Thursday, 3 March 2022 saw the coming together of presidents, high-level officials, and others in a special session to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP@50), themed “strengthening UNEP for the implementation of the environmental dimension of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.” Throughout the day, delegates heard speeches commemorating 50 years of environmental multilateralism under UNEP, and were treated to dazzling music and dance performances.
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During opening statements, UNEA-6 President Leyla Benali outlined achievements of UNEP since its creation, calling on delegates to swing the pendulum to the next level in the coming years. Abdulla Shahid, President of the UN General Assembly, congratulated UNEP on its 50 years of being at the forefront of environmental action.
Collen Vixen Kelapile, President of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), underlined UNEP’s achievements, including on awareness raising, environmental advocacy, and education. Inger Andersen, UNEP Executive Director, said that “we are standing on the shoulders of giants” whose pioneering work laid the foundations for today’s environmental multilateralism.
During national statements, delegates heard from heads of states and other dignitaries, thanking Nairobi and Kenya for hosting UNEP, and commending UNEP for its role in ensuring collective action for sustainable development and addressing the triple planetary crisis. Many reiterated their countries’ commitments to environmental multilateralism, transformative change that leaves no one behind, and enhancing synergies between MEAs.
UNEP Executive Director Andersen presented a report on progress on enhancing the science-policy interface of UNEP with its annex titled “Reflecting on the Past and Imagining the Future.” Yugratna Srivastava, Major Group for Children and Youth, and Stephen Stec, Scientific and Technological Community Major Group, presented the “UNEP We Want Report,” with Srivastava reminding delegates that, “the time is ticking, we do not have the next 50 years to solve the environmental crisis.”
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All ENB photos are free to use with attribution. For UNEA-5.2, OECPR-5.2, and UNEP@50, please use: Photo by IISD/ENB Kiara Worth.
High-Level Opening Ceremony
Delegates gather for the opening ceremony of UNEP@50
UNEA President Leila Benali, Morocco
Collen Vixen Kelapile, President of ECOSOC
Abdulla Shahid, President of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly
UN Secretary-General António Guterres
Inger Andersen, Executive Director, UNEP
Mokgweetsi Masisi, President of Botswana
Muhammadu Buhari, President of Nigeria
Uhuru Kenyatta, President of Kenya
Dignitaries during the opening ceremony
UN Security around the venue
Participants are treated to music and dance as UNEP@50 begins
Local Kenyan band Sauti Sol performs
Afternoon Plenary
Inger Andersen, Executive Director, UNEP, speaking about the report on the science-policy interface
Yugratna Srivastava, Major Group for Children and Youth, discussing the stakeholder report on “The UNEP We Want”
Philip Mpango, Vice President, Tanzania
Virginijus Sinkevičius, European Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries
Ève Bazaiba, Deputy Prime Minister, and Minister for the Environment, Democratic Republic of the Congo, speaking on behalf of African States
Monica de Greiff Lindo, Colombia, on behalf of the G-77/China
Maria Alejandra Guerra, Chile, on behalf of the Latin American and Caribbean States (GRULAC)
Saleh Bin Sulaiman Al-Harthi, Oman, on behalf of Asia-Pacific States
UNEA President Leila Benali, Morocco
ENB Celebrates its 30th Birthday!
On 2 March, the Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) celebrated its 30th birthday of covering international negotiations
Ibrahim Thiaw, Executive Director, UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)
Representatives of civil society celebrate ENB
The first issue of the Earth Negotiations Bulletin printed in 1992 on display, along with photos for across the decades
Photos from across the decades
UNEP@50 Evening Reception
Delegates attend an evening reception hosted by the Government of Kenya
Delegates enjoy freshly picked coconuts at the reception
Photo exhibition highlighting important moments for UNEP across the decades
Around the Venue
Zainab Hawa Bangura, Director-General, UN Office at Nairobi (UNON), Uhuru Kenyatta, President of Kenya, and Inger Andersen, Executive Director, UNEP, arrive for the opening of UNEP@50
Keriako Tobiko, Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Kenya, speaks with Selma Malika Haddadi, Algeria
Achim Steiner, Administrator, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
Representatives of the Women's Major Group
Frezer Yeheyis Tsegaye, Women's Major Group
Delegates from Venezuela
Delegates from the Maldives
Delegates from Portugal
Elizabeth Mrema, CBD Executive Secretary (center), with Richard Florizone, IISD President, and Lynn Wagner, IISD Senior Director
Waste pickers attending UNEA5.2 celebrate the adoption of the adoption of the resolution on a global plastic pollution treaty
