Civil Society Gears up for UNEA

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As the second session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) draws near, a wide range of global stakeholders are having their say on the environmental priorities that will be addressed by what is the world's de facto Parliament of Environment.

The Assembly, which takes place at the headquarters of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in Nairobi on 23-27 May, will be one of the first major meetings since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Climate Agreement.

The resolutions passed at UNEA, including on sustainable production and consumption and the sound management of chemicals, will set the stage for early action on implementing the 2030 Agenda, and drive the world towards a better, more just future.

UNEP is holding a number of briefings to promote the participation and engagement of stakeholders in the meeting. Briefings held last month in Geneva, London and New York aimed to enhance the participants' knowledge about UNEA and explore the Assembly's major themes.

In London, civil society took centre stage at a briefing organized by UNEP and its longstanding partner, the Stakeholder Forum, with speakers from the UN, academia, health bodies and the private sector.

UNEP's European Regional Director Jan Dusik kicked off the meeting with a video message in which he provided the context of this year's UNEA and shared his support for Stakeholder Forum's event and webinar series.

Stakeholder Forum's Executive Director Farooq Ullah presented the structure and expected outcomes of UNEA-2 and informed stakeholders how their participation in the Assembly can help to shape the global environmental agenda. He also provided advice on how to effectively influence the proceedings of UNEA.

Trevor Hutchings, Head of UK and EU advocacy at the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), laid out the challenges and opportunities for implementing the environmental aspect of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the overarching theme for UNEA-2, in an impassioned and informative presentation.

Stakeholder Forum and UNEP also partnered to organize a webinar preparing global stakeholders for the assembly, with speakers including the Secretary of UNEP's Governing Bodies Jorge Laguna-Celis and Alexander Juras, Chief of UNEP's Major Groups and Stakeholders Branch.

Momentum keeps building for UNEA-2, which is expected to bring together over 2,000 participants from 193 countries, including Heads of States and Government, Government Ministers, Heads of United Nations Agencies and prominent representatives of civil society and private sector to take part in over 100 events.

In his video message for the event, EU Environment Commissioner Karmenu Vella said, "We have been making real progress since the last Assembly. The political will to make the better place is clearly there, but the world needs actions, as well as good intentions."

About UNEA

In May, hundreds of key decision makers, businesses and representatives of intergovernmental organizations and civil society will gather in Nairobi for UNEA at the United Nations Environment Programme headquarters in Nairobi.

The assembly will be one of the first major meetings since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Climate Agreement. The resolutions passed at UNEA-2 will set the stage for early action on implementing the 2030 Agenda, and drive the world towards a better, more just future.