2022 has been a historic milestone for the global environmental community and UNEP. It marks fifty years since the 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, widely seen as the first international meeting on the environment. The 1972 Stockholm Conference spurred the formation of environment ministries and agencies around the world, kickstarted a host of new global agreements to collectively protect the environment, and led to the formation of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
For 50 years, UNEP has coordinated a worldwide effort to confront the planet’s biggest environmental challenges. This global collaboration has helped repair the ozone layer, phase out leaded fuel, stop some endangered species from going extinct and more. UNEP’s convening power and rigorous scientific research has provided a platform for countries to engage, act boldly and advance the global environmental agenda.
To mark UNEP’s 50th anniversary, a year-long series of activities and outreach events are taking place under the UNEP@50 banner. These recognize the significant progress made on global environmental matters and address the planetary challenges to come.
This sets the stage for a special session of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA) that took place in Nairobi, Kenya and online, on 3 and 4 March 2022. This high-level event called UNEP@50 was devoted to the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the creation of UNEP in 1972. The theme for the UNEP@50 event was "Strengthening UNEP for the implementation of the environmental dimension of 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development".
