Rwanda will from 7–8 March 2023 host the first meeting of the Heads of Environment Protection Agencies and Directors of Environment in Africa (EPAs). 

The two-day meeting has been organised by the Regional Office for Africa of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), in collaboration with the Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA). 

The meeting will be held under the theme “Strengthening sound science to accelerate actions to address the triple planetary crisis: climate change, loss of nature and biodiversity, and pollution and waste.” It aims to foster common understanding of environmental issues that are of priority to Africa, including those that will respond to technical and political needs – being regularly expressed by the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN).

The meeting will convene in a hybrid format, and will present an opportunity to endorse and launch a platform where heads of Environment Protection Agencies (EPAs) can discuss technical matters and also use it to strengthen their technical collaboration with UNEP.

The platform will be an opportunity for the EPAs to share experiences, knowledge and best practices and address technical and operational challenges.

Participants will discuss options for establishing a common strategy for cooperation with UNEP and the wider UN system in Africa, a common framework for scaling up science-policy interface, digital transformation, and best practices for addressing environmental challenges in Africa.

They will also interact on environmental sustainability experiences, knowledge, and best practices, as well as, how to seize opportunities for scaling up and addressing common environmental challenges.

“The triple planetary crisis and many more environmental challenges are global problems. We cannot address global problems without collaboration between countries. Bringing together heads of African EPAs is a starting point of that collaboration, as EPAs are primary technical leads on the environment in countries. Establishing a platform for EPAs will facilitate information sharing between countries and trigger quick implementation of each country’s climate actions,” said Juliet Kabera, Director General, Rwanda Environment Management Authority, REMA

Despite the existence of Environmental Protection Agencies in all African countries, there has not been any formal platform to facilitate their collaboration, including in the form of sharing country-to-country environmental sustainability experiences, knowledge exchange, Multilateral Environmental Agreements implementation and environmental best practices. 

“The lack of collaboration has resulted in missed opportunities for the heads of EPAs to participate in the framing of regional and global environmental discourse and benefitting from the sharing of good practices in addressing common environmental challenges. The establishment of EPAs platform is a milestone as the platform will foster a common understanding with the United Nations on environmental issues that are of priority to Africa,” said Dr. Ozonnia Ojielo, UN Resident Coordinator in Rwanda.

About African Environmental Protection Agencies Platform

The Africa Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN) held in September 2022 in Dakar, Senegal, called for the establishment of a platform of heads of EPAs in Africa. The inaugural roundtable discussions on the need for the Platform of Environmental Protection Agencies – organised by the Africa Office of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) – were held virtually on 27 May 2022. Heads of EPAs across Africa agreed to strengthen collaboration amongst themselves and seize opportunities to address common operational challenges.

The Roundtable provided an opportunity for the heads of EPAs, commissioners, and directors of environment departments to discuss the possibility of establishing a mechanism for cooperation with UNEP and amongst themselves on various technical matters. The roundtable agreed to establish a platform or a forum where EPAs can discuss technical matters and also use it to strengthen their technical collaboration with UNEP.