Over 1,200 delegates from across the globe attended the first United Nations Environment Assembly at the UN complex in Gigiri, Nairobi last week.
The five-day conference programme took place from Monday 23rd to Friday 27th June and featured over 40 events with delegates from 162 Member States and 90 Ministers in attendance. The Assembly brought together key speakers and distinguished guests including H.E. Uhuru Kenyatta President of the Republic of Kenya, Ban Ki-Moon UN Secretary-General and HSH Prince Albert II Sovereign Prince of Monaco to discuss key issues on sustainability, the illegal wildlife trade, climate change and the environmental Rule of Law.
Director of UNEP, Achim Steiner, said UNEP was satisfied with the steps the Kenyan government had taken to tackle security issues and that Kenya was still a preferred hub for international meetings. During the opening of the Assembly, he said ‘We have invested here for over 40 years and we will not be moving, if anything, our staff are moving here…they are unpacking their bags and not the other way round’.
He continued, ‘Nairobi is the environmental capital of the world…Kenyans should be very proud of that in hosting this forum, it shows a clear commitment that the country has the best intentions for Africa and the world’.
