Jamaican Minister of Water, Environment and Climate Change Matthew Samuda has been elected as the new President of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA), assuming leadership of the world’s premier environmental decision-making body for a two-year term. The election was formally announced Friday morning by outgoing President Abdullah Bin Ali Al-Amri during the seventh session of UNEA (UNEA-7) in Nairobi, Kenya.
In his inaugural address, Minister Samuda outlined an ambitious vision centered on inclusivity, transparency, and concrete action. He emphasized the critical need to strengthen the connection between scientific research and policy implementation while scaling up financial mechanisms for climate adaptation and resilience building. The Jamaican minister specifically committed to ensuring that all nations, regardless of size or economic status, would have equal voice in developing environmental solutions.
Samuda acknowledged his presidency represents not merely a personal achievement but symbolizes the collective commitment of the Latin American and Caribbean region and his homeland Jamaica. He positioned himself as a representative for nations that understand through direct experience the urgent necessity of environmental protection.
The newly elected president framed multilateral cooperation as humanity’s most powerful tool for addressing complex environmental challenges, calling for heightened ambition, deeper cooperation, and unwavering implementation of environmental commitments. He concluded his address with an unexpected reference to the animated series Captain Planet, quoting: ‘Blaming each other is a waste of time. The only thing that matters is changing what’s wrong.’
UNEA, which comprises all 193 UN member states, serves as the highest-level global forum for environmental policy-making. The assembly establishes the international environmental agenda, provides strategic guidance, and develops responses to emerging ecological challenges while overseeing the work of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).
Minister Samuda will preside over the next assembly (UNEA-8) scheduled for December 6-10, 2027, at UNEP’s headquarters in Nairobi.