Hosted by the UN Environment Programme, the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) brings together representatives of the 193 Member States of the UN, businesses, civil society and other stakeholders to agree on policies to address the world’s most pressing environmental challenges.
The resumed fifth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-5.2) took place online and in Nairobi from 28 February – 2 March 2022.
The overall theme for UNEA-5 was “Strengthening Actions for Nature to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals,” highlighting the pivotal role nature plays in our lives and in social, economic and environmental sustainable development.
UNEA-5 was an opportunity for Member States to share best practices for sustainability. It aimed to create momentum for governments to build on and catalyze impact on multilateral environmental efforts to protect and restore the natural world on which our economies and societies depend.
Key Achievements
ACSA’s GCSP Liaison Officer Libby Hepburn attended the Assembly online, and these are the key achievements as she sees them:
We have brought Nature into the Room for the first time
Multilateralism 193 countries – 14 Resolutions to make real transformations to our environment and our relationship with nature, including:
1. Eliminate Plastic pollution (not just reduce it) from source to sea by the end of 2024
2. Science Policy Panel on reducing Chemical pollution and waste
3. What is existentially important – Nature-based solutions
All these are under the UN multilateral umbrella of Investing in Nature
Read more about the Global Plastic Pollution Agreement: A historic moment and the UNEA 5.2 14 resolutions.
Take a look at the short introduction by Inger Andersen, Exec Director of UNEP Introducing the main themes of the Assembly:
Talking about “It’s time to Act for Nature”the theme of this year’s UNEA: