Background

UNEP has been assisting the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN) in the implementation of the Africa Environment Information Network (AEIN) initiative as one of its flagship programs.
While this support has been highly instrumental in enhancing Africa's informed engagement in global environmental dialogue and negotiations, it has remained a challenge to ensure environmental information uptake in the national development planning and decision-making processes. As a response to this, UN Environment Regional Office for Africa (ROA) has taken the initiative to review the current structure, programmes and activities, and refocus the network to respond to the emerging challenges of ensuring a solid Science-Policy interface in national environmental assessment processes.

The new impetus of the network (AEIN) is thus directed at, among others:

Improving institutional arrangements, development of new information products and relevant tools;

Building the capacity of national environmental institutions in Africa to conduct integrated environmental assessments, produce reports, and position them to support national development planning;

Repositioning the national reporting processes to support the UNDAF processes;

Strengthening visualization of environmental information, including increased use of illustrations, maps and graphics in assessment reports and other products to support evidence based analysis and reporting;

Developing new, innovative environmental information products, including, where feasible, crowd sourcing and citizen science tools;

Promoting the use of on-line platforms such as UN Environment Live and Indicator Reporting Information System (IRIS) a means for sharing timely and up-to-date environmental information.