Matthew Samuda Elected President of UN Environment Assembly

Minister of Water, Environment, and Climate Change Matthew Samuda has been elected President of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA), the world’s top decision-making body on environmental matters.

Samuda is leading Jamaica’s delegation to UNEA-7 in Nairobi, Kenya. His election by acclamation was overseen by outgoing president Abdullah Bin Ali Al-Amri. Endorsed by the Latin America and Caribbean region, he will preside over UNEA-8.

In his acceptance remarks, Samuda underscored the urgency of global environmental stewardship, calling it “the defining challenge of our century,” and highlighted the lived vulnerability of climate-impacted nations.

The UNEA sets global environmental policy direction, reviews progress, and guides the work of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). The President manages the Assembly’s formal sessions, working groups, and overall conduct.

Earlier this week, Jamaica backed two international resolutions on coral reefs and sargassum seaweed. Samuda also pointed to escalating climate-related damage, including the US$8.8-billion impact of Hurricane Melissa, which accounted for 41% of Jamaica’s GDP and destroyed 51% of primary forests.

He noted that consecutive extreme weather events in recent years — hurricanes, storms, record heat, and drought — continue to expose the severe vulnerability of Small Island Developing States.