Zim to participate at UN environment conference 

Source: Zim to participate at UN environment conference – NewsDay Zimbabwe

BY TAPFUMANEI MUCHABAIWA
ZIMBABWE will participate in the Fifth Session of the United Nations Environment Assembly which begins today to March 2, 2022 in Nairobi Kenya.

The event will be held under the theme Strengthening Actions for Nature to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

This year’s session will be held face to face after previous sessions were held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) is the world’s highest-level decision-making body on the environment.

In a statement yesterday, the Ministry of Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry said Zimbabwe will be represented by Environment minister Mangaliso Ndlovu and officials from the Environment Management Agency (EMA).

“The UNEA was established under The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD), also known as Rio 2012, Rio+20 or Earth Summit 2012. Since then, environment ministers for UN Member States have been meeting in Nairobi, Kenya every two years.

“It meets biennially to set priorities for global environmental policies and to develop international environmental law. UNEA is run by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP),” read the ministry’s statement.

They said some of the resolutions expected at the meeting include giving strategic direction to member states on best environmental practices and strategies to implement in their countries in line with global positions.

The meetings come at a time when Zimbabwe is finalising consultations for the review of the Environmental Management Act (CAP 20:27), the main piece of legislation on environmental governance in the country.

Meanwhile, the UNEA-5.2 meeting will be followed by a special session of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-SS), to be held on March 3 to 4 this year.

The session will be devoted to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the creation of UNEP in 1972.