Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) will be at the forefront of discussions at the sixth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-6) on how to tackle the triple planetary crisis. 

Executive Secretary Tatiana Molcean will lead a UNECE delegation to UNEA-6, the world’s highest decision-making body on the environment, which takes place from 26 February to 1 March at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya. 

UNECE has for over 50 years fostered environmental protection and sustainable development across Europe, North America, the Caucasus and Central Asia. Its MEAs – on air pollution, cross-border water cooperation, environmental democracy & human rights, environmental assessment, & industrial safety – and their protocols provide powerful tools to promote sustainable development and prevent, control and reduce pollution, particularly in cross-border contexts.  

The expansion of many of these agreements to other regions, and the increasing use of their experience and practical resources worldwide, provide an important opportunity to strengthen global environmental governance. 

UNECE will highlight these tools in a series of high-level events at UNEA-6, including:  

• Transboundary Ecosystem Restoration: Key to Addressing the Planetary Crises (official side event, 27 February) 

• Leveraging effective and inclusive collaboration with financial institutions to accelerate the transition to more circular economies (official side event, 27 February)

• MEA Dialogue 1: Strengthening the science policy interface for effective implementation of environmental commitments (held on UNEA-6 “MEAs day”, 28 February) 

• Action to deliver cleaner air and climate mitigation for the health of people and planet (official side event, 28 February) 

• Promoting Sustainable Transportation: Global Standards for Fuels and Vehicles (29 February) 

• UNECE MEAs: beating pollution in the pan-European region and beyond (MEAs side event, 29 February) 

These discussions will illustrate how UNECE’s different instruments help to reduce pollution, protect ecosystems and support climate action. They will also explore the many benefits they deliver to governments, the public and investors through concrete examples illustrating the impacts of implementation. This will showcase the role that these instruments play in establishing legislative and institutional frameworks, fostering the science-policy interface, advancing cooperation, adopting best available technologies, encouraging innovation and investments in pollution prevention strategies, and supporting the green transition.  

UNECE MEAs: key tools to address environmental issues 

• The 1979 Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution and its Protocols foster regional cooperation on clean air and establish emission reduction targets for key pollutants. In addition to benefits for climate and ecosystem, emission reductions have led to an increase in average life expectancy by 1 year and 600,000 premature deaths avoided annually in Europe. It also helps tackle pollutants including nitrogen and ground-level ozone precursors, and delivers important climate co-benefits.  

• The 1991 Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context  and its 2003 Protocol on Strategic Environmental Assessment ensure that environmental considerations are integrated in the development of plans, programmes and projects at the earliest stages. They therefore guarantee that more sustainable practices and technologies are used to prevent and reduce pollution. 

• The 1992 Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes drives cooperation on transboundary rivers, lakes and groundwater resulting in improved water quality in shared water basins and enhanced biodiversity. Since 2016, the Convention is open for accession by all UN Member States and has already been joined by 11 countries from Africa, in the Middle East and Latin America. Its 1999 Protocol on Water and Health supports access to safe drinking water and sanitation to all, and helps reduce discharges of pollutants in water resources, coastal areas and other ecosystems. 

• The 1992 Convention on the Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents strengthens industrial safety and reduces the risk  and impact of accidental pollution, safeguarding populations, the environment and economic assets. 

• The 1998 Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (Aarhus Convention) empowers the public with rights to participate in decision-making and to have access to information and justice regarding the environment. This leads to greater transparency and accountability in how environmental projects are planned and executed, with an important reduction of environmental impacts, including pollution. Its 2003 Protocol on Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers enhances public access to information on pollution sources, which encourages pollution reduction, as no company will want to be identified as among the biggest polluters. Both these instruments are open for accession by all UN Member States. Guinea-Bissau joined the Aarhus Convention in 2022.