability in Africa. The special session will culminate in a high-level statement on AMCEN’s achievements over the last 40 years and policy recommendations on the “AMCEN we want” to address Africa’s environmental challenges in the future.
