Highlights and images for 28 August 2025

Rising sea levels have already caused the relocation of six coastal communities in Fiji, and another 17 need to move right now. This is the lived reality of climate change for small island developing States (SIDS), as Sivendra Michael, Fiji Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, reminded visiting delegates: “This is what a planetary shift of one degree looks like.”

On Wednesday, senior officials from the Asia-Pacific region are in Fiji met for talks that will inform decision making on Thursday, when environment ministers will agree on priorities to take forward to the seventh meeting of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-7) December 2025. UNEA is the world’s highest-level governance body on the environment and relies on regional consultations to develop its decision-making agenda.

Opening today’s talks, Mosese Bulitavu, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Fiji, highlighted environmental integrity as a growth strategy, not a constraint. He noted the Forum’s mandate to deliver to UNEA-7 a report that outlines action, accountability, and financing mechanisms in line with the theme of “advancing sustainable solutions for a resilient planet.”

Dechen Tsering, Regional Director, UN Environment Programme (UNEP), highlighted countries’ concerns around water resource management, pollution from agricultural nutrients, and the environmental footprint of data centres to power Artificial Intelligence (AI), among other issues.

The Forum elected Sivendra Michael (Fiji) as Chair, and Monyneath Vann, Under Secretary of State, Ministry of Environment, Cambodia, and Masako Ogawa, Deputy Director General, Global Environment Bureau, Japan, as Vice-Chairs of the Senior Officials Meeting. They then adopted the provisional agenda (UNEP/APEnvForum(6)/L.1).

In plenary sessions, delegates reviewed implementation of previous UNEA resolutions in the Asia Pacific (UNEP/APEnvForum (6)/1), focusing on issues of pollution, climate change, air quality, biodiversity conservation, land restoration, international and regional cooperation, and synergies. Several countries called attention to the need to address production and the full life cycle of plastics and expressed concern with the process to implement UNEA resolution 5/14 for the plastics treaty. Tuvalu proposed continuing plastics treaty talks at UNEA-7, emphasizing “all the technical issues have been resolved; now we need a political process.” Many drew attention to their own progress in managing and recycling waste, with India noting the sector’s employment potential.

On financing, China expressed its long-standing commitment to environmental multilateralism “with UNEP at its core” and highlighted its own provision of USD 200 million to Global South countries to implement the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Many countries emphasized the need for continuous funding, technology transfer, and enhancing access to financing. UNEP reported on the role of the Environment Fund (UNEP/APEnvForum/(6)/3), noting that its USD 484-million project portfolio in the Asia-Pacific region forms part of UNEP’s global portfolio of more than USD 2.2 billion, which includes substantial support from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and Green Climate Fund (GCF).

Delegates also debated the content of UNEP’s Medium-Term Strategy 2026-2029 and Programme of Work (UNEP/APEnvForum(6)/INF/1) and the draft Ministerial Declaration (UNEP/APEnvForum(6)/4) to be adopted at UNEA-7. Towards the close of the day, four draft resolutions were submitted to plenary for consideration:

• International environmental cooperation for country-specific strategies to accelerate the transition to a circular economy, (6/Res/1), sponsored by the Republic of Korea;
• Accelerating global action to promote the climate resilience of coral reefs (6/Res/2), sponsored by Fiji;
• Enhancing the meaningful participation of children and youth in environmental and climate change action (6/Res/3), sponsored by Sri Lanka; and
• Strengthening global response on the management of wildfires (6/Res/5.1), sponsored by India.

Japan submitted a concept note for a draft resolution on promoting synergies, cooperation and collaboration for national implementation of MEAs and invited input to the draft (6)/Res/4. Tuvalu signaled it would submit a further two resolutions on: a regional legal framework giving rights-based protection to people displaced across national borders due to climate change; and on urgent actions for sea-level rise and accelerated impacts due to emissions scenarios.

At the end of the day, the meeting took note of the Chair’s Summary. They authorized the Chair to work with the Secretariat to finalize the summary, based on all inputs received from delegates. The Senior Officials Meeting closed at 8.17 pm.

Two side events took place during the day, on: promoting synergies for national implementation of MEAs; and advancing gender-responsive technology and finance solutions for a climate-resilient Asia Pacific. In the evening, a reception and side event took place to celebrate the successes of the Montreal Protocol and the Kigali Amendment in protecting the ozone layer and climate.