'Era of small steps is over': UNEA-7 opens in Nairobi

Environment, Climate Change and Forestry CS Dr Deborah Barasa, delivers Kenya's National statement at the 7th Session of the UNEA-7 in Gigiri, Nairobi, on December 8, 2025. [Courtesy]

The seventh session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-7) opened in Nairobi on Monday with a forceful appeal for countries to abandon incrementalism and deliver measurable action as climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution intensify.

Chaired by UNEA President Abdullah Bin Ali Al-Amri of Oman and hosted by Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Forestry, Dr Deborah Barasa, the opening session set a decisive tone for a week expected to influence global environmental governance for years.