NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 3 – The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has appointed Tanzanian hip hop artist Frida Amani as its first-ever Advocate for Ecosystem Restoration.
The announcement comes ahead of the seventh session of the UN Environment Assembly in Nairobi.
With more than one million social media followers, Amani is one of East Africa’s most celebrated female rappers and media personalities.
She has earned multiple accolades, including the Music Cities Award—which honours innovative uses of music to drive economic, social, environmental, and cultural development globally—and Tanzania’s Orange Award.
“Growing up, we saw nature as a great protector – providing water, food, shade, and meaning. We also watched it become increasingly vulnerable to climate change and unsustainable exploitation, resulting in floods and drought,” she said.
“By joining the UN Environment Programme, I wish to inspire my fans to become part of a generation committed to ecosystem restoration. It is no longer enough to lament nature’s loss – we must bring it back. We are Generation Restoration.”
Amani becomes UNEP’s first Advocate for Ecosystem Restoration, a role in which she will help raise awareness and mobilize young people to prevent, halt, and reverse environmental degradation.
At the midpoint of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, UNEP hopes her voice will strengthen efforts to rehabilitate degraded ecosystems—from oceans to mountains and from cities to savannahs, grasslands, and forests.
“Frida sings, speaks, and acts for a healthy environment, so I am pleased to welcome her to the UNEP family,” said UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen.
“Her work reflects a relentless passion for restoration, where care for people and nature go hand-in-hand, making her an inspiring role model for young people across Africa and beyond.”
Environmental advocacy
Amani’s social and environmental advocacy is woven throughout her musical productions and public work.
Her contributions include Kisiki Hai (Swahili for Farmer-Managed Natural Regeneration), the Performance for Nature event, the Mote Mama Gizani campaign for maternal health, and her role as a Goodwill Ambassador for the Lead Foundation.
She also runs the Amani Foundation, through which she supports environmental and social causes, including the Performance for Nature concert held in Tanzania earlier this year.
UNEP remains the global authority on environmental issues, providing leadership and fostering partnerships to inspire, inform, and empower nations and communities to improve quality of life without compromising future generations.
The UN General Assembly has declared 2021–2030 the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.
