DAKAR, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- The 18th session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN) kicked off here Thursday.
AMCEN, on the theme of "Securing people's well-being and ensuring environmental sustainability in Africa," focuses on health, food, energy and financial crises that negatively impact African economies, said Senegalese Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development, Abdou Karim Sall, at the opening of the conference.
He noted that these crises have been amplified by ecological dangers including climate change, which causes pollution, deforestation and loss of biodiversity.
"So many environmental risks and perils that threaten the continent and its populations require each of us to become aware in order to become an actor of change," said the minister.
In such a context, AMCEN calls for an emphasis on people's well-being through environmentally friendly actions that create jobs and improve livelihoods. ■