Open-ended Committee of Permanent Representatives
The Open-ended Committee of Permanent Representatives (OECPR) is the intersessional subsidiary body of UNEA. The OECPR serves as a preparatory meeting of the UNEA agenda and pre-negotiates and deliberates the content and wording of proposed resolutions, declarations and decisions for endorsement and approval by the Assembly. Comprising all accredited representatives to the Committee of Permanent Representatives, the OECPR prepares for the meetings of UNEA.
Since UNEA-3, OECPR meetings have been held on a back-to-back arrangement with the UNEA sessions to minimize on costs and travel logistics. OECPRs that have been held include:
- 1st OECPR: 24 to 28 March 2014
- 2nd OECPR: 15 to 19 February 2016
- 3rd OECPR: 29 Nov to 1 Dec 2017
- 4th OECPR: 4 to 8 March 2019
- 5th OECPR: 15 to 19 February 2021
- resumed session of the 5th OECPR: 22 to 25 February 2022
In accordance with paragraph 10 of Governing Council decision 27/2 of 23 February 2013 and decision 5/4 of 2 March 2022, the sixth meeting of the Open-ended Committee of Permanent Representatives was held from 19 to 23 February 2024.
Informal consultations in the form of working groups/contact groups were organized as hybrid meetings, with a combination of in-person and online participation through an online platform. Information on the agenda and documentation can be found on the dedicated OECPR-6 page.
Regional Ministerial Environment forums
Regional Ministerial Environmental Forums are an important space for political dialogue and collaboration on environmental matters at the regional levels. They serve as a platform for Member States to contribute regional perspectives to the upcoming session of UNEA.
The Regional Ministerial Environment Forums took place during the inter-sessional period of UNEA and are organized by UNEP Regional Offices.
2023 Regional Ministerial Environment Forums
- Nineteenth session of African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN)
14 to 18 August 2023, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia - Fifth session of the Forum of Ministers and Environment Authorities of Asia Pacific
3 to 6 October 2023, Colombo, Sri Lanka - Arab Forum for Environment 2023
24 to 25 October 2023, Muscat, The Sultanate of Oman - Twenty-third Forum of Ministers of Environment of Latin America and the Caribbean
24 to 26 October 2023, Panama City, Panama
Read more about Regional Ministerial Environment Forums
Please contact the UNEP Secretariat at unep-sgb@un.org for more information.
Major Groups and Stakeholders Regional Consultative Meetings
Regional Consultative Meetings (RCM) take place at least once during the inter-sessional period between sessions of UNEA and are organized by the UNEP Regional Offices in close cooperation with the Regional Facilitators as elected by the Major Groups. During the regional consultations, joint positions are developed and challenges relevant to the region are discussed.
2023 Major Groups and Stakeholders Regional Consultative Meetings
- Africa Regional Consultative Meeting
12 to 13 August 2023, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia - Asia Pacific Regional Consultative Meeting
3 October 2023, Colombo, Sri Lanka - West Asia Regional Consultative Meeting
22 to 23 October 2023, Muscat, Oman - Latin America and the Caribbean Regional Consultative Meeting
23 to 27 October 2023, Panama City, Panama - Regional Consultative Meeting: North America 2023
21 November 2023, online - Regional Consultative Meeting for Europe
27 to 29 November 2023, Bratislava, Slovakia
The compilation of statements and recommendations by major groups and stakeholders from Africa, Asia and the Pacific, West Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, North America and Europe for consideration by the United Nations Environment Assembly at its sixth session is available under UNEP/EA.6/INF/3
Read more about Regional Consultative Meetings
Other preparatory processes for UNEA-6
Preparations for the UNEA-6 Ministerial Declaration
Successive drafts of the Ministerial Declaration have been circulated for input and comments from Member States and Major Groups and Stakeholders. The drafts and the input can be found on the Inputs to the Ministerial Declaration page.
Draft resolutions and decisions
Delegations intending to submit draft resolutions and accompanying concept notes were encouraged to so by sending the draft and a note verbal to the secretariat by 11 December 2023 if possible, and by 18 December 2023 at the latest, in line with the guidance to Member States on the submission of draft resolutions and decisions to UNEA-6.
All submitted draft resolutions and decisions were available on a dedicated UNEA -6 Resolutions Portal. The resolutions portal is a password-protected portal which includes all relevant information including the draft resolution and concept note, focal point for the proponent of the resolution, co-sponsors, background documentation, secretariat technical notes, and different versions of the draft as they may evolve throughout the consultations and negotiations.
