Zimbabwe is attending the fourth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly in Nairobi, Kenya from the 11th to the 15th of March 2019.
The delegation is being led by the Minister for Environment, Tourism and Hospitality Industry, Hon. P. Mupfumira. The delegation is comprised of Senior Government officials such as the Secretary for Environment, Tourism and Hospitality Industry, Mr M. Munodawafa and representatives from various government and quasi government departments in the environment sector.
The United Nations Environment Assembly is the world’s highest-level decision-making body on the environment which addresses the critical environmental challenges facing the world today. Understanding these challenges and preserving and rehabilitating our environment is at the heart of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The Environment Assembly meets biennially to set priorities for global environmental policies and develop international environmental law. Through its resolutions and calls to action, the Assembly provides leadership and catalyses intergovernmental action on the environment. Decision-making requires broad participation, which is why the Assembly provides an opportunity for all people to help design solutions for our planet’s health.
The Fourth Session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) is running under the theme “Innovative solutions for environmental challenges and sustainable consumption and production”.
This session is preceded by the Open Ended Committee of Permanent Representatives which started on the 4th to the 8th of March 2019. This session is meant to prepare resolutions for the UNEA 4.
The 2019 UNE Assembly has three main objective: (a) tackling the environmental challenges related to poverty and natural resources management, including sustainable food systems, food security and halting biodiversity loss; (b) introducing life-cycle approaches to resource efficiency, energy, chemicals and waste management; (c) ensuring sustainable business development at a time of rapid technological change.
The theme is in line with Sustainable Development Goal 12 which promotes Sustainable Consumption and Production hence the need for interaction and coming up with best strategies to achieve the goal.
The issues to be discussed cover some of the most pressing environmental issues in Zimbabwe such as chemicals and waste management as well as biodiversity loss, hence the need for interaction with member states and exchange ideas and knowledge for tackling the challenges at hand.
The Assembly provides a platform for resource mobilisation of environmental programmes that are enshrined in the Country Cooperation Framework.