Enhancing the Role of Environment Protection Agencies in Africa: Note by the Secretariat - African Ministerial Conference on the Environment

One of the core mandates of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is to enhance the connection between science and policy in environmental matters through the consolidation and dissemination of credible science and knowledge to guide both policymaking and decision-making. Since its establishment in 1972, UNEP has kept the global environment under review by highlighting global environmental challenges and facilitating many regional and global environmental treaties and conventions. Despite the fact that most African countries have long-established policies, laws and formal governance structures to address environmental challenges, the continent continues to face problems in those areas. Most African countries have established some form of national environment protection agency or environment management agency. Many countries have semi-autonomous environment protection agencies or authorities, or government ministries or departments responsible for environment protection, or a hybrid of the two, herein after collectively referred to as environment protection agencies.