UNEP Chief Inger Andersen and UNEA-6 Chair Leila Benali during the final plenary session of the sixth session of the UN Environment Assembly in Nairobi. The work of the UN Environment Assembly ended with the adoption of 15 resolutions Climate and Environment
Participants at the Sixth Session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-6) reaffirmed their commitment to combating climate change, air pollution and restoring nature. In the ministerial declaration, countries committed to negotiating an international instrument to combat plastic pollution.
The UN Environment Assembly ended Friday in Nairobi with the adoption of 15 resolutions and two decisions on issues such as proper management of chemicals and waste, stopping desertification and land degradation, and strengthening water conservation policies .
In the final document, the Ministerial Declaration, UN member states committed to jointly negotiate the development of an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution.
Collective effort
At the closing session, the President of the Assembly, Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development of Morocco, Leila Benali, thanked all delegations for the “constructive cooperation, flexibility and collective wisdom” that made it possible to prepare the final text.
United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) Director-General Inger Andersen highlighted the importance of resolutions on metals and minerals needed for the transition to net-zero emissions, on protecting the environment during and after conflicts, on improving governance chemicals and waste, as well as combating sand and dust storms.
“We also have a ministerial declaration that reaffirms the international community’s commitment to curb climate change, restore nature and the earth, and create a world free of pollution,” she added.
Creating a legal framework
The Assembly is the highest global decision-making body on environmental issues and has 193 member states. Although Assembly resolutions are not legally binding, they are seen as an important first step towards global environmental agreements and the development of national policies.
In this regard, Andersen noted at the press conference that many resolutions will not immediately become international laws or national regulations, but based on past experience, this will happen in the medium term.
“I believe that, based on these resolutions, we will change the future,” she emphasized.
A record seven thousand delegates from 182 countries, including 170 ministers, as well as experts and activists took part in the sixth session of the Assembly and representatives of industrial circles.
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