As the Paris Agreement reaches its tenth anniversary, global climate governance is increasingly focused on implementation, resilience, and system-wide coherence rather than target-setting alone. In this context, the outcomes of the Seventh United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-7), held on 8-12 December 2025, demonstrate a growing convergence between environmental action and climate policy. Although UNEA operates outside the UNFCCC process, its recent resolutions show a clear functional alignment with the Paris Agreement’s objectives, particularly on adaptation, resilience, and enabling conditions for effective climate action.
Evidence supporting this alignment includes:
- A strong focus on adaptation and climate resilience, notably through resolutions on wildfire management (Res.7), climate resilience of coral reefs (Res.1), sargassum and coastal pressures (Res.4), and glaciers and the cryosphere (Res.10), directly reinforcing Paris Agreement Article 7 on adaptation and vulnerability reduction (UNFCCC, 2025).
- Promotion of nature-based and ecosystem-based solutions, with Res.1 and Res.4 framing marine and coastal ecosystems as critical climate-resilient infrastructure that supports both adaptation and long-term mitigation outcomes (UNEA, 2025).
- Though the circularity resolutions were blocked, attention to enabling conditions for mitigation, including sustainable management of minerals and metals for the energy transition (Res.3) and the environmental sustainability of AI systems (Res.9), supporting Paris Agreement goals without duplicating emissions negotiations.
For Arab countries, UNEA-7 is expected to provide a complementary pathway to operationalize Paris commitments. It is recommended for governments to use UNEA resolutions to strengthen NDCs and NAPs, prioritize bankable adaptation projects, in the areas included in the UNEA7 resolutions, and improve access to climate finance, especially for heat resilience, water security, coastal protection, and disaster risk reduction.
