Overview of 7th UN Environment Assembly Held in Nairobi, Kenya

The 7th session of the United Nations Environment Assembly(UNEA-7), the world’s highest decision-making body for matters related to the environment, was held from December 08 to 12, 2025 at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya.

About UNEA-7:

Theme: The theme of UNEA-7 is “Advancing sustainable solutions for a resilient planet”.

Chair: The UNEA-7, chaired by His Excellency Dr. Abdullah bin Ali Al-Amri, President of the Environment Authority of the Sultanate of Oman and President of UNEA-7.

Participants: The week-long UNEA-7 was attended by over 6,000 delegates from various governments, international organisations, civil society and the private sector of 186 countries.

• Union Minister of State (MoS) Kirti Vardhan Singh, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change(MoEFCC), represented India at the UNEA-7.

2nd MEA Day: On 10 December 2025, the 2nd Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEA) Day was held, focusing on global and regional agreements that address the world’s most pressing environmental challenges.

21st GMGSF: The 21st Global Major Groups and Stakeholders Forum (GMGSF) was held in Nairobi, Kenya, ahead of UNEA-7, enabling stakeholders to discuss key environmental issues linked to the assembly’s agenda.

Highlights of UNEA-7:

Release of GEO-7: During the assembly, UNEP’s report titled “Global Environment Outlook, Seventh Edition: A Future We Choose (GEO-7)” was released.

• Compiled by 287 scientists from 82 countries, the report offers the most comprehensive global environmental assessment, highlighting severe impacts from climate change, biodiversity loss, land degradation, desertification, and pollution.
• Whole-of-society and whole-of-government system transformations could generate global macroeconomic benefits of about USD 20 trillion annually by 2070, rising to nearly USD 100 trillion per year thereafter.
• As per the report, in order to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, annual investment of nearly USD 8 trillion is required until 2050.

India At UNEA-7:

India’s National Statement: Union MoS Kirti Vardhan Singh delivered India’s National Statement at the High-Level Segment, emphasising a people-centric approach, strong domestic environmental actions, and India’s commitment to the principles of equity and Common But Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDR-RC).

India’s Wildfire Resolution : India achieved a milestone at UNEA-7 by successfully adopting its resolution on Strengthening the Global Management of Wildfires, gaining wide support from member states.

• India highlighted UNEP’s global report titled ‘Spreading Like Wildfire’, which warns that wildfires are expected to increase by 14% by 2030, 30% by 2050, and 50% by 2100, if current trends continue.
• India also acknowledged the Global Fire Management Hub, set up in 2023 by Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and UNEP, as a key mechanism to support global efforts.

Champions of Earth Award 2025:

Winners: Supriya Sahu, Additional Chief Secretary (ACS), Government of Tamil Nadu (TN) (India), was honoured with the UNEP’s 2025 Champions of the Earth Award, the highest environmental honour conferred by the UN, for her contributions to climate action, ecosystem restoration, and community resilience.

• Other 2025 awardees included Brazil-based research institute Imazon in the Science and Innovation category and the youth-led Non-Government Organisation (NGO) Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change (PISCFCC) in the Policy Leadership category.

Other Awardees: Mariam Issoufou, Principal and Founder of Mariam Issoufou Architects received the award in the Entrepreneurial Vision category;

• Former head of UNEP’s International Methane Emissions Observatory Manfredi Caltagorine (posthumous) was honored with the Lifetime Achievement award.

Key Outcomes: 

Outcomes: The UNEA-7 concluded with Member States adopting 11 resolutions, three decisions and a Ministerial Declaration aimed at advancing sustainable solutions for a more resilient planet.

Key Resolutions: The resolutions adopted at UNEA-7 cover issues like: sound management of minerals and metals essential to the shift to clean energy, international cooperation to cover wildfires, and greater protection of coral reefs and glaciers; the sustainable use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), among others.

• The Ministerial Declaration  reaffirmed commitments to bold actions that promote sustainable solutions, like: wider participation in environmental decision-making and national zero-waste initiatives.

Approvals: During the assembly, member states approved the UNEP’s Medium-Term Strategy (MTS) for the next 4 years.

• In addition to that, UNEA also approved the UNEP’s programme of work and budget for the next two years.

Election of New President of UNEA-8: On the concluding day, Matthew Samuda, Minister for Water, Environment and Climate Change of Jamaica, was elected President of the 8th UNEA (UNEA-8) which is scheduled to be held from December 06 to 10, 2027 in Nairobi.

About United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP):
Executive Director(ED)- Inger Anderson
Headquarters- Nairobi, Kenya
Established- 1972