The ministerial meeting of the eighth special session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN) was held on 4 December 2020. In view of the evolving global situation with regard to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, the meeting was held online. The meeting was attended by representatives of AMCEN member States, other States, African regional and subregional organizations, United Nations entities and the secretariats of various environmental conventions, partners, and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations. The ministerial segment was chaired by Ms. Barbara Creecy, Minister for the Environment, Forestry and Fisheries, South Africa, and President of AMCEN. Ms. Cecilia Kinuthia-Njenga, Head, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) South Africa office, served as moderator of the opening ceremony.