UNEA-7 talks end

December 17, 2025

The seventh session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-7) concluded in Nairobi, Kenya, on December 12, 2025, with member states adopting 11 resolutions out of 15 draft proposals. While the outcome was welcomed by some governments as a step forward for multilateral environmental action, several civil society organisations criticised the assembly for failing to deliver stronger measures to address mounting global environmental crises. Environmental groups, including the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), said UNEA-7 fell short of consensus on several critical issues, notably deep-sea protection and stronger action against environmental crime. “After almost a fortnight of negotiations, member states were unable to reach agreement on measures to address crimes that impact the environment or on stronger provisions for deep-sea protection,” WWF said, describing the outcome as insufficient given the scale and urgency of the crisis.

WWF also pointed to ongoing “UN at 80” reform discussions, stressing that they must be used to strengthen the environmental pillar of the multilateral system. Failure to do so, the group warned, would be a missed opportunity at a time of worsening global environmental conditions. Observers also noted that earlier in the week, UNEA-7 dropped a proposed resolution on strengthening the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), a move some described as politically motivated and aimed at limiting UNEP’s influence.

Among the resolutions adopted, one of the most significant focused on strengthening international cooperation on the environmentally sound management of minerals and metals. Proposed by Colombia and Oman, the resolution commits countries to dialogue aimed at addressing environmental impacts across mineral and metal value chains, with a focus on technical, financial and scientific capacity-building, particularly in developing countries. Experts welcomed the recognition of mineral governance as a global issue but said the resolution lacked ambition. Suneeta Kaimal, president and CEO of the Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI), said it was a step forward but noted that it stopped short of exploring binding international standards, leaving a gap between on-the-ground impacts and the global response. Other notable resolutions included measures to accelerate global action on coral reef resilience, promote synergies in implementing multilateral environmental agreements, and improve the sound management of chemicals and waste. Addressing the assembly, UNEA-7 President Abdullah bin Ali Al-Amri said progress must ultimately be judged by real-world outcomes, not written agreements