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Media Statement
Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism
MONDAY, 26 MAY 2008
South Africa will host the 12th session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN), which will see Environment Ministers from across the continent converge at the Sandton Convention Centre from 07 - 12 June 2008.
At this 12th Session of AMCEN, South Africa will be assuming the chair of AMCEN for the next two years. South Africa’s chairing of the AMCEN will provide an opportunity to raise the profile of global environmental issues in Africa as well as represent Africa at international environmental meetings.
AMCEN discussions at the 12th session will focus on the implementation of the Action Plan for the Environment Initiative of the NEPAD, developed by UNEP on behalf of AMCEN.
The 12th session will also provide a forum for policy dialogue on Climate Change, financing adaptation and environmental programmes and projects as well as international environmental governance.
The purpose for the policy dialogue on climate change is to begin a process of discussions and negotiations that will ensure a strong presence and voice for African countries at the crucial fifteenth Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the fifth Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol that will be held in Copenhagen, Denmark in 2009.
The purpose for the policy dialogue on “Financing adaptation and environmental programmes and projects” is to identify various sources of financing for adaptation and environmental programmes in Africa.
Discussions on “International Environmental Governance and the United Nations Reforms” will enable the Ministers to obtain up -to-date information on the topic; contribute to the current on-going debate on IEG and the United Nations Reform; review the options and challenges emerging from the debates on international governance and their implications for the sustainable development of the region; and agree on how Africa should proceed forward with the on-going debate.
The official opening ceremony for AMCEN will take place on Tuesday, 10 June 2008.
One of the major highlights of this 12th Session of AMCEN will be the launch of “Africa: Atlas of our changing environment”. The Atlas is the first major publication to depict rapid environmental change in Africa’s countries using satellite imagery, and is a resource for remedial action at all levels.
The First Extraordinary Meeting of the Contracting Parties to the Convention for Cooperation in the Protection and Development of the Marine and Coastal Environment of the West and Central African Region will also run parallel to AMCEN on the 9th and 10th of June 2008.
All media is invited to attend AMCEN:
RSVP:
Judith van der Merwe - (012) 310 3309 / jvdmerwe@deat.gov.za
Please RSVP as this will assist with the media accreditation process.
Background
The African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN) was established in December 1985, following a conference of African Ministers of environment held in Cairo, Egypt . Its mandate is to provide advocacy for environmental protection in Africa; to ensure that basic human needs are met adequately and in a sustainable manner; to ensure that social and economic development is realized at all levels; and to ensure that agricultural activities and practices meet the food security needs of the region.
For further information on AMCEN access the link below: http://www.unep.org/roa/Amcen/Amcen_Events/12th_Session_AMCEN/index.asp
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