Esteemed delegates and colleagues,
My thanks for the opportunity to brief you on the outcomes of the sixth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly, or UNEA-6, which concluded in Nairobi just under two weeks’ ago.
Let me at the outset recognize the leadership of Leila Benali, Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development for the Kingdom of Morocco. She was the President of UNEA-6 and did an outstanding job. Let me also recognize the strong support UNEP always counts on from our host country, the Government of Kenya. We were honoured to have President Ruto open our High-Level segment and are always grateful for the wonderful support we receive from our Kenyan hosts.
This gathering of the highest decision-making body on environmental matters came at a time of urgent environmental issues on the global agenda. We often speak at UNEP about living with these three environmental crises: the crisis of climate change, which is well understood; the crisis of nature loss, land loss, desertification and biodiversity loss; and the crisis of pollution and waste.
These three crises are having a huge impact on prosperity, equity and human health. We must tackle them so that we can land what this General Assembly has endorsed, namely the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment. Obviously, dealing with these crises is critical so that we can reach the Sustainable Development Goals, which we all understand are not where they should be at the midpoint to 2030.
So UNEA-6 really showed, beyond any doubt, that the world is committed to multilateralism. It wasn’t easy, and I will explain some of the challenges we had, but we did see the world come together around these environmental priorities.
UNEA-6: bigger and more inclusive than ever
Let me start by looking at some of the top-level numbers from UNEA-6. As I said at the opening plenary in Nairobi, the world wasn’t just watching. The world came to Nairobi. The world was there.
This is the sixth UNEA. We broke the record number of participants, with nearly 6,000 people in attendance. We were honoured to have the President of the UN General-Assembly and President of the UN Economic and Social Council. We had representation from 190 countries. We had 12 heads of state and government. We had 130 Ministers and Vice-Ministers. We had a massive contingent from major groups, with over 1,000 people. And I was honoured to have a number of my colleagues how head up funds and programmes in attendance.
We had voices from the younger generation. The Youth Environment Assembly – which was held just prior to UNEA and saw 500 or so youth come together from across the world – issued a very strong declaration informing UNEA what they, as youth, want to see in terms of intergenerational equity. We had strong voices from civil society, from Indigenous People, from women, from businesses and many others from the major groups and stakeholders. That took place largely through the Major Groups and Stakeholders Forum, but also throughout UNEA.
And, for the first time, the UNEA President Leila Benali decided, in cooperation with the Bureau and with strong support from Member States, to create real space for the Multilateral Environmental Agreements, or the MEAs. We created a day, MEA day, to have high-level dialogues between the MEAs. Not just those executive secretaries who work for the MEA secretariats, but also the presidents of a host of COPs. It was really important to have these MEAs under the same roof to discuss priorities and intersections.
There were over 100 parallel events, including the 31st meeting of the International Resource Panel, the Annual Climate and Clean Air conference, the Cities and Regions Summit, and the Science-Policy Business Forum. We held the meeting of the One Health Quadripartite, which is composed of the World Health Organization (WHO), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) and UNEP.
During UNEA, UNEP also launched a number of important new science publications related to sustainable consumption and production of resources, is critical in terms of equity and in terms of addressing the triple planetary crisis.
The Global Resources Outlook from the International Resource Panel was very well received, as was UNEP’s Global Waste Management Outlook. They drew the world’s attention to the need to move to sustainable consumption and production and towards circular models in our economies instead of depleting non-renewable resources and polluting the planet.
The outcomes of UNEA-6.
So, what did this gathering of the world achieve?
Member States adopted 15 resolutions. It was not simple. But these resolutions target some of the planet’s most-pressing environmental challenges – with a clear focus on addressing issues that affect the world’s most vulnerable and hamper sustainable development.
We saw a resolution that can help speed the transition to net-zero – and provide economic opportunities for developing nations – by asking Member States and stakeholders to align the extraction and management of minerals and waste within the 2030 Agenda. This included a request for UNEP to establish a digital knowledge hub to compile environmental best practices of minerals and metals, develop capacity-building opportunities, and support enhanced cooperation amongst Member States.
We saw a resolution on environmental assistance and recovery in areas that are impacted by armed conflict. That resolution asked UNEP to identify and develop technical guidance on the collection of data and environmental damage that is associated with armed conflict.
We also saw resolutions aimed at improving air quality – through regional cooperation on air pollution and tackling sand and dust storms. We saw a resolution that highlighted efforts to combat desertification and land degradation and asked UNEP to step in and support Member States in this regard. We saw important resolutions on tackling highly hazardous pesticides, improving water quality and strengthening ocean governance – recalling, of course, that some ten ocean conventions sit with UNEP under the Regional Seas Programme. We also saw resolutions promoting sustainable lifestyles and much more.
It was heartening to see that many of these resolutions fell directly into areas that I had highlighted in my report, which I submitted to Member States prior to UNEA – particularly those that dealt with responsible mining and sustainable minerals and metals use, water and a number of other resolutions.
Now, the Ministerial Declaration was a significant breakthrough, with powerful language. It reaffirms Member States’ commitment to effective, inclusive and sustainable multilateral action to tackle the triple planetary crisis. It recognizes the growing demand for stronger and more coherent environmental support at the country level, through UNEP’s engagement with the UN resident coordinators and country teams. This was something we were particularly happy to see, because we feel greatly strengthened by the UN Resident Coordinator system. We saw also a call for the strengthening of UNEP within the United Nations development system at both the regional and country levels. And the President of UNEA was asked to transmit the declaration to the General Assembly for consideration at the Summit of the Future.
I have to be honest, it wasn’t all plain sailing, as is sometimes the case with negotiations. Several resolutions did not make it to the finish line, one of which was Solar Radiation
Modification, a topic which we have previously briefed on in New York, Geneva and Nairobi. It is clear that we need to have a global conversation on this topic, not a conversation amongst the few.
It is, of course, UNEP’s job to keep the environment under review – as highlighted in the Paragraph 88 of the Rio+20 outcome. And so therefore we will continue to keep an eye on the horizon for issues that will one day wash up on our environmental shores. And I am sure that important conversations were opened at UNEA-6, which, even if the resolution did not make it, will continue in the spirit of finding solutions that work for people and planet.
MEA day: the importance of defragmentation and a united push
Let me expand a little on what I believe was one of the most important elements of UNEA-6: the coming together of the MEAs, most of which have their genesis in UNEP or UNEA’s predecessor, the Governing Council.
Since 1972, when UNEP was created, we have seen a number of conventions being created and called for as part of UNEP Governing Council resolutions. The Convention on Migratory Species and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna. The Vienna Convention, the Montreal Protocol, the Basel Convention, the Rotterdam Convention, the Stockholm Convention and the Minamata Convention. Of course, the three Rio Conventions were discussed as important topics in the UNEP Governing Council prior to 1992. And many, many regional conventions, that deal with either waste or regional seas.
Most of these are today hosted proudly by UNEP. We have nearly two dozen conventions. Obviously, climate and desertification are not hosted by UNEP. And we do recognize more multilateral agreements, frameworks and initiatives are coming online, whether hosted by UNEP or not. Last year we saw the gavelling of the Global Framework on Chemicals, a deal that is very important. We also saw here in New York, the agreement on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ), which is not hosted by UNEP. And, of course, the plastics instrument is under negotiation and is moving closer to the finishing line.
This big family of conventions, whether hosted by UNEP or not, have really made massive impacts over their lifespan. Whether it is protecting the ozone layer. Slowing climate change. Protecting species on land and sea. Raising the profile of desertification and land degradation action. But as we all understand, especially from a technical point of view, while each convention is unique and has its own governance and its own COP, there are a lot of areas between these conventions where they can reinforce each other. And that was the intent of the conversation that we enabled at UNEA.
So, the MEA day was a timely reminder that action on climate is action on biodiversity and land; that action on land is action on climate; that action on chemicals, pollution and wastes is action on nature and on climate. The whole thing is connected. But within each respective convention it can be difficult to make those connections. UNEA can be this platform, as I often say, a tapestry upon which the conventions can see themselves and find ways to exchange ideas without infringing the sovereignty, if I may use that word, of each COP. That was an important opportunity at this time.
Taking forward the outcomes of UNEA-6
At this point, it is very important to say that we have gotten a lot of direction from Member States – both in terms of resolutions from this and previous UNEAs, and certainly in terms of the declaration. Now we very much look forward to lifting this and moving it forward.
The negotiations are underway for the third Science-Policy Panel. You will be aware of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which UNEP is proud to co-host with our friends at the World Meteorological Organization. You will be aware of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). We are currently negotiating the third panel, which will deal with chemicals, pollution and waste.
And we very much want to take advantage of this year, when the three Rio Conventions are all having COPs at the same time, as well as celebrating a significant milestone.
So, taking forward all of these very important outcomes, including the COP28 outcomes, is critical for us all. We need to advance the loss and damage fund and the global goal on adaptation in support of SIDS, LDCs, LLDCs and other nations, which are clearly bearing the brunt of many of these crises I speak of, not just the climate crisis. Therefore UNEP’s agenda, whether it is in cooling, or methane, or emissions, or waste management or biodiversity or land, really has to underpin those very important goals.
We will very much back the work of our friends in the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) – which we do through the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration that we co-host with our friends at the Food and Agriculture Organization. We’re also proud that Saudi Arabia will be the host of the UNCCD COP16 and the global host for World Environment Day this year, taking place on June 5th under the theme of accelerating land restoration, drought resilience and desertification progress.
A strong, well-funded UNEP is essential
For UNEP to be able to do what we have been asked to do by Member States and elevate the environment as the foundation for sustainable development, we will seek to build UNEP ever stronger, which is also called for in the Declaration for the Future We Want from
Rio+20. We are also very keen to see Nairobi strengthened as our global headquarters and as the global environmental capital of the world.
This is very much in line with developments in recent years, when we have managed to anchor environmental diplomacy in Nairobi. Prior to UNEA-6 last year, we were very happy to host a number of multilateral gatherings in Nairobi. On climate science, the IPCC hosted its meeting there. The Convention on Biological Diversity hosted a meeting of its Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice there. On plastics we had the negotiations in Nairobi. And the Montreal Protocol had its MOP – its COP equivalent.
We also think we see a growing movement to make important decisions in Nairobi, which as I have said also flows in line with the Rio+20 outcome, the Future We Want. This outcome committed to strengthening the role of UNEP as the leading global environmental authority that sets the global environmental agenda, promotes the coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development within the United Nations system and serves as an authoritative advocate for the global environment. That’s our charge. That’s our mission and mandate.
Member States have backed up their words of support. We are immensely grateful to Member States that have contributed to the Environment Fund. US$88.9 million was received in 2023, an increase of almost ten per cent over the previous year. This is equivalent to our core resources, in addition to the Regular Budget that we receive, which is about five per cent of our total funding. Total funding right now, when we take our dedicated project funding, is around US$3 billion for a two-year period – but that is project funding.
The liquidity crisis that the UN is suffering is having a significant negative impact because the spine of our organization is funded from the UN regular budget posts. This is where our core positions are, in non-project positions. This crisis could worsen the disconnect between the load of resolutions and the budget for their implementation and the staff to enable that implementation. We will continue to look at how we can best satisfy Member States with the budget available, but Member States do have it in their power to make a difference by looking at ways to end the liquidity crisis.
The world, we believe, needs a strong UN and the world needs a strong UNEP. One that can implement every request from Member States. One that can back the rest of the UN system, which often asks for our expertise and technical skills. And one that can play a key role in delivering on the sustainable development goals – because a stable climate, a harmonious relationship between humanity and nature, and a world free of pollution are fundamental to peace, prosperity, equity and the future that we all want.
