Nairobi — Significant progress has been made during Morocco's term at the helm of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-6), said Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development and president of UNEA-6, Leila Benali.

"We can proudly say that during this mandate, we have made significant progress in our core mission, which is to work for the legitimate human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment," said the Minister in an interview with MAP, on the occasion of UNEA-6, which took place from February 26 to March 1 at the headquarters of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

Over the past two years, several international conventions have been adopted, including the Agreement on Marine Biodiversity beyond Areas of National Jurisdiction, the Kunming Global Biodiversity Framework in Montreal, the "Global Review" on climate change adopted during COP28, and the Global Framework on Chemicals, she pointed out.

In addition, the Kingdom of Morocco's mandate at the head of the UN Environment Assembly has been distinguished by a strong emphasis on cooperation and multilateralism in the fight against climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss, through effective, inclusive and sustainable multilateral action, added Benali.

The Moroccan official noted that the 6th UN Environment Assembly was a crucial session, given the current global situation, highlighting three points of inflection: the armed conflicts in Europe and the Middle East, the risk of political instability in the wake of the many elections scheduled for 2024, and the pressure on the multilateral system.

Global temperatures broke a new record in 2023, while the climate emergency continues to ravage countries and populations around the world, with a more disastrous impact on the poorest and most vulnerable, she recalled, adding that hundreds of thousands of species are on the brink of extinction, while more than 3.2 billion people are affected by land degradation.