As the world’s top decision-making body on the environment – the sixth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-6), is taking place from 26 February to 1 March 2024 at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya. UNEA-6 is focused on how multilateralism can help tackle the triple planetary crisis of climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste. More on UNEA-6 webpage . In parallel, Sixth Open-ended Committee of Permanent Representatives took place, as a preparatory meeting of the UNEA agenda. Also, the Global Major Groups and Stakeholders Forum (GMGSF), took place prior to the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) (26 Feb 2024 – 1 Mar 2024)

I have the impression that this UNEA meeting is somehow different from the previous ones – maybe later I will analyze those signals of differences that I observe. For now, I will just repeat the sentence that I heard and how I heard it at UN Science-Policy-Business Forum on the Environment (parallel event), which somehow best express my impression on the whole meeting – “From the Limits to Growth we came to consider now the growth of limits”.
Cooperating with UNEP for 25 years (having different roles and positions, from civil servant, minister, technical expert, scientist, civil society, consultant) this is my fifth participation in Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum, or UNEA meeting. It left a good impression on me that, on the margins of UNEA 6, I met some people with whom I cooperated or am cooperating, or we simply walked in parallel, on the long, still unfinished mission for the appropriate place for the environment and natural resources in architecture of sustainability. Proud to be in the group of people who don’t give up, including  Aleksandra Mladenovic@EASD – representing Environmental Ambassadors for Sustainable Development, among the others. 

(Some) reflections from UNEA6@UNEP2024 by Prof dr Andjelka Mihajlov, EASD Honorable president