Inclusive environmental governance at UNEA-7

Yesterday, Kamelia Kemileva, GCH co-director, spoke at the GENeva UNEA Briefing ahead of UNEA-7. Organized by the Geneva Environment Network, the event gathered experts from International Geneva to discuss the expectations, initiatives and outcomes of the 7^th Session of the UN Environment Assembly, which takes place from 8 to 12 December 2025.

The Global Cities Hub, as part of the Local Authorities Major Group, highlighted three key points:

1. Local and regional governments at the heart of environmental governance

All the resolutions discussed at UNEA-7, as well as the Ministerial Declaration, clearly reflect the growing role of local and regional governments in environmental policymaking. The message coming strongly from the Local Authorities Major Group and other constituencies is simple: we need more inclusion, and more structured cooperation with local and regional governments in all policy processes.

2. Local leaders, state representatives and international experts at 4th Summit of Cities and Regions (5 December 2025)

This official UNEA-7 associated event gathers the local, national and international levels to foster multilevel engagement: local leaders come with very concrete problems, solutions, examples and expertise and we encourage Member States not only to attend but to actively participate and engage with them. Whole-of-government approaches work best!

The Summit will be presented at the Plenary Assembly by a mayor on Monday, 8 December.

3. #BeatTheHeat official UNEA-7 side event (8 December 2025) on whole-of-government, whole-of-society approaches to urban heat

Organized by the GCH in cooperation with UNEP, it will take stock of ongoing initiatives across the UN system and follow up on Brazil’s COP30 momentum on heat and climate resilience. But beyond that, it will explore whether we are now at a critical point where a system-wide, coordinated UN approach inclusive of all levels of government is needed.

UNEA-7 will be a great opportunity to develop a better, more inclusive global environmental governance, that listens to the challenges and concerns of local and regional governments and that enables them to implement and scale up the innovative, concrete solutions they developed to make their cities sustainable.