Kenya and France said Wednesday they will work on an initiative to form a new global environmental body and expand the Nairobi-based UN Environment Programme (UNEP).

"Kenya and France will cooperate in negotiations on the global environmental governance," Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga told reprters in Nairobi at a joint press conference with French Ecology Minister Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet.

"We are hoping that this will lead to a decision of the international community to elevate UNEP and establish a fully fledged global environmental organisation in Kenya."

The two spoke on the sidelines of a meeting by world environment ministers and experts on reforming the "world environment governance" aiming to better manage climate change and environment degration risks.

"What we want is to strengthen the UNEP and change its nature. Today it is only a programme," said Kosciusko-Morizet.

The international community has for years been discussing ways to strengthen environmental management on a global scale and France has proposed the creation of a new organisation to expand the mandate of the UNEP.