2022 marks an important year for environmental milestones

2022 marks an important year for environmental milestones. In this overview you will find milestones that will mark fifty years since the global environmental movement was born.  UNEP will host The Fifth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-5.2) which will be followed by a special session dedicated to UNEP@50. In June, the Stockholm+50 international conference will take place followed by celebrations of World Environment Day.

UNEA 5.2

The Fifth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-5) is an opportunity for Member States and Stakeholders to share best practices for sustainability and create momentum for governments to build back better through green and sustainable recovery plans, following the COVID-19 pandemic. Substantive matters that require in-depth negotiations, including a Ministerial Declaration under the UNEA-5 theme “Strengthening Actions for Nature to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals”, were deferred to a resumed in-person session of UNEA-5 which will take place on 28 February – 2 March 2022 (UNEA-5.2). Read more details about UNEA 5.2 here.

UNEP@50

UNEA-5.2 will be followed by a Special Session of the UN Environment Assembly, UNEP@50, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the creation of UNEP in 1972. UNEP@50 is a time to reflect on the past and envision the future. It provides an opportunity to reinvigorate international cooperation and spur collective action to address the triple planetary crisis of climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste. No country or continent can solve these global crises alone. But each nation has a crucial role to play in protecting our people and planet. UNEP@50 will be held online and in person in Nairobi, 3 - 4 March 2022.  Read more about UNEP@50 here. 

Stockholm+50

In early June 2022 the high-level Stockholm+50 international conference will be held in Sweden, a historic milestone for the global environmental community. It marks fifty years since the 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, widely seen as the first international meeting on the environment. The 1972 Stockholm Conference spurred the formation of environment ministries and agencies around the world, and kickstarted a host of new global agreements to collectively protect the environment.  Read more about Stockholm+50 here. Join our mailing list to receive the latest news, updates and opportunities to get involved with Stockholm+50. Subscribe here.   

Credit: UN Photo/Yutaka Nagata. Environment Conference meets at Stockholm (5-16 June 1972). The two-week U.N. Conference on the Human Environment (5-16 June) has been called by the General Assembly with the aim of producing an international political consensus on ways of preserving and improving the environment for this and future generations. Mrs. Indira Gandhi, Prime Minister of India, addressing the Conference.

World Environment Day

World Environment Day, on 5 June, is the largest international day for the environment. Led by the UNEP and held annually since 1974, the event has grown to be the largest global platform for environmental outreach, with millions of people engaging to protect the planet. This year, World Environment Day 2022 is hosted by Sweden. “Only One Earth" is the campaign slogan, with the focus on “Living Sustainably in Harmony with Nature”. With over 150 countries participating, this international UN day engages governments, businesses, civil society, schools, celebrities, cities and communities, raising awareness and celebrating environmental action. Read more about World Environment Day here .