The development of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Medium-Term Strategy (MTS) for the period 2026-2029 comes at a pivotal time for the global community.
This MTS will be the last strategic framework before the 2030 deadline for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), making it a critical opportunity to intensify efforts towards sustainable development and environmental protection.
The 2026-2029 MTS builds on the solid groundwork laid by the current MTS, incorporating lessons learned and addressing new challenges related to climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste. While the current MTS has created a solid foundation, the global context has shifted, with intensified environmental shocks, persistent geopolitical tensions, and ongoing economic difficulties, the new MTS will emphasize solution-driven approaches to the crises.
The new MTS, set to be approved by UNEA 7 in December 2025, not only guides UNEP’s strategic direction but also plays a crucial role in shaping global environmental governance.
The decision UNEP/EA.6/L.3 requested UNEP to prepare a draft Programme of Work for the period 2026-2027 and a draft Medium-Term Strategy for the period 2026-2029, through inclusive and regular consultation with Member States and relevant stakeholders, for consideration and approval by the Environment Assembly at its seventh session.
In this context, UNEP aims to facilitate informal dialogues with Major Groups and Stakeholders to ensure their perspectives are integral to the development of the MTS 2026-2029. Member States held dialogues in the first half of October 2024.
The upcoming dialogue on November 26th will offer Major Groups and Stakeholders a valuable opportunity to share their perspectives on UNEP’s strategic direction. This exchange aims to help shape a roadmap that addresses the crises of climate change, nature loss and desertification, and pollution and waste through a civil society lens, ensuring that the perspectives, challenges, and realities of civil society are understood and represented.
The goal is to ensure that civil society perspectives and realities inform the new MTS, making it relevant, practical and that it includes a strong human right approach and has social dimensions aligned with the needs expressed by civil society representatives.
At the same time, UNEP will systematically apply both a gender perspective, a poverty eradication approach and a Leave No One Behind” lens to the analysis and later programming and will also consider regional priorities and their connections to multilateral agreements, recognizing their significant potential for driving local change and making progress towards the 2030 Agenda.
To leverage the impact of UNEP’s work throughout the strategic planning process, UNEP will place an emphasis on how innovations can be identified and successfully adopted and scaled up to increase impact.
These dialogues are designed to be informal, inviting participants to contribute their personal thoughts and ideas. Participants are expected to join the dialogues in their individual capacity and engage openly under Chatham House rules, fostering an environment of trust and candid exchange. This format is intended to encourage more dynamic and constructive discussions, allowing UNEP to gain a deeper understanding of the perspectives and expectations from major groups and stakeholders of civil society regarding its future strategic direction.
To register for this event, kindly use the link. The dialogue will be held on Tuesday, 26 November: 1500 hours - 1700 hours (Nairobi time / GMT+3).
