UNEA-5.1 Special webpage

• Relevant Publications
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The United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) is the world’s highest-level decision-making body on the environment, with a universal membership of all 193 Member States. The Assembly meets biennially in Nairobi, Kenya, to set priorities for global environmental policies and develop international environmental law. Through its ministerial declaration and resolutions, the Assembly provides leadership, catalyses intergovernmental action on the environment, and contributes to the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. (UNEA website)

Following the agreement reached at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) in 2012, the UNEP Governing Council, which had 58 members, was restructured to include all UN member states as UNEA. UNEA was first convened in June 2014, followed by biennial meetings since. UNEA-5 was held online in February 2021. The UNEA Secretariat decided to organise the fifth session (UNEA-5) in two parts: virtually in 2021 and in-person in 2022. The first session of UNEA-5 was conducted online on 22-23 February 2021. Agenda items that require in-depth negotiations will be discussed during the in-person session of UNEA-5, which will resume in February 2022. The overall theme of UNEA-5 is "Strengthening Action for Nature to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals," which calls for enhanced action to protect and restore nature, and nature-based solutions to achieve the SDGs. It also seeks to ensure that investments in economic recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic contribute to sustainable development, and that member countries and stakeholders achieve a better and greener recovery.

On this page, we will introduce the background of and discussions at UNEA-5, as well as related IGES publications.