UNEP
CBD Secretariat at UNEA-7
A delegation of the CBD Secretariat led by the Executive Secretary, Astrid Schomaker, will take part in the seventh session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-7) to be held from 8 to 12 December 2025 at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya. Under the theme "Advancing sustainable solutions for a resilient planet”, UNEA-7 brings together global leaders to accelerate action on climate change, pollution, land degradation and other pressing environmental challenges.
The CBD Secretariat will contribute to discussions by highlighting the central role of biodiversity in sustainable development, sharing progress on the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, and promoting stronger synergies across environmental agreements. Key priorities include nature-based solutions, fostering integrated approaches across sectors, and ensuring inclusive participation of governments, indigenous peoples, youth, and stakeholders to support a more sustainable and resilient future.
Here are the highlights of the CBD Secretariat’s planned participation.
8 December
Olivier Rukundo, Head, Peoples and Biodiversity Unit, is speaking at the Special Dialogue on the Role of Indigenous Peoples and their Communities in Advancing Sustainable Solutions for a Resilient Planet
9 December
The Executive Secretary is speaking at:
- Connectivity: Vital for Ecosystems, Migratory Species, and a Resilient Planet / Location: Event Tent (Helipad next to MEA pavilion)
- Crisis? Challenge Accepted! UNEP-GEF Solutions at Scale / Location: Agora
- AI and Environmental Data for MEAs: From Silos to Systems, including an intervention by Asad Naqvi, Director of the Implementation Support Division / Location: Event Tent (Helipad next to MEA pavilion)
- GEF-MEA Exchange on Financing: From Synergies to Solutions – Achieving a Resilient, Nature-Positive, Pollution-Free Future through GEF-9 / Location: Event Tent (Helipad next to MEA pavilion)
- Event hosted by Armenia: “UN Biodiversity Conference COP17: logo and slogan reveal” (starting at 13:15) / Location: MEAs pavilion
10 December: MEAs Day
The entire day is dedicated to Multilateral Environmental Agreements
- The Executive Secretary is speaking at the MEAs Dialogue 1: “Signed, Sealed, Delivered?” Turbocharging MEA implementation through whole-of-government and whole-of-society approaches / Location: MEAs pavilion
- Elisabeth Mullin Bernhardt, Head of Communications and Awareness, is speaking as a panelist at the event “Wastewater as a Solution” / Location: Event Tent (Helipad next to MEA pavilion)
11 December
The Executive Secretary is speaking at:
- MEA Synergies: Advancing Global Environmental Goals through National Actions / Location: MEAs pavilion
-
Youth leadership for biodiversity: Supporting MEA collaboration for a resilient planet / Location: Event Tent (Helipad next to MEA pavilion)
Get involved:
- Use #UNEA7 to join the conversation and highlight your country’s environmental action.
- Use #KMGBF to tag posts and conversations about the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework—the world’s blueprint to halt and reverse biodiversity loss—and the race to achieve its 23 action targets by 2030.