Nairobi, 02 March 2022 – The 5ThToday, the UN Environment Assembly met in Nairobi and passed 14 resolutions to support actions for nature in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. The Assembly is made up the 193 UN Member states and convenes every other year to promote global environmental governance.
The world’s ministers for the environment AccededTo establish an Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee, with the mandate to create an international legally binding agreement on plastic pollution. Inger Andersen is the Executive Director of UN Environment Programme (UNEP). He said that this was the most important multilateral environmental deal since the Paris agreement.
“Against the backdrop of geopolitical turmoil, the UN Environment Assembly shows multilateral cooperation at its best,” said Espen Barth Eide, the President of UNEA-5 and Norway’s Minister for Climate and the Environment. “Plastic pollution has grown into an epidemic. With today’s resolution we are officially on track for a cure.”
Amina J. Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the UN, added: “Today, no area on the planet is left untouched by plastic pollution, from deep-sea sediment to Mount Everest. The planet deserves a multilateral solution that speaks from source to sea. A legally binding global agreement on plastic pollution will be a truly welcome first step.”
A second key resolution supports the establishment a broad and ambitious science policy panel to address the sound management and prevention of pollution. The Ministerial Declaration recognises humanity’s failure to date to manage chemicals and waste, a threat that is further aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic through widespread use of single-use plastics and disinfectant chemicals.
In the spirit and UN Decade for Ecosystem RegenerationA third resolution, which was adopted by the Assembly, focuses on nature-based solutions. These are actions to preserve, conserve, restore and sustainably use ecosystems. UNEP is urged to support implementation of such solutions to protect rights of communities as well as indigenous peoples.
Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP, said: “Having a universally agreed definition of nature-based solutions is important. We can now assess the accuracy and meaning of claims made by countries and companies that they are supporting nature-based solution. This is especially true given the just-released report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change on the need to scale-up adaptation, for which nature-based solutions will be crucial.”
Three resolutions focus on ecosystem restoration, biodiversity preservation, resource efficiency and consumption patterns, climate mitigation, adaptation, job creation, and poverty reduction.
A resolution on the minerals and metals should be developed to improve their environmental sustainability throughout their entire lives.
A resolution on sustainable lakes management calls for Member States to conserve, restore, and restore lakes as well as sustainably using them.
A resolution on resilient and sustainable infrastructure encourages Member States of the European Union to incorporate environmental considerations into all their infrastructure plans.
A concluding Ministerial Declaration recognised the risk for future pandemics and other health risks if humanity doesn’t overhaul its patterns of interaction with nature by adopting a holistic approach such as One Health.
In this context, the resolution on animal welfare requires that Member States protect animals, their habitats, and meet their welfare needs.
Another resolution on biodiversity & health calls for Member States to reduce the health risks associated trade in live animals captured for food, captive breeding and medicines, and the pet trade through regulation and sanitary control.
Ministerial Declaration highlighted the urgent need for halting the global decline and fragmentation in biodiversity. This was unprecedented in human history.
In this context the Assembly adopted a resolution urging it to accelerate actions to significantly reduce nitrogen wastes from all sources, including through agricultural practices and savings US $100 billion annually.
After COVID-19-related investments, largely Failure to achieve environmental goals, the world’s environment ministers commit to promoting such an inclusive and sustainable recovery, a green and just transition, by incorporating biodiversity, climate change and pollution concerns into all policies and tools.
Accordingly, the Assembly adopted a “resolution on the environmental dimension of a sustainable, resilient and inclusive post COVID-19 recovery” to strengthen measures to achieve a sustainable, resilient and inclusive global recovery.
Additional resolutions from the Assembly and decisions are made regarding the date and venue of UNEA-6 and the future Global Environment Outlook (GEO) and the equitable geographical representation and balance in the secretariat of UNEP.
The three-day UNEA-5.2Online and in-person meetings are available. Online session of UNEA-5Last year. It attracted approximately 3,000 participants in person and 1,500 online from 175 UN Member States.
The Assembly will then be followed by “[email protected],” a two-day Special Session of The Assembly marking UNEP’s 50thAn anniversary in which Member States are expected discuss how to build an inclusive and resilient post-pandemic world as well as endorse a Draft Political Declaration.
Notes
These are the 14 resolutions adopted by the UN Environment Assembly.
- Resolution to End Plastic Pollution: Towards a legally binding international instrument
- Resolution on an Enhancing Circular economy as a contribution for sustainable consumption and production
- Sustainable Lake Management Resolution
- Resolution on Nature-based Solutions for Sustainable Development
- Resolution on the environmental dimensions of a sustainable, resilient, and inclusive recovery after COVID-19
- Resolution on Biodiversity, Health
- Resolution-Animal Welfare – Environment – Sustainable Development Nexus
- Resolution on Sustainable Nitrogen Management
- Resolution on Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructure
- Resolution on the Sound Management of Chemicals and Waste
- Resolution for a Science-Policy Panel, to further contribute to sound management of chemicals/waste and to prevent pollution
- Resolution text on environmental management of minerals and metals
- Resolution on the Future of the Global Environment Outlook
- Resolution given due regard to the principle of equitable geographic distribution, in accordance avec paragraph 3 of article 101 of the Charter of the UN
UNEA-6: Decision on the date/location
These are the declarations made by the UN Environment Assembly
- Ministerial declaration of the UN Environment Assembly
- Political Declaration of a Special Session to the UN Environment Assembly to mark the fiftieth Anniversary of the UN Environment Programme’s creation
The final text of all resolutions adopted will be uploaded to the UNEA website.
[email protected]: Time to reflect on the past, and envision the future
The 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm, Sweden, was the first-ever UN conference with the word “environment” in its title. One of many firsts, this conference saw the creation of UN Environment Programme (UNEP). UNEP was created to serve as the UN’s environmental conscience and be an international resource for the environment. Activities taking place through 2022 will look at significant progress made as well as what’s ahead in decades to come.
About the UN Environment Programme (UNEP)
UNEP is the global leader in environmental issues. It is a leader and encourages collaboration in caring for the environment. UNEP inspires, informs and empowers nations and peoples to improve quality of life without compromising future generations.
