Why Finland wants UNEA to go beyond text to systems

Nairobi’s role in global environmental diplomacy is not ceremonial but operational. At UNEA-7, the city again became a testing ground for whether multilateral promises can survive geopolitical friction and translate into funded action that people can feel, in cleaner transport, better jobs, stronger climate resilience, and systems that make governments accountable.

In an exclusive interview with Mactilda Mbenywe on the sidelines of the negotiations, Finland’s Minister of Climate and the Environment, Sari Multala, framed Finland’s partnership with Kenya as deliberately practical: programmes that green vocational training and youth livelihoods, financing that nudges capital into youth-led agribusinesses, grant-backed energy and e-mobility projects, and a major weather and early-warning modernisation package anchored by Finnish technology and long-term institutional cooperation. She also described UNEA’s political constraints, consensus decision-making, competing priorities, and pressure on UNEP’s mandate, while arguing that progress still depends on what member states choose to implement once the meetings end.

Q1. Finland and Kenya share a long partnership in forestry, clean energy, and the circular economy. With Kenya co-hosting a high-level circular economy event at UNEA-7, how can this momentum translate into action before UNEA-8?

Sari Multala:
The focus now has to be on implementation, not new slogans. Finland’s cooperation with Kenya already shows what that looks like in practice. On the circular economy, we work through concrete projects via private sector engagement that creates local jobs and builds skills. Circularity is not only an environmental concept for us; it is an economic one that strengthens resilience, competitiveness, and employment.

At home, Finland uses a combination of legislation, national strategies, and voluntary green deals to move entire sectors towards circularity. A simple but powerful example is our deposit-return system for bottles, which has been in place for decades and delivers recycling rates of around 90 per cent. We also invest heavily in circular design, because products must be designed for reuse and recycling from the start if circular systems are to work.

For Kenya and the region, this translates into partnerships that link policy to skills and markets. Programmes that green vocational training, support circular businesses, and connect waste reduction to new value chains are exactly how Nairobi’s momentum can become delivery before UNEA-8.

Q2. UNEP warns that multilateralism is under strain, with negotiations taking place in turbulent geopolitical conditions. How does Finland keep UNEA-7 resolutions ambitious?

Sari Multala:
Finland negotiates as part of the European Union, which remains one of the most ambitious blocs at UNEA. At the same time, consensus decision-making means ambition must be defended through dialogue and evidence. We have seen attempts to weaken UNEP’s mandate, including on issues such as environmental crime and ocean protection, and for us it is essential that this mandate remains strong.

What helps is demonstrating that environmental action delivers economic and social benefits. When countries see that circular economy policies create jobs or that clean energy investments strengthen competitiveness, it becomes easier to sustain ambition. Nairobi also has a particular spirit; there is a genuine effort here to find common ground. That matters, because global environmental crises can only be solved collectively.

Q3. UNEA-7 presidency says incrementalism is no longer enough. What is Finland pushing for to ensure resolutions lead to funded, trackable action?

Sari Multala:
The gap between commitments and delivery is real, and closing it requires systems that make goals operational. From Finland’s and the EU’s experience, clear targets work best when they are paired with stable policies, legislation, and indicators that give investors and institutions confidence to act.

Much of the transition depends on private sector investment, and that investment only flows when the direction of travel is predictable. This is why the EU combines climate goals with regulatory frameworks that support long-term investment in clean technologies.

In Kenya, this logic already underpins several areas of cooperation. Finland supports a programme that integrates environmental standards into TVET curricula and develops new training in green sectors to close skills gaps in green value chains. There is also a partnership with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) to unlock more commercial financing for youth-led green agribusiness, promoting climate-smart and regenerative agriculture.

On the financing side, the Energy and Environment Partnership (EEP) Africa Trust Fund has committed €6.7 million to 19 Kenyan companies since 2018, with ten projects active in 2024 and four new ones approved worth €1.3 million, focusing on productive energy use, e-mobility, and clean cooking for social institutions. Finnfund’s €50 million portfolio in Kenya prioritises renewable energy and agribusiness, while FCA Investment supports climate and circular economy projects. Together, these are examples of how resolutions can translate into measurable action.

Q4. UNEA-7 is negotiating a resolution on the environmental impact of AI. How should UNEA regulate emerging technologies without slowing innovation, especially in countries like Kenya?

Sari Multala:
AI has enormous potential to support environmental goals, from improving weather forecasts to helping detect environmental crime. Finnish researchers are already using AI to better understand and prevent environmental offences, which shows how technology can strengthen enforcement and protection.

At the same time, responsible AI governance must look at the full life cycle of technology, including energy use, raw materials, and end-of-life impacts. The resolution under discussion aims to strike that balance by encouraging innovation while setting guardrails on data protection, safety, and environmental standards.

For countries like Kenya, where adoption is rapid, capacity-building is crucial. Policymakers, developers, and regulators need support and shared standards, and UNEP can play a central role by convening partnerships that spread good practice and help align innovation with sustainability.

Q5. Youth delegates and the launch of Global Environment Outlook 7 (GEO-7) have raised concerns about accountability. What should change to ensure GEO-7 does not sit on a shelf after Nairobi?

Sari Multala:
This is less about reforming UNEP and more about what member states do with the science. UNEP is already working hard to disseminate GEO-7. While it was regrettable that agreement on the Summary for Policymakers was not reached, the full report provides all the information governments need to act.

The real test is whether countries use that evidence to guide policy, investment, and enforcement at national level. Implementation happens locally, not in conference halls.

Kenya offers a good example of how science can be embedded in decision-making through systems. Finland’s cooperation with Kenya includes a €31 million concessional loan project with Vaisala and the Kenya Meteorological Department to modernise weather observation and early-warning infrastructure, building on the regional FINKERAT partnership with Tanzania and Rwanda.

These systems ensure that data is used because lives and livelihoods depend on it. If GEO-7 is treated in the same way, as a tool for action rather than a publication, then it will shape decisions long after UNEA-7 ends.