Less Talk, More Action!

Tuesday, 24 May 2016 10:48

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24.05.2016 – The second session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-2) takes place this week at UNEP headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, under the overarching theme of delivering on the environmental dimension of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The Assembly, which represents the world’s highest-level decision-making body on the environment, will culminate in resolutions and a global call to action to address the critical environmental challenges facing the world today, including implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

During the UNEA week, more than 40 special and side events, fora, and high-level dialogues, will cover a range of issues, such as climate change, gender and the environment, green jobs, air quality, Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and the sound management of chemicals, among other topics.

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The UNEA deliberations will conclude on Friday with a strategic briefing on the state of the environment by UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner, ministerial plenaries on Sustainable Development Goals, including Sustainable Consumption and Production, and the illegal trade in wildlife.

UNEA enjoys the universal membership of all 193 UN Member States and the full involvement of major groups and stakeholders. With this wide reach into the legislative, financial and development arenas, UNEA provides a groundbreaking platform for leadership on global environmental policy.

In his opening speech yesterday, Achim Steiner, UNEP Executive Director, called for “less talk, more action” as “we must use UNEA-2 to show we can move fast enough and hard enough to create a healthy planet, with healthy people, which leaves no one behind.”

#UNEA2 in the words of…

Jane Nishida, Acting Assistant Administrator, Office of International and Tribal Affairs, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.