The United Nations Environment Assembly, 

Appreciating the role and functions of the regional forums of ministers of the environment and environment authorities to promote dialogue and cooperation to address environmental matters at the regional level, 

Recalling its decision 5/4 of 2 March 2022 on the provisional agenda, dates and venue of the sixth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly, in which the Environment Assembly endorsed the outcome of the stocktaking meeting for the process for review by the Committee of Permanent Representatives to the United Nations Environment Programme and its subsidiary bodies, and noting that paragraph 7 of that outcome reflected agreement to strengthen preparations for sessions of the Environment Assembly at the regional level, including by encouraging members of the Bureau to engage in regional ministerial environmental forums and regional forums on sustainable development in order to identify relevant regional contributions and inputs to sessions of the Environment Assembly, 

Recalling also its resolution 2/2 of 27 May 2016 on the role and functions of the regional forums of ministers of the environment and environment authorities, in which the Environment Assembly requested the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme, within the mandate of the Programme, and in accordance with the programme of work and budget, to support and facilitate convening and/or strengthening of the existing regional forums of ministers of the environment and environment authorities, 

Recalling further decision 27/2 of 22 February 2013 of the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Programme on the implementation of paragraph 88 of the outcome document of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 20 to 22 June 2012, entitled “The future we want”,1 in which the Governing Council decided, among other things, to strengthen the regional presence of the Programme in order to assist countries in the implementation of their national environmental programmes, policies and plans, 

Recalling Environment Assembly resolution 2/2 of 27 May 2016, in which the Environment Assembly acknowledged with appreciation the First Forum of Ministers and Environment Authorities of Asia and the Pacific, held in Bangkok on 19 and 20 May 2015, 

Recalling Governing Council decision 20/11 of 5 February 1999 on support for cooperation between the Council of Arab Ministers Responsible for the Environment and the United Nations Environment Programme through the regional offices for West Asia and Africa, in which the Governing Council requested the Executive Director to support, within available resources, the goals and aims of the Council of Arab Ministers Responsible for the Environment and the regional offices for West Asia and Africa and to establish an appropriate mechanism with a view to supporting the implementation and coordination of regional programmes in the Arab region, 

Recalling Governing Council decision 13/6 of 23 May 1985 on the African environmental conference and decision 11/7 of 24 May 1983, part VIII, section A, on regional programmes in Africa, in which the Governing Council invited the Governments of the region to convene, in cooperation with regional organizations and institutions, an African environmental conference to discuss national environmental priorities and identify common problems worthy of a regional programme of action to deal with serious environmental problems in Africa, and requested the Executive Director to instruct the Regional Office for Africa to provide the secretariat services for the conference, 

Recalling resolution V of the Intergovernmental Regional Meeting on the Environment in Latin America and the Caribbean, held in 1982, in which it was recommended to the Governments of Latin America and the Caribbean that they periodically convoke intergovernmental regional meetings on the environment in Latin America and the Caribbean in order to establish policies and a strategy for the region in that field, and in which the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme was requested to lend the support of the permanent secretariat for the intergovernmental regional meetings, through the Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean, 

Recognizing the fundamental contributions from the meaningful involvement and active participation, as appropriate, of major groups and stakeholders, 

1. Requests the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme, subject to the availability of resources, to enhance the consideration of the role and viability of the regional forums of ministers of the environment and environment authorities, in cooperation, where appropriate, with existing regional organizations and institutions, and without prejudice to their respective mandates and processes, by: 

(a) Including on the agendas of annual subcommittee meetings of the Committee of Permanent Representatives to the United Nations Environment Programme an item on the contribution of the regional forums of ministers of the environment and environment authorities to the medium-term strategy and programme of work of the Programme; 

(b) Continuing to provide technical support, where requested, and through the regional offices for the implementation of the decisions of sessions of regional forums of ministers of the environment and environment authorities, as appropriate, and in accordance with the medium-term strategy and programme of work and budget; 

2. Encourages Member States to consider including the theme of the role and viability of the regional forums of ministers of the environment and environment authorities with regard to the multilateral cooperation aspect of the global environmental agenda in the high-level dialogue to be organized during the seventh session of the United Nations Environment Assembly, in cooperation, where appropriate, with existing regional organizations and institutions, and without prejudice to their respective mandates and processes; 

3. Invites Member States to support, as appropriate, the strengthened participation and meaningful involvement of major groups and stakeholders, representatives of the United Nations Environment Programme, United Nations entities and multilateral environmental agreement secretariats during the preparations for, convening of and follow-up on the various sessions of the regional forums of ministers of the environment and environment authorities;

4. Also invites Member States to support, as appropriate, enhanced collaboration between the regional forums of ministers of the environment and environment authorities and the regional offices of the United Nations Environment Programme, promoting the latter as viable and catalytic platforms for fostering multilateral cooperation by Member States in tackling environmental challenges; 

5. Requests the Executive Director, subject to the availability of resources, to produce a report on the role and viability of the regional forums of ministers of the environment and environment authorities as catalytic platforms for international cooperation in tackling prevalent environmental challenges; to consult key partners and stakeholders, where relevant, in the preparation of the report; and to prepare a summary of the findings for consideration by the Committee of Permanent Representatives and by the United Nations Environment Assembly at its seventh session.