The role of nature in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) will focus the discussions at the fifth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-5), which is held this week.
Under the theme:“Strengthening action by nature to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)”, the event presents a virtual program on the topics of ocean pollution, plastic waste, agroecology, sustainable production and consumption, among the most significant.
A new era of action
According to the organizers, the UNEA-5 aims to usher in a new era of action and call for urgent action on environmental issues in the months leading up to the UN Conference on Climate Change (COP26) , in November.
This week Norway’s Minister of Climate and Environment, Sveinung Rotevatn, was elected President of the Assembly. “Nature is the basis for achieving the SDGs. In many ways we have taken it for granted, but we cannot afford to lose it”, Rotevatn said.
“Taking advantage of the “super year for nature” and the solid knowledge base on its critical state, I hope that in the coming year we can agree on opportunities and significant changes to reverse current trends”, he added.
The Assembly is a platform for countries to establish policies and practices for a future of net zero emissions, commit to reducing ocean pollution, and take action to restore degraded lands.
