AWF and UNEP Forge Landmark Partnership to Champion Environmental Conservation, Diplomacy, and Youth Empowerment Across Africa

Nairobi, Kenya – The African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) today signed a formal Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at the United Nations Offices at Nairobi (UNON). This landmark agreement establishes a framework for cooperation on the most pressing environmental challenges facing the African continent and the world.

Building on four years of successful collaboration through the AWF-Wall Policy Fellowship, the partnership sets out a shared agenda spanning environmental education, the biodiversity economy, engagement with major groups, and environmental diplomacy. A primary focus of the MOU is amplifying Africa’s voice and leadership in global multilateral processes.

The MOU aligns with UNEP’s Programme of Work and Governing Body mandates while reflecting AWF's core mission to ensure wildlife and wild lands thrive in modern Africa. Through this mechanism, the parties will jointly agree on areas of engagement and conduct annual reviews to ensure the partnership remains responsive to emerging issues in sustainable development.

"UNEP's mandate has been to catalyze global action by building bridges between science, policy, and the communities most affected by the impacts of environmental change. Our partnership with AWF is that kind of bridge—anchored in Africa's extraordinary biodiversity and the urgent need to place African nations at the forefront of global environmental governance," Radhika Ochalik, Director, Governance Affairs, United Nations Environment Programme, emphasized.

"This partnership is about more than agreements on paper—it is a commitment to ensuring that Africa's communities, negotiators, and young leaders are equipped, empowered, and heard in every room where decisions about our planet are made. For four years, we have seen that real change happens when we invest in African leaders. AWF and UNEP share a conviction that conservation only succeeds when people are at its center," Kaddu Sebunya, CEO, African Wildlife Foundation, reiterated in his remarks.

The MOU identifies four overarching themes designed to scale existing successes and deepen shared impact:

1. Participation and Inclusion: Strengthening the organization and impact of African voices within UNEP, the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN), and United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) processes to ensure representation is meaningful rather than symbolic.
2. Environmental Diplomacy: Supporting the Africa Group of Negotiators on Biodiversity to foster unity, coordination, and strategy, ensuring Africa speaks with a clear, confident, and unified voice on the global stage.
3. Youth Empowerment and Education: Leveraging previous fellowship successes to build the next generation of African environmental leaders and innovators.
4. Biodiversity Economy: Developing sustainable frameworks that allow local communities to benefit directly from the conservation of their natural resources.

This agreement builds on a shared recognition that conservation, diplomacy, education, and economic development are deeply interconnected—and that durable environmental outcomes require inclusive participation from governments, civil society, youth, and local communities alike.

About the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF)

The African Wildlife Foundation is the primary advocate for the protection of wildlife and wild lands as an essential part of a modern and prosperous Africa. Founded in 1961 to focus on Africa’s unique conservation needs, AWF articulates a vision of African development that is inclusive and sustainable.

About the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

UNEP is the leading global voice on the environment. It provides leadership and encourages partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations.

For media queries contact: Eileen Kairu, Strategic Communications Manager, at [email protected] at AWF or News and Media Unit, United Nations Environment Programme.