For ECOWAS, the Environmental Action Plan will ensure the long-term preservation of forest, marine, coastal and biodiversity resources, and contribute to climate resilience.

As part of the implementation of the Environmental Policy (ECOWEP), the Environmental Action Plan was revised in 2018 with the support of the West Africa Biodiversity and Climate Change Project to address environmental health risks.

Efforts under strategic axis I, "Strengthening Environmental Governance", have enabled the capacity of West African negotiators to be strengthened within the framework of international conventions and multilateral environmental agreements on climate change, desertification and biodiversity.

The second strategic action line "Promotion and Sustainable Management of Resources" contributed to the launch of the forest dialogue process. It was implemented with the support of FAO and other partners within the framework of the "Forest Convergence Plan for Sustainable Forest Management and Use".

Regarding "the Fight against Pollution, Nuisances and Waste", activities focused on the development of regional strategic intervention documents for the sustainable management of chemicals and hazardous waste. A communication strategy has also been developed to address environmental education concerns and information sharing with relevant stakeholders.

It is expected that at the end of the implementation of the Environmental Action Plan in 2025, there will be an improvement in sub regional environmental governance and an increase in the effectiveness of international negotiations by ECOWAS Member States. Environmental policies and regulations at the sub regional level will also be integrated with greater solidarity among countries for the sharing of resources to address the risks associated with natural, industrial and chemical disasters.