The United Nations Environment Assembly has placed the Mountain Agenda on its negotiation table, spotlighting escalating glacier loss and disaster risks across the Himalaya. Nepal, long a vocal advocate, was caught off guard after discovering the proposal had already entered UNEP’s draft agenda.
The United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-7) has formally placed the Mountain Agenda on its draft list for negotiation, bringing global attention to the accelerating risks faced by glaciers and high-mountain ecosystems. The session, held from 8–12 December in Nairobi, is convening representatives from more than 170 countries to debate a series of emerging environmental threats, including glacial melt, massive seaweed blooms, coral reef decline and the environmental impacts of artificial intelligence.
The inclusion of the Mountain Agenda came as an unexpected revelation to Nepal’s delegation, which had long pushed for its adoption but was unaware that the proposal had already been incorporated into UNEP’s draft. Analysts say the oversight underscores Nepal’s weakening diplomatic engagement at international forums. The agenda itself was introduced by Tajikistan, another mountainous nation, and appears as item number five under the title “Preservation of glaciers and the broader cryosphere.”
The debate comes at a time when Nepal and other mountain countries are witnessing a surge in glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs). A catastrophic outburst on 8 July 2025 along the Nepal–China border killed 27 people, including six Chinese nationals, and caused an estimated USD 100 million in destruction, sweeping away hydropower facilities, bridges, roads and homes. Another major outburst struck Solukhumbu in 2024, and Nepal has experienced almost yearly GLOFs since 2020, driven by rising temperatures and unstable glacial lakes. Scientists estimate that such events now threaten around 15 million people worldwide.
The World Meteorological Organization’s latest glacier assessment paints an even more alarming picture, reporting that every glacier region on Earth recorded ice loss in 2024 — the third straight year of universal decline. Glaciers currently store nearly 70 percent of the planet’s freshwater and sustain river systems, hydropower, agriculture and ecosystems that support more than 2 billion people. Their rapid retreat is reshaping landscapes and destabilising entire regions. Projections show that if global temperatures rise by 1.5°C, the world will retain only 54 percent of its 2020 glacier mass. At 2.7°C of warming, just 24 percent would remain. UNEP’s 2025 Emissions Gap Report warns that current global policies are steering the world toward 2.8°C of warming.
Martin Krause, director of UNEP’s climate change division, said the rise in glacial lake outbursts represents one of the most pressing environmental threats facing mountain countries. “There is a need to advocate and assist the people,” he told The Climate Watch in Nairobi, noting that these disasters are becoming more frequent and more destructive.
While the Mountain Agenda is drawing considerable attention, UNEA-7 is also grappling with a wider set of environmental challenges. Delegates are examining the explosive growth of Sargassum seaweed across the Caribbean and Atlantic, with the Dominican Republic calling for a coordinated global response. Another resolution seeks stronger international action to protect coral reefs, which are suffering unprecedented heat stress as oceans warm. India has pushed forward a proposal on wildfire management, reflecting a rise in extreme fire events across multiple continents.
Discussions are also underway on protecting fragile karst ecosystems, safeguarding deep-sea environments, and establishing global norms for safe, responsible and sustainable artificial intelligence systems. Member states are debating how to strengthen UNEP’s Nairobi headquarters, how to manage existing trust funds, and how to align multilateral environmental agreements for more coherent implementation. Ensuring meaningful participation of children and youth in global environmental governance has also emerged as a substantive theme.
Other negotiations include developing potential instruments for the sustainable management of minerals and metals, addressing the environmental dimensions of antimicrobial resistance, and improving the governance of chemicals and waste. UNEA-7 is additionally tasked with finalising UNEP’s medium-term strategy for 2026–2029 and signing off on the programme of work and budget for 2026–2027. The Assembly will also determine the provisional agenda, dates and venue for its next session.
As delegates in Nairobi navigate an increasingly complex environmental landscape, the Mountain Agenda stands out as an urgent reminder that the world’s glaciers, critical water towers for billions, are disappearing faster than nations can respond.
