Environment minister goes to Côte d’Ivoire to tackle drought, climate change in Africa

Minister of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment, Dr Dion George will soon be joining Africa’s environmental leaders to discuss challenges on the continent.

This is for the 10th Special Session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN), which began on Tuesday and ends on Friday, in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.

Africa’s environment under threat

The event’s theme is Raising Africa’s Ambition to Reduce Land Degradation, Desertification, and Drought.

This important gathering will focus on key issues in Africa within the context of sustainable development, climate action, and environmental governance.

During the session, George will engage in high-level discussions on critical topics, including enhancing opportunities for ecosystem restoration, a statement from the department explained.

He will also look at enhancing partnerships and synergies to improve resource mobilisation to address land degradation, desertification and drought. 

The Ministerial session will deliberate on the continent’s approach to climate change, biodiversity conservation as well as desertification and land degradation.

This with a focus on enhancing Africa’s positions for the upcoming international talks, namely the United Nations Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD COP16), United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC COP29) and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP16) all taking place later this year. 

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Helping Africa achieve its climate goals

The department said George will prioritise advocating for increased climate finance and resource mobilisation to address land degradation, desertification and drought, as well as technology transfer, and capacity building to help African nations achieve their climate goals while promoting sustainable development and reducing poverty.

Additionally, he will highlight the need to align biodiversity conservation with socio-economic development.

This while emphasising the integration of these efforts into national and regional plans to ensure the continent’s natural resources benefit its people. 

AMCEN serves as a platform for African nations to collaborate on shared environmental challenges and to present a unified voice on the global stage.

The department said South Africa’s participation reaffirms its leadership role in promoting environmental sustainability across the continent.

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