What to expect at the next United Nations Environment Assembly

In February 2024, world leaders, scientists, and representatives from civil society and businesses from around the world will gather in Nairobi, Kenya, for the sixth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-6), the world’s highest environmental decision-making body.

The event comes at a critical time for the Earth, which is facing a triple planetary crisis of climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste. Past assemblies have played a pivotal role in shaping global environmental policy, and UNEA-6 is set to follow suit.

We spoke with Radhika Ochalik, Director of the Governance Affairs Office at the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), to find out more about UNEA-6 and how it can help humanity make peace with nature.

What is UNEA and why is it important?

Radhika Ochalik (RO): UNEA is the world’s highest-level decision-making body on the environment and includes all 193 Member States of the UN. It meets every two years to set the global environmental agenda, provide overarching policy guidance and define policy responses to address emerging environmental challenges. Since its creation in 2012, UNEA has embodied a new era of multilateralism in which the environment is given the same level of prominence as other critical issues, like peace, poverty and health.

UNEA sessions serve as both a forum and a decision-making body. The world’s governments, the scientific community and the private sector, discuss the most pressing global environmental issues. Then, through its resolutions, decisions and calls to action, the Assembly addresses those challenges.

UNEA-6 is coming up. What can we expect?

RO: UNEA-6 will be held at UNEP Headquarters from 26 February to 1 March 2024, under the theme “Effective, inclusive and sustainable multilateral actions to tackle climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution.”  To demonstrate the power of environmental multilateralism, the Assembly will spotlight the work of Multilateral Environmental Agreements. These global accords are helping to do everything from protecting endangered species, to reining in pollution from dangerous chemicals.

You mentioned that UNEA seeks to deliver resolutions. How does that process work?

RO: Central to UNEA are draft resolutions or decisions submitted by Member States for adoption by UNEA. These represent current collective thinking on pressing environmental issues, build consensus and are a vital first step in spurring action. They also define priority areas of work for UNEP.

Which resolutions should we expect from UNEA-6?

RO: In November, Member States are expected to present the draft resolutions they intend to submit to UNEA-6 during the annual subcommittee meeting of the Committee of Permanent Representatives, a subsidiary body of UNEA. We don’t know exactly what will be on the table yet, but UNEP has identified six issues the Assembly may wish to address. Chief among them is the implementation of the Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, a landmark accord finalized in December 2022 that is designed to protect and revive the natural world. The other focus areas proposed by UNEP include water security, the sustainable use of minerals and pollution from nutrients, especially phosphorus.

Given the enormity of the challenges the world is facing, why are environmental meetings like UNEA important?

RO: The role and place of UNEA is perhaps more important today than at any other time before. The triple planetary crisis is driving poverty and inequality, undermining the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and threatening our future as a species. UNEA has the unique authority to address these challenges. UNEA’s other major strength is that it does not just focus on one aspect of the environment. It cuts across issues, sectors and regions and aims for broader, more holistic solutions.

Multilateralism has been under threat in the last couple of years. Are there recent multilateral environmental gains that UNEA-6 will build on?

RO: Yes. UNEA will include a focus on two important agreements. One is the historic Global Biodiversity Framework, and the other is a breakthrough agreement inked at last year’s UN Climate Change Conference that covered loss and damage funding for countries hit hard by the climate crisis. These were two much-needed wins for the environment and showed that multilateralism is possible despite the after-effects of COVID-19 and rising socio-political tensions.

UNEA-6 has placed heavy emphasis on cooperation with the Multilateral Environmental Agreements. Why is this important?

RO: Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) are a critical part of effective, inclusive and sustainable multilateral actions. To underscore this importance, UNEA-6 will feature a full day dedicated to cooperation between UNEP, MEAs and other UN entities. The aim of the day, which includes a plenary and two leadership dialogues, is to facilitate MEAs’ contributions to the Assembly and to promote coherence between UNEA resolutions and the decisions of their governing bodies. It will provide an opportunity for dialogue among MEAs and Member States in order to enhance environmental governance.

How can people take part in or follow UNEA-6?

RO: In-person attendance at UNEA-6 is open to a range of groups, including UN bodies, intergovernmental organizations, non-governmental organizations and the media. Registration is now open. I encourage participants to register ahead of the 9 February 2024 deadline. For the general public, all official UNEA meetings will be broadcast in the six official UN languages on the UNEA-6 website, which will be a hub for breaking news and other updates. You can also follow the discussion on UNEP’s social media channels, including YouTube, X (formerly Twitter) and LinkedIn.