United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA)

Themes of the United Nations Environment Assembly

Since 2014, UNEA sessions have been five-day events, with the first three days focused on plenaries and committee work, and the final two days featuring a High-Level Segment attended by heads of state and government.

Seventh session (2025): "Advancing sustainable solutions for a resilient planet"

Sixth session (2024): "Effective, inclusive and sustainable multilateral actions to tackle climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution":

• UNEP/EA.6/HLS.1 - Ministerial declaration
• UNEP/EA.6/Res.6 - Fostering national action to address global environmental challenges through increased cooperation between the United Nations Environment Assembly, the United Nations Environment Programme and multilateral environmental agreements
• UNEP/EA.6/INF/6 - Background note to support the discussions on agenda item " Cooperation with Multilateral Environment Agreements” - Note by the Secretariat

First special session (2022): “Strengthening UNEP for the implementation of the environmental dimension of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”

Fifth session (2021 and 2022): “Strengthening actions for nature to achieve the sustainable development goals”

• UNEP/EA.5/HLS.1 - Ministerial declaration of the United Nations Environment Assembly at its fifth session: Strengthening actions for nature to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals
• UNEP/EA.5/Res.6 - Biodiversity and Health
• Final concept note for the UNEA-5.2 Leadership Dialogue with the Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs)

Fourth session (2019): “Innovative solutions for environmental challenges and sustainable consumption and production”

• UNEP/EA.4/HLS.1 - Ministerial declaration of the United Nations Environment Assembly at its fourth session: Innovative solutions for environmental challenges and sustainable consumption and production
• UNEP/EA.4/Res.10 - Innovations on biodiversity and land degradation

Third session (2017): “Towards a pollution-free planet”

Second session (2016): “Delivering on the environmental dimension of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”

First session (2014): “Sustainable development goals and the post-2015 development agenda, including sustainable consumption and production” and “Illegal trade in wildlife”

Engagement with the UNEA

Rule 69 of the UNEA rules of procedure allows designated intergovernmental organizations to participate in UNEA deliberations without voting rights, while Rule 70 outlines the role of civil society—defined in Decision SS.VII/5 as nine major groups including farmers, women, scientific and technological community, children and youth, indigenous people and their communities, workers and trade unions, business and industry, non-governmental organizations — who may contribute through written and oral interventions; all are encouraged by General Assembly resolution 2997 (XXVII) to support environmental policy-making and coordination.

The Global Major Groups and Stakeholders Forum, organized with support from the UNEP secretariat, is held before each UNEA session to coordinate civil society input on draft resolutions and decisions, facilitate dialogue with Member States and the UNEP Executive Director, and is open to both accredited and non-accredited organizations.

Relevant recent COP decisions

Decision 16/35 acknowledged the outcomes of the sixth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-6) and the inclusion of cooperation with multilateral environmental agreements on its agenda, and invited the UNEP to undertake the following:

• Continue implementing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, including the road map for Target 2
• continue supporting cooperation and collaboration among biodiversity-related conventions and relevant multilateral environmental agreements, to enhance the effective and efficient implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity, its Protocols, and the Framework
• Continue its work on promoting the environmental rule of law, taking into account diverse value systems as outlined in Section C of the Framework
• Facilitate the exchange of information on initiatives and experiences with the secretariats of other conventions and support the enhancement of the visibility and dissemination of different value systems, other knowledge systems, living in harmony with nature and, for those countries that recognize them, living well in balance and harmony with Mother Earth, the rights of nature and the rights of Mother Earth, and promoting the development of a joint interactive dialogue on those topics at the seventeenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties

In decision 15/13, the Conference of the Parties took note of United Nations Environment Assembly resolution 5/5 on nature-based solutions supporting sustainable development, and invited the UNEP to:

• Support the Parties and secretariats of the biodiversity-related conventions and agreements to continue to enhance synergies in areas of priority established by their Parties, including by facilitating and implementing key actions aimed to enhance synergies at the national and regional levels, in particular regarding reporting and the use of supportive tools, such as DaRT, capacity-building and development, and facilitate linkages between biodiversity-related conventions and relevant multilateral environmental agreements
• Continue to liaise closely with the secretariats of the Rio conventions and relevant partner organizations in the implementation of the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration
• Build on the Bern Process and continue to strengthen cooperation and collaboration among biodiversity-related conventions, contributing to effective and efficient implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework by facilitating a process for cooperation among Parties to the relevant biodiversity-related conventions

In decision XIII/24, the Conference of the Parties noted the resolution 2/17 of the United Nations Environment Assembly of the United Nations Environment Programme at its second session and highlighted the need to make efficient use of resources.

Decision XI/6 mentioned the United Nations Environment Programme Multilateral Environment Agreements Information and Knowledge Management initiative (InforMEA).

In decision VII/2, the Conference of the Parties recognized the leading role of UNEP in environmental issues, and welcomed the support of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA Resolution A/58/112) for the ongoing work of the liaison group of the secretariats and officers of the relevant subsidiary bodies of the UNFCCC, the UNCCD and the CBD, which, inter alia, encourages continuing cooperation in order to promote complementarities among the secretariats while respecting their independent legal status.

African Ministerial Conference on the Environment

Twentieth Ordinary Session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN-20), 14 - 18 July 2025, Nairobi, Kenya

The theme for the session wass: “Four Decades of Environmental Action in Africa: Reflecting on the Past and Imagining the Future.”

A high-level special session, held on 18 July 2025, brought together high-level dignitaries from Africa and around the world who delivered statements and participated in dialogues on environmental sustainability in Africa. The special session culminated in a high-level statement on AMCEN’s achievements over the last 40 years and policy recommendations on the “AMCEN we want” to address Africa’s environmental challenges in the future.

Forum of Ministers and Environment Authorities of Asia Pacific

Fifth Forum of Ministers and Environment Authorities of Asia Pacific (5th AP Forum), held from 3–6 October 2023 in Colombo, Sri Lanka, brought together governments, intergovernmental organizations, and stakeholders to discuss regional environmental priorities and contribute to the outcomes of UNEA-6, focusing on multilateral actions to address climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution; participants reviewed progress on UNEA resolutions and regional initiatives, identified emerging issues, and helped shape draft UNEA-6 documents while advancing the environmental dimension of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

Fourth session of the Forum of Ministers and Environment Authorities of Asia Pacific, held both on-site and virtually from 5–7 October 2021 in Suwon, Republic of Korea, included a high-level segment with senior officials and ministers, alongside virtual side events such as the Asia-Pacific Youth Environment Assembly, the Major Group and Stakeholders Forum, and the Science-Policy-Business Forum.

Third session of UN Environment’s Forum of Ministers and Environment Authorities of Asia Pacific was held from 23–25 January 2019 in Singapore, focusing on the UNEA-4 theme of “Innovative solutions for environmental challenges and sustainable consumption and production,” where Member States reviewed regional progress, engaged with stakeholders, and contributed Asia Pacific perspectives to preparations for the upcoming UN Environment Assembly.

Second session of UN Environment’s Forum of Ministers and Environment Authorities of Asia Pacific, held from 5–8 September 2017 in Bangkok, provided a platform for Member States to address regional environmental priorities, contribute to the UNEA-3 theme “Towards a Pollution-Free Planet,” review progress on past resolutions, and offer input on draft declarations, while also engaging with partners from various sectors to advance the 2030 pollution-free agenda.

First Forum of Ministers and Environmental Authorities of Asia Pacific, held from 19–20 May 2015 in Bangkok, provided a platform for regional leaders to discuss strategic environmental priorities, guide UNEP’s regional implementation of UNEA-1 outcomes, and contribute to the Post-2015 Development Agenda and UNEP’s 2018–2021 strategy, alongside participation from key organizations and stakeholders; it was followed by the Asia Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development from 21–22 May.

Forum of Ministers of Latin America and the Caribbean

XXIII Meeting of the Forum of Ministers of Latin America and the Caribbean, 24 - 26 October 2023, Panama City, Panama

Earlier relevant provisions of decisions on cooperation

Decision 16/35. Cooperation with other conventions and international organizations

Taking note of the outcomes of the sixth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly of the United Nations Environment Programme and the inclusion of an item on cooperation with multilateral environmental agreements in its agenda,

6. Invites the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the United Nations Environment Programme, in collaboration with the Rio conventions and other relevant partners, to continue to implement the Framework, including through the road map for Target 2, in consultation with Parties, other Governments, indigenous peoples and local communities, women and youth groups, people living with disabilities and other relevant stakeholders;

10. Invites the United Nations Environment Programme to continue to support cooperation and collaboration among biodiversity-related conventions and relevant multilateral environmental agreements, with a view to contributing to the effective and efficient implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity and its Protocols and the Framework;

11. Also invites the United Nations Environment Programme to continue its work on the environmental rule of law, while taking fully into consideration the different value systems, as covered in section C of the Framework, which include, for those countries that recognize them, the rights of nature and the rights of Mother Earth in the context of living well in balance and harmony with Mother Earth;

12. Further invites the United Nations Environment Programme to facilitate the exchange of information on initiatives and experiences with the secretariats of other conventions and the United Nations Environment Programme in support of the enhancement of the visibility and dissemination of different value systems, other knowledge systems, living in harmony with nature and, for those countries that recognize them, living well in balance and harmony with Mother Earth, the rights of nature and the rights of Mother Earth, and promoting the development of a joint interactive dialogue on those topics at the seventeenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties;

Decision 15/13 - Cooperation with other conventions and international organizations

Also welcoming with appreciation the support provided by the United Nations Environment Programme to the implementation of decisions XIII/24 and 14/30 with respect to enhancing synergies among biodiversity-related conventions, including in convening the Bern II workshop,

Taking note of United Nations Environment Assembly resolution 5/5 on nature-based solutions supporting sustainable development,

Recognizing the rolling work programme up to 2030 of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services,

7. Invites the United Nations Environment Programme, and encourages the United Nations Development Programme, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, as well as other relevant international organizations, to support the Parties and secretariats of the biodiversity-related conventions and agreements to continue to enhance synergies in areas of priority established by their Parties, including by facilitating and implementing key actions aimed to enhance synergies at the national and regional levels outlined in decisions XIII/24 and 14/30, in particular regarding reporting and the use of supportive tools, such as DaRT, capacity-building and development, and by facilitating linkages between biodiversity-related conventions and relevant multilateral environmental agreements, in accordance with international rights and obligations;

8. Invites the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the United Nations Environment Programme to continue to liaise closely with the secretariats of the Rio conventions and relevant partner organizations in the implementation of the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, and to provide a report on its progress to the Conference of the Parties for consideration at its sixteenth meeting;

13. Invites the United Nations Environment Programme to build on the Bern Process and continue to strengthen cooperation and collaboration among biodiversity-related conventions, contributing to effective and efficient implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework by facilitating a process for cooperation among Parties to the relevant biodiversity-related conventions;

XIII/24. Cooperation with other conventions and international organizations

B. Options to enhance synergies among the biodiversity-related conventions

3. Acknowledges the work done by the United Nations Environment Programme and the United Nations Environment Programme’s World Conservation Monitoring Centre and their valuable contribution and inputs provided to the workshop held in Geneva in February 2016 on promoting synergies among the biodiversity-related conventions;

4. Takes note of the resolution 2/17 of the United Nations Environment Assembly of the United Nations Environment Programme at its second session and highlights the need to make efficient use of resources;

Decision XII/6. Cooperation with other conventions, international organizations and initiatives

Noting resolution 1/12 of the United Nations Environment Assembly of the United Nations Environment Programme on the relationship between the United Nations Environment Programme and those multilateral environmental agreements for which it provides the Secretariat,

8. Invites the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme to transmit to the Conference of the Parties of each of the biodiversity-related conventions the results of its project on improving the effectiveness of and cooperation among biodiversity-related conventions and exploring opportunities for further synergies;

Decision XI/6. Cooperation with other conventions, international organizations, and initiatives

13. Welcomes the cooperation of convention secretariats in areas of joint information management through the United Nations Environment Programme Multilateral Environment Agreements Information and Knowledge Management initiative (InforMEA);

IX/27. Cooperation among multilateral environmental agreements and other organizations

7. Expresses its appreciation to the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme for the support provided to implement paragraph 8 of decision VIII/16 related to the joint liaison arrangements between the Convention on Biological Diversity and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification at the United Nations Headquarters, and invites him to renew this arrangement for the next biennium;

VII/26. Cooperation with other conventions and international organizations and initiatives

Welcoming the support of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA Resolution A/58/112) for the ongoing work of the liaison group of the secretariats and officers of the relevant subsidiary bodies of the UNFCCC, the UNCCD and the CBD, which, inter alia, encourages continuing cooperation in order to promote complementarities among the secretariats while respecting their independent legal status,

Recognizing the leading role of UNEP in environmental issues,

Decision III/21 Relationship of the Convention with the Commission on Sustainable Development and biodiversity-related conventions, other international agreements, institutions and processes of relevance

11. Urges the United Nations Environment Programme to undertake early implementation of decision II/14 of the Conference of the Parties;