Read < 1 minute

The President of the United Nations General Assembly (PGA), Dennis Francis addressed the sixth session of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-6) on Thursday, commending Kenya President William Ruto and UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen for successfully hosting the assembly, which focused on effective, inclusive, and sustainable multilateral actions to address climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution.

Francis emphasized the importance of the assembly’s discussions in providing additional guidance for tackling these global challenges and mobilizing action across the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. He acknowledged the slow progress in addressing the climate crisis and urged member states and stakeholders to scale up commitments and contribute to the reinvigoration of multilateralism.

The president highlighted the need for a human-centered approach to cooperation and collaboration, emphasizing the importance of including all voices and concerns, especially those of developing countries disproportionately affected by climate change. He underscored the role of a healthy environment as a key enabler of sustainable development and called for greater integration of environmental dimensions throughout the sustainable development agenda.