‘Ecocide’ Named Top Priority at UN Africa Summit

Summary:

• African environment ministers have formally agreed to include ecocide in the continent’s environmental priorities for the 2025–2027 biennium. The decision, confirmed by H.E. Dr. Abu Bakr Al-Harim, Libya’s Minister of Environment and current President of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN), was taken at the 20th Ordinary Session of the conference and marks the first time ecocide has been explicitly recognised as a strategic continental priority by a UN forum.

• Ministers agreed to establish an ad hoc committee to examine the classification of mass ecosystem destruction as a crime during the 2025–2027 period. The findings will be formally considered at AMCEN’s next ordinary session. 

• The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has played a central and consistent role in driving this conversation forward. As the first African state to endorse the international campaign to criminalise ecocide at the International Criminal Court (ICC), the DRC has tabled motions, convened ministerial meetings, and led high-level dialogue on the issue across multiple global forums.

• Both the Republic of Congo and Burundi joined the DRC in formally backing the criminalisation of ecocide during their national statements at AMCEN.

“For too long, the destruction of Africa’s ecosystems has gone unpunished, while communities suffer the consequences,” said Ève Bazaiba, Minister of State and Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. “The inclusion of ecocide as a continental priority means we are no longer just calling for change, we are shaping the agenda. This is a practical step toward ensuring those responsible for environmental devastation are held to account, and toward protecting our people, our resources, and our future.”