UN Environment Assembly opens in Kenya with strong call to protect planetary health

KENYA — The seventh session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-7) opened on Monday in Nairobi with a clear message: the world must accelerate action to confront mounting environmental threats and safeguard planetary health.

Hosted at the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) headquarters, the five-day assembly has drawn nearly 6,000 delegates from more than 170 countries, including government leaders, multilateral institutions, scientists, industry representatives, and civil society organizations

This year’s theme, “Advancing Sustainable Solutions for a Resilient Planet”, underscores the urgency of aligning global environmental governance with rapidly escalating climate and biodiversity challenges.

In a video address, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed urged governments to move from dialogue to decisive action.

“We must act with a sense of urgency to safeguard the health of our planet. Now is the time to invest in a stable climate and thriving ecosystems, ensuring that multilateralism delivers tangible results for people and the planet,” she said.

As the world’s highest-level decision-making body on environmental matters, UNEA brings together all 193 UN member states.

This year, delegates are set to review 15 draft resolutions and three decisions covering issues such as glacier protection, sustainable production of metals and minerals, transboundary freshwater management, circular economy transitions, ocean governance, migratory species protection, and the environmental footprint of artificial intelligence technologies.

UNEA-7 President Abdullah Bin Ali Al-Amri highlighted that the assembly aims to strengthen multilateral cooperation grounded in science.

He said the discussions are expected to build consensus around policy frameworks that accelerate global resilience and environmental justice.

Representing the host nation, Deborah Barasa, Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change, and Forestry, emphasized that UNEA-7 comes at a pivotal moment.

She noted that Kenya will use the platform to champion global action to end plastic pollution, strengthen climate adaptation financing, and scale up innovations that support greener economic development across the continent.

Environmental experts say UNEA-7 arrives against a backdrop of rising climate impacts, rapid biodiversity decline, and worsening pollution levels in many regions.

The outcomes of the assembly are expected to influence major global processes, including negotiations on the international plastics treaty and ongoing efforts to operationalize loss-and-damage financing.

With the world gathered in Nairobi, UNEA-7 offers what many describe as one of the most important opportunities this year to forge unified, science-driven solutions for protecting the planet’s health, and the well-being of future generations.

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