From Feb 26 to 29, 2024, SCO Secretary-General Zhang Ming visited Nairobi, Kenya, where he attended a special high-level event between the SCO and the UN Environment Programme One Planet, One Future: Joining Efforts for Environmental Sustainability. The Secretary-General was invited by Kazakhstan, which is the current chair of the SCO. Zhang Ming also took part in a number of other meetings as part of the 6th session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-6).

The SCO-UNEP special event was chaired by Zulfiya Suleimenova, Advisor to the President and Special Representative of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan for International Environmental Cooperation. It was attended by more than 30 representatives of the SCO member states, the SCO Secretary-General and high-ranking UNEP officials. They exchanged views on the opportunities for deepening SCO cooperation in ecology, environmental protection and response to climate change, as well as for bolstering exchanges and interaction with UNEP.

In his remarks, the Secretary-General noted that the SCO is firmly committed to sustainable development policies and prioritises cooperation in environmental protection, environmental security and climate change. The initiative to hold this event came from an interest in solving global environmental problems together. The meeting aimed to draw the attention of the international community, represented by the UN – in particular, UNEP – to environmental problems and environmental protection in the SCO member states. The SCO hopes to be heard and supported; it seeks to develop cooperation and is ready to make a greater contribution to the global response to environmental and climate challenges. The participants expressed confidence that this platform for SCO-UNEP interaction would provide new opportunities for joint projects in environmental protection and green development in the SCO countries and around the world.

Zulfiya Suleimenova expressed gratitude to the SCO Secretariat and member states for their active support of the event, noting that the SCO is an important platform for cooperation in various fields and that promoting ties in the environmental sphere is becoming one of its major areas of activities. She also highlighted the priority of Kazakhstan's chairmanship in promoting SCO-UNEP relations, and the active progress being made towards this goal. She expressed confidence that the special event will give an additional impetus to cooperation between the SCO member states and their interaction with UNEP in promoting environmentally sustainable development in the region's countries.

Arnold Kreilhuber, the Regional Director of the UN Environment Programme's Europe Office, noted that UNEP welcomed the further strengthening of ties with the SCO and its member states and closer cooperation with them on environmental issues. He also noted that the Memorandum of Understanding they planned to sign would further enhance the effectiveness and scope of cooperation between the two organisations. Given that 2024 has been declared the SCO Year of Ecology, UNEP will provide additional technical and legal support to the countries of the SCO region in addressing environmental challenges such as climate change, biodiversity and water pollution, and hopes to further deepen cooperation between the two sides.

In Nairobi, the SCO Secretary-General had a bilateral meeting with Zulfiya Suleimenova, Advisor to the President of Kazakhstan. They had a thorough exchange of views on Kazakhstan's initiative to hold this event, Kazakhstan's efforts as the SCO chair and the Secretariat's work in relevant areas.

At the conclusion of the meeting, Secretary-General Zhang Ming and UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme Inger Andersen signed a Memorandum of Understanding between the SCO Secretariat and UNEP.

SCO-UNEP event

SCO-UNEP event

SCO-UNEP event

SCO-UNEP event

SCO-UNEP event