Excellencies and Colleagues,
Welcome to the second Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) Day at a United Nations Environment Assembly, the big tent under which all environmental actors gather to discuss, explore, compare, exchange, learn and review in pursuit of collaboration, learning, integration, efficiency, effectiveness and impact. I am proud to see so many Secretariats here, so many Presidencies here, so many Member States here.
We at UNEP are privileged to host and administer the secretariats of over two dozen agreements, regional conventions and scientific panels. And we are equally privileged and proud to be in close collaboration with a number of conventions that are hosted outside of UNEP. In the environmental setting, we are a family, if one that is dispersed across the globe. So, I very much view this as our second family reunion.
However, this day is more than a reunion. It is platform born from a Member States specific recommendation and resolution to strengthen the active participation of MEAs in the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA). And here we are.
We are here to promote coherence between UNEA resolutions and decisions taken by MEA governing bodies, while respecting the autonomy of each MEA. To strengthen the tapestry of global environmental governance. And, ultimately, to spark stronger, faster, more joined-up action across the three planetary environmental crises: the crisis of climate change; the crisis of nature, land and biodiversity loss, which includes desertification; and the crisis of pollution and waste.
Working towards environmental goals and commitments is part of UNEPs DNA so we at UNEP know that the cost of fragmentation is high and the benefits of synergistic action are rewarding. And this is why I am both pleased and honoured to see that the world is increasingly choosing to explore deeper collaboration, integration and synergies.
At the last UNEA, UNEA-6, Member States passed a resolution on MEA synergies and collaboration. This resolution was then recalled and referenced in the decision at Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) COP16 in Cali, which calls for synergies between biodiversity related multilateral agreements and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
And signals from COPs are important. At COP30, a few weeks back, the Action Agenda generated similar strong signals. In a joint statement, five COP presidencies of the Rio Conventions, current and incoming, committed to seeking more coordination, more collaboration and more synergies, including through developing a workplan in early 2026. We celebrate these forward moves.
And this year, during UNEA-7, our gathering has grown. We are joined by representatives of over 170 countries, including a distinguished group of Presidencies of Conferences or Meetings of the Parties, many of whom are in this room.
Almost 30 agreements, global and regional, are present today, as well as the global trifecta of science-policy panels: the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), and the newest kid on the block, the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Panel on Chemicals, Waste and Pollution. And let us recall that these are the foundational elements where Member States can come together with the science upon which the conventions can build.
The strong presence of everyone here is a testament to the importance of this day and of course to the importance of Nairobi, the place where environmental diplomacy delivers. What a great privilege it is to witness such a gathering. And, let me add, such a powerful gathering.
Guided by our Member States, each of the MEAs has delivered remarkable successes. Sometimes when the winds are against us, we may forget this. But let us recall that we are slowing the rate of climate change not as fast as we would like, but it is happening.
We are protecting many species. We are protecting and restoring huge tracts of land and sea. We are raising the profile of desertification and land degradation. We are phasing out harmful chemicals and preventing their transport across international boundaries. We are combating pollution. And each of these critical agreements helps to foster transboundary cooperation and to uphold our collective environmental rights.
Excellencies and friends,
Despite all this work, we are not keeping up with the accelerating environmental challenges. We can only succeed if we join forces, reach for genuine policy coherence, pursue integrated and systems approaches, enhance domestic coordination and cooperation, take a whole-of society approach, optimize available financing, and so much more. This is how we achieve true synergy.
Let me be clear, though. Synergy does not mean diversion of focus, or funds or efforts. It is not about shifting action from one convention to another or shifting funds between them. No, it is about delivering win-wins for people, for economies and ultimately for the planet.
This is where MEAs Day comes in, as a space where we can discuss, ask questions and deliver answers on how to move forward together.
Questions such as:
How can we provide Member States and Parties with solutions that address the fragmentation of environmental governance, the financing fragmentation, and the monitoring and reporting landscape fragmentation? What solutions can we bring and what areas can we focus on to catalyze genuine policy coherence and efficiencies? What national experiences can inspire us and guide us together?
And questions such as:
Could the dedicated UNEA agenda item on MEA cooperation mature into the designated space for Member States, MEA Presidents and Secretariats, UN system entities, groups and stakeholders to identify common priorities, solutions and tools across nexus areas while of course respecting the independence of each MEA and of course respecting Member States wishes?
Of course, we must consider all of this within the context of the broader UN80 initiative and its three workstreams looking at efficiencies and improvements, the review of mandates, and possible structural changes and programmatic alignments. We look forward to engaging with many of you on these workstreams, including on follow ups to the Secretary-Generals reports.
Meanwhile, we at UNEP have been looking inside our house at process simplification and efficiencies with the agreements that we are privileged to host not to interfere with their governance, but to explore with them how we can work together to better collaborate and deliver on back-office issues: registration, documentation management, decision implementation monitoring, legal governance support, UN journal integration, e-delegate integration and more, so that we can deliver greater efficiencies and effectiveness for Member States.
Excellencies and friends,
Whichever path we chart, we must chart and follow it together. Because the three planetary environmental crises are indivisible. What happens in desertification impacts climate change and vice versa. Biodiversity loss, desertification, pollution and climate change cannot be considered separately.
Conventions should therefore recognize this indivisibility by uniting into a powerful force for change that is greater than the sum of its parts. Helping to create a stronger and more efficient UN, and even-more impactful and integrated environmental conventions and treaties. And delivering faster progress towards ensuring that each person enjoys a clean, healthy and sustainable environment.
