What Tanzania expects at UN meeting as global environmental decisions take shape

Speaking with The Citizen on the sidelines of the ongoing environmental talks in Nairobi, Tanzania’s Presidential Adviser and Climate Change Envoy, Dr Richard Muyungi, who also chairs the African Group of Negotiators (AGN), said the country is engaging actively because key resolutions under negotiation “touch Tanzania’s interests directly and will shape our environmental policy landscape.”

One of Tanzania’s biggest expectations is clear global guidance on how countries can exploit deep-sea resources responsibly.

Dr Muyungi said Tanzania is particularly following the proposed resolution on the active protection of deep-sea ecosystems, as states increasingly explore the seabed for critical minerals.

“We need clarity on how to sustainably extract resources and how the global community intends to protect deep-sea biodiversity,” he said.

He added that Tanzania expects UNEA-7 to strengthen cooperation with bodies such as the International Seabed Authority (ISA) and reinforce compliance with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Tanzania also expects UNEA-7 to send a strong message on accelerating climate action to save coral reefs, a priority for the country’s tourism and fisheries industries.

“We have one of the biggest coral reef systems in the region. Bleaching has become a major issue, and this affects tourism and coastal communities,” Dr Muyungi said.

He said Tanzania hopes the resolution will unlock new tools, research collaborations and financing to bolster the resilience of coral reefs along the country’s 1,400-km coastline.

Another key expectation is that UNEA-7 will adopt language acknowledging mountain glaciers, after Tanzania proposed their inclusion in the resolution on the cryosphere.

“Kilimanjaro’s melting ice is a major climate warning for Africa. We expect this to be reflected in the final decisions,” Dr Muyungi noted.

The government believes this will help draw greater global focus—and potentially funding—to the long-term protection of the Kibo ice cap.

Tanzania expects clearer guidance on sustainable resource use, especially under the resolution on Mother Earth-centric action.

For a natural-resource-dependent economy like Tanzania’s, Dr Muyungi said it hopes UNEA-7 will strengthen the global push for Strategic Environmental Assessments, compensation mechanisms and more sustainable land-use planning.

“Environmental degradation is inevitable when your economy relies on natural resources. Our expectation is to get clarity on how to balance development with nature,” he said.

Tanzania is also looking to UNEA-7 for international best practices on the environmental sustainability of artificial intelligence (AI) systems, an emerging topic with little existing regulation.

While AI offers huge opportunities for climate monitoring, early warning systems and environmental data analysis, Dr Muyungi said Tanzania expects guidance on energy use, digital pollution, and capacity building.

The country's expectations are shaped by its recent role as host of the 2025 UNFCCC AI for Climate Action Forum, which positioned Tanzania as an early African champion of AI governance.

Tanzania expects UNEA-7 to elevate the role of children and youth in environmental governance, a topic the government has prioritised.

“We hope youth participation will be strengthened and integrated more systematically,” he said, noting Tanzania will soon lead the AU Youth Climate Change Centre.

The country also wants this agenda reflected in its new Ministry of Youth.

On the resolution promoting sustainable solutions through sport, Tanzania hopes to learn from global experience on how public figures and athletes can help shift public attitudes toward conservation.

“This is an area we haven’t used much, and UNEA-7 gives us a chance to explore it,” Dr Muyungi said.

Although UNEA-7 resolutions are not legally binding, they have a history of influencing national policies, donor priorities and future agreements.

Dr Muyungi said Tanzania expects the meeting to set global directions that will guide domestic environmental decisions, unlock partnerships and technical capacity, strengthen Africa’s negotiating voice, and ensure Tanzanian priorities—especially coastal protection, climate resilience and sustainable technology—are reflected in global frameworks.

“Tanzania wants to leave UNEA-7 with clear global signals on how to manage our natural resources, protect our ecosystems, and align with emerging environmental technologies,” he said.

UNEA-7 is expected to deliberate on 15 draft resolutions and two draft decisions and this year’s session is also expected to produce a ministerial declaration and approve UNEP’s Medium-Term Strategy (2026–2029), setting out the global environmental agenda for the next four years.