The ministerial segment of the eighteenth session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN) was held online on 16 September 2021. The meeting was attended by representatives of member States of AMCEN, other States, African regional and subregional organizations, United Nations entities and the secretariats of various environmental conventions, partners, and intergovernmental, non-governmental and civil society organizations. The opening of the ministerial segment was chaired by the President of AMCEN, Ms. Barbara Creecy, Minister for Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, South Africa. The ministerial segment was opened at noon on Thursday, 16 September 20211 by the Chair. Opening statements were delivered by Ms. Creecy; Ms. Inger Andersen, Executive Director, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP); and Ms. Josefa Sacko, Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment, African Union Commission, who officially opened the meeting.