For the first time, the Alpine Convention took part in the United Nations Environment Assembly, the world’s highest-level decision-making body for matters related to the environment. The 7th session was held at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, from 8 to 12 December 2025.
One of the Associated Events, coordinated by UNEP, was ‘Vanishing ice and snow: global impacts and regional solutions for resilient mountains’, and took place on International Mountain Day, 11 December. The Alpine Convention was pleased to be a partner to and speak at the event alongside other organisations and high-level country representatives.
The event was opened by Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, UNEP Deputy Executive Director. Experts and representatives from various mountain regions discussed the latest scientific findings on global and regional cryosphere changes and shared solutions to preserve snow and ice while supporting livelihoods and economies. The recording of the event is available to watch on YouTube.
The event also featured two policy roundtables, with the Alpine Convention participating in one on ‘Regional solutions for resilient mountains’. Our colleague Raphaël Lelouvier presented the Convention as a successful solution for regional cooperation and highlighted its current activities in the fields of glacier preservation and climate adaption such as ongoing work for the 11th Report on the State of the Alps. The second roundtable was dedicated to ‘Multilateralism for mountain communities to address the triple planetary crisis at altitude’ with several high-level speakers from mountainous countries.
In addition to the Associated Event, UNEA-7 was also an opportunity to exchange with partners from other mountain regions and organisations including UNEP, ICIMOD, and representatives of the Alpine Convention’s Contracting Parties.
One of the biggest successes for mountains at UNEA-7 was the adoption of a resolution on preserving glaciers and the cryosphere, with a focus on mountain regions. The resolution also requests UNEP to publish a report on the gaps in glacier preservation.