By David Njagi
The sixth session of the UN Environment Assembly, or UNEA-6, ended on raised hope with UN chiefs appealing to world leaders to unite in battling the triple planetary crisis of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss.
The Assembly adopted 15 resolutions and two decisions asking countries for cooperation through multilateralism to fight the crisis, and received a vote of confidence in a ministerial declaration affirming the 190 member states’ commitment to take action.
Outgoing UNEA-6 president Leila Benali, said some of the resolutions addressed silent killers in the environment like air pollution, sand and dust storms, while also opening discussions on the issues of critical minerals, armed conflict and promotion of sustainable lifestyle.
“The important thing is not the number of resolutions or the length of the ministerial declaration. It is very much the importance and the quality of those resolutions. It came as a package but it is also important to say that it reflected the position of the majority in these discussions,” said Benali during the closing press conference.
The resolutions on living well in balance and harmony with mother earth, management of cascades systems, solutions for strengthening water policies and solar radiation modification were rejected, but Inger Andersen, the chief executive, UN Environment Programme, or UNEP, hinted that negotiations had not been closed.
“Member states did not always agree. But that is the nature of multilateralism, and indeed life. What matters is how we disagree. We do so respectfully and then we seek to overcome our differences. UNEA-6 has opened important conversations, not all of which have landed, but that I am sure that they will continue in the spirit of finding solutions that work for people and planet,” said Andersen in her closing speech.
The absence of wide civil society representation at the Assembly failed to steer the meeting into a dramatic ending as has been the case in previous global environment and climate change meetings. The few that were present were not loud enough to be heard beyond the panel discussions.
But Greenpeace marked its presence with a renewed call for a Global Plastics Treaty and the ratification of the Global Oceans Treaty, amid concerns that UNEA-6 attempted to water down discussions around the plastics treaty, which would help combat the triple planetary crisis.
Plastic pollution significantly contributes to climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss, exacerbating racial, gender, and economic inequalities globally, according to Hellen Kahaso Dena, the project lead of the Pan-Africa plastics project at Greenpeace Africa.
A statement issued by Greenpeace at the end of the meeting said the Global Plastics Treaty is expected to push for the reduction of plastic production by at least 75% by 2040, to ensure the planet remains below the 1.5° Celsius global warming threshold.
“Overall, many governments represented at UNEA-6 lacked ambition and were unable or unwilling to repeat commitments made elsewhere, from transitioning away from fossil fuels over joined-up climate and biodiversity action to celebrating the Global Ocean Treaty. It sometimes felt as if we were watching the UN Assembly against, instead of for, the environment,” said An Lambrechts, Greenpeace International Biodiversity Policy Expert.
Some delegates did not feel confident to comment on the outcomes of the meeting citing the risk of conflicting Multilateral Environmental Agreements, or MEAs, which are instruments of international environmental governance and law.
But UNEA-6 advanced the status of the Global Biodiversity Framework that was put in place at COP16 in Montreal, Canada, while bridging conversations between ministries of environment and agriculture to keep food systems in the global agenda, according to Eliane Ubalijoro, the chief executive at CIFOR-ICRAF.
She said the Assembly was an exciting time for women leadership especially at this time when there is a common global vision at the nexus of climate change, food security and biodiversity preservation.
“For me it is very exciting because it is about having all hands-on deck and all of us accelerating the process of how do we look at biodiversity and our food systems at the same time,” said Ubalijoro.
“I look forward to how we can scale and accelerate the work we need to do for agriculture to be a critical engine for nature positive net zero world that works hand in hand with all the different landscapes to be the bridge that allows biodiversity to thrive across all places in the world,” she added.
Incoming UNEA-7 president, Abdullah Bin Ali Amri, who is also the chairman of the environment authority of Oman, said he will work to enhance cooperation between UNEP and MEAs, while also renouncing violence and the war machine in dispute resolutions.
He added that he will support indigenous communities, island states and fragile systems to access environmental support and financing faster and easier, aiming to confront challenges, achieve goals and raise the level of global environment performance.
“Its imperative that we unite our efforts with urgency and determination to safeguard our precious planet and protect its natural splendor. Let our efforts and funds be directed towards preserving ecosystems for humanity future, as future generations expect a lot form us, and they have the right on us, to hand over to them a safe and sustainable planet,” said Oman.
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