African Ministers of Environment recently endorsed the African Environmental Education and Training Action Plan (AEETAP) 2015 – 2024, at the 15th Ordinary Session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEM), held in Dusit Hotel, Cairo, Egypt, on 3 March 2015. Endorsed as a living document, AEETAP will contribute to the achievement of the African Regional Flagship Programmes, the Action Plan of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development, Africa Union Agenda 2063 and the Post 2015 SGD – Goal 4 (Education). The main objective of the AEETAP is to enhance community environmental education and training within the continent, through various formal education; training; life-long learning; and capacity building programmes and projects. These are envisaged to fundamentally enhance the environmental, societal and economic state of Africa for the benefit of Africa’s people, and closely aligned to the 5 AMCEN Flagship Programmes.

In accordance with paragraph 5 of Governing Council decision 26/11 of 24 February 2011, the report provides an update on the status of activities undertaken by the United Nations Environment Programme and the United Nations Development Programme pursuant to the memorandum of understanding between the two organizations.

The present report provides an update on progress in the implementation of decision 26/12, on enhancing cooperation and coordination within the chemicals and wastes cluster, pursuant to paragraph 6 of the decision.

Pursuant to paragraph 4 of decision 26/11 of the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Programme, the document provides a progress report on the work of the Environment Management Group and suggests that the Council adopt a decision in that regard. The report is presented together with directions for further work, as decided by the senior officials of the Group at their seventeenth meeting, on 19 September 2011. It presents information on the Group’s contribution to the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in terms of enhanced coherence in programming environmental activities in the United Nations system, including mainstreaming, and enhanced sustainability of policies, management practices and operations in the United Nations system.