UNEA 6: An assembly like no other

By Maria Dalby and Guendalina De Luigi

By GRID-Arendal

March 15^th, 2024

In the heart of international efforts to address climate change lies Nairobi, a city that serves as both a hub for environmental progress and a reminder of the challenges we face. Home to UNEP, the United Nations Environmental Programme, Nairobi hosts diplomats dedicated to enhancing the world's environment. This city sets the stage for the sixth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly, where global leaders converge to navigate the delicate balance between growth and the pressing need for sustainable solutions.

For the occasion, UNEP decorated the road with flags from every nation. A local organisation created a sculpture, named “A seat at the table”, symbolising the overall theme of this year’s UNEA 6: Multilateralism can help tackle the triple planetary crisis of climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste.

During UNEA, each country can speak during the High-Level Segment, a crucial part of the assembly. This segment allows representatives from Member States to address the assembly, presenting their country's perspectives, initiatives, and commitments related to environmental issues. However, this important forum coincides with various political crises, drawing attention away from the primary objective of fostering increased cooperation for the environment.

The US Embassy, located across the road from UNEP headquarters, adorned its fence with the colours of the Ukrainian flag, and many other countries used their time at the high-level segment to discuss current events, some successfully linking them to environmental issues.

Despite the challenges posed by these political distractions, the High-Level Segment remains a pivotal space for countries to engage in dialogue, share experiences, and actively contribute to shaping global environmental policies. It is evident, however, that this UNEA is unfolding against the backdrop of on-going wars, making the process of finding solutions on behalf of the environment more complex. However one resolution passed during UNEA 6 addressed the environmental impacts of war.

The moment most attendees will remember from the high-level dialog will nevertheless be the opening remarks from Mary Grace Catapang, bursting into tears, when talking to the moral of the politicians, reminding them why they are present and that the decisions being made will affect humans all over the planet.

And yet, this year’s UNEA didn’t receive the media attention it deserves. While the Climate COP is widely covered, it seems like UNEA is missing the same weight.

UNEP is caught in a delicate dance, carefully balancing the mandate they have been given and the need for rapid but realistic action. Secretary General of the United Nations Environmental Programme, Inger Andersen spoke to attendees about a “must-do-list” for the environment, resulting in all delegates negotiating long into the night, trying to make the text in the resolution as palatable as possible. A record-breaking 22 resolutions were submitted, with 15 agreed upon. However, whispers in hallways questioned whether focusing on quality rather than quantity would have resulted in a greater success.

During the week, two flagship reports of UNEP were launched: Global waste outlook and Global Resources Outlook 2024. These reports are important illustrations of the rising global trends, and states how bold policy actions are crucial to phase out unsustainable activities. UNEA is also used for side-events, highlighting important issues and reports that should impact policy making.

GRID-Arendal attended UNEA-6 with a delegation of 5 staff, hosting an exhibition, a side-event, and meetings with partners during the week. Together with the University of Portsmouth’s Revolution Plastics Institute, and the Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm Conventions, GRID-Arendal co-hosted the exhibition “Plastic action is climate action”. The exhibition emphasizes the interconnection of plastic pollution and accelerated climate change, urging decision-makers to consider the impacts of plastic pollution in tandem with climate change and biodiversity loss.

Our side event, co-hosted with UNFCCC, successfully brought together nations and stakeholders to discuss collaboration on climate change and plastic issues. The dialogue explored the potential synergy between established agreements like the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm Conventions, alongside ongoing negotiations for a global plastic instrument. The event aimed to streamline actions for pollution reduction and achieving climate goals, marking a significant step towards a sustainable future.

At our side-event, we highlighted the findings of the new report: Climate impacts of Plastics: Global actions to stem climate change and end plastic pollution" . This report investigates what needs to be addressed in the new international plastic treaty to tackle the challenges of plastic in connection with climate change.

“For plastic, the focus has long been that it is solely a waste pollution problem. We highlight another problematic aspect of plastic – namely, its impacts on climate, which largely stems from the production of plastic and plastic products. We believe it is essential to bring these findings to the attention of policymakers, making sure international efforts are aimed at addressing this issue with plastic. Our analysis highlights that plastic-related greenhouse gas emissions are not sufficiently addressed,” says Karen Landmark, managing director at GRID-Arendal.

UNEA is still relevant and still the best tool to create a direction for the political direction on environmental issues. It can however be improved, and new ways of organising events could drive more attention to the event and subjects covered.

UNEA only happens every second year, with UNEA 7 taking place in December 2025. Hopefully the world will be at peace.

About UNEA-6

The sixth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-6) took place from 26 February to 1 March, 2024 at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya. As the world's top decision-making body on the environment, UNEA aims to help restore harmony between humanity and nature, improving the lives of the world's most vulnerable people.

During UNEA 6, over 5,600 participants from 190 countries attended, including 123 at the ministerial level. Additionally, there were 230 representatives of businesses and 400 individuals from accredited Major Groups. Record number of delegates from 182 UN Member States, civil society, Indigenous Peoples, international organizations, scientists, and the private sector participated in the meeting. The session focused on tackling the triple planetary crisis of climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste through collaborative action supported by strong science and political engagement.