The High-level Segment of the seventh session of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-7) began on a high note, with a rousing cultural performance by the Kenya Boys Choir, and the premiere of a new song by Frida Amani, Tanzanian rapper and UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Goodwill Ambassador.
Opening the High-level Segment, UNEA-7 President Abdullah Bin Ali Al-Amri (Oman) called on delegates to give the environment a new window of opportunity, underlining that the Assembly has the potential to rejuvenate environmental governance, renew cooperation, and ultimately foster a global system grounded in justice and solidarity.
Want to dig deeper into today's talks? Read the full Earth Negotiations Bulletin daily report.
Via video message, President of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly Annalena Baerbock (Germany) cautioned against admiring the solutions for a resilient future without investing in them. Lok Bahadur Thapa, President of the UN Economic and Social Council, lamented that interconnected environmental crises are eroding development gains and widening inequalities.
Via video, António Guterres, UN Secretary-General, stressed that UNEA-7 marks an opportunity to invest in resilience, commit to justice, and “remember what we are fighting for,” urging efforts to transform “broken systems,” unite policy with science, and share solutions with all.
Inger Andersen, UNEP Executive Director, urged delegates to “look beyond the storm and fix eyes on the horizon.” She highlighted progress at UNEA-7 on coral reefs, the sound management of minerals and metals, sports, and Sargassum seaweed blooms.
William Samoei Ruto, President of Kenya, stressed that a strengthened UNEP, working closely with the broader UN system, will deliver more coherent, cost effective, and inclusive global environmental governance. He urged Member States to match their presence at UNEA-7 with financial and political support for UNEP.
As countries set out their priorities in national statements in one room, members of the Assembly also attended a leadership dialogue and a multi-stakeholder dialogue in another. They discussed why addressing environmental crises is essential for human health, and considered how to increase resilience through inclusive partnerships.
In a keynote address, Queen Mary of Denmark, UNEP Patron of Biodiversity, stressed that nature is the foundation of human existence and prosperity, and cautioned against depleting it as though it were an infinite resource, stressing that humans should not forget that we are an integral part of the natural world.
Negotiators also worked throughout the day in informal meetings to address outstanding decisions and resolutions related to:
- The 2026-2029 Medium-Term Strategy and Programme of Work and budget for the 2026-2027 biennium;
- The date and venue for UNEA-8;
- Chemicals and waste;
- Antimicrobial resistance;
- Glaciers and the greater cryosphere; and
- Artificial intelligence (AI).
Around the UN campus in Nairobi and across the day, delegates attended a host of events related to, among others: gender and chemicals; advancing global environmental goals through national action; empowering women in the critical energy transition minerals sector; and advancing AI for sustainable solutions.
To receive free coverage of global environmental events delivered to your inbox, subscribe to the ENB Update newsletter.
All ENB photos are free to use with attribution. For OECPR-7 and UNEA-7 please use: Photo by IISD/ENB | Anastasia Rodopoulou
Cultural Opening
Opening of the High-Level Segment
William Samoei Ruto, President of Kenya, and Inger Andersen, Executive Director, UNEP
Inger Andersen, Executive Director, UNEP
Annalena Baerbock, President, UN General Assembly, addressed the session via a video message.
A view of the room during William Samoei Ruto's speech
Prosper Bazombanza, Vice-President of Burundi
UNEA-7 President Abdullah Bin Ali Al-Amri, Oman
Lok Bahadur Thapa, President, UN Economic and Social Council
Zainab Hawa Bangura, Director-General, UNON
Yasmine Fouad, Executive Secretary, UN Convention to Combat Desertification
Noura Hamladji, Deputy Executive Secretary, UNFCCC
Marco M. Alemán, Assistant Director General, World Intellectual Property Organization
Delegates from Morocco
Delegates from Belgium
Delegates from the State of Palestine
Delegates from Portugal
National Statements
Mosese Bulitavu, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Fiji
Willie Aucamp, Minister of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment, South Africa
Shina Ansari, Vice-President of Iran
Sara Aagesen, Minister for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge, Spain
Sari Multala, Minister of Climate and the Environment, Finland
Mary Creagh, Minister for Nature, UK
Adalberto Maluf, Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, Brazil
Jessika Roswall, European Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy
Amna bint Abdullah Al Dahak Al Shamsi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, United Arab Emirates (UAE)
Varsen Aghabekian, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the Palestinian National Authority, State of Palestine
Hasan Suver, Deputy Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, Türkiye
Andreas Bjelland Eriksen, Minister of Climate and Environment, Norway
Leadership Dialogue: Why Addressing Environmental Crises is Essential for Human Health
Queen Mary of Denmark, UNEP Patron of Biodiversity
Inger Andersen, Executive Director, UNEP
Antoinette Taus, UNEP Goodwill Ambassador
Steven Victor, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Environment, Palau
Aluki Kotierk, Chair, UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII)
David Obura, Chair, Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES)
Luca Rossi, Deputy Chief, UN Disaster Risk Reduction Regional Office for Africa
Umayra Taghiyeva, Deputy Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources, Azerbaijan
Amna bint Abdullah Al Dahak Al Shamsi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, UAE
Multi-stakeholder Dialogue: Resilience through Inclusive Partnerships
Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, Deputy Executive Director, UNEP
Magash Naidoo, Local Authorities Major Group
Jennifer Hegewisch, Women's Major Group and Scientific and Technological Community
Heni Unwin, Indigenous Peoples and their Communities
Felix Dodds, University of North Carolina
Amanda Ife, Brooke Action For Working Horses and Donkeys
Joost Van Den Broek, the Netherlands
Mary Creagh, Minister for Nature, UK
Sonja Leighton-Kone, Deputy Executive Director, UN Office for Project Services
Mosese Bulitavu, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Fiji
Around the Venue
Delegates from Small Island Developing States
Delegates from South Africa
Delegates from Ethiopia
Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, Deputy Executive Director, UNEP
