DAKAR, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Senegalese Minister for Environment and Sustainable Development Abdou Karim Sall pledged on Thursday to advance the African environmental agenda, the Senegalese News Agency reported Thursday.

Addressing the environmental crises linked to climate and biodiversity urgently requires political responses based on consensus in Africa, said Sall, also new chair of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN), at the 18th ordinary session of AMCEN via video link.

"The role of AMCEN has also been strengthened to meet the challenges of the continent in a context of economic recession due to the COVID-19 pandemic," he said, calling for implementing the African green recovery program, an initiative to help the continent recover from COVID-19 impacts.

The minister also called on his African counterparts to work in synergy and mobilize resources to realize environmental goals, adding that the AMCEN can play a leading role in promoting regional cooperation for the benefit of African people.

Senegal will host the second part of the 18th session next year, during which the questions raised in the first part will be addressed, Sall said. Enditem