Two Caribbean Community Ministers have been elected President and Vice President of the Eighth United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA8).

The Hon. Matthew Samuda, Minister of Water, Environment and Climate Change of Jamaica, and the Hon. Dr. Joyelle Clarke, Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment and Climate Action and Constituency Empowerment of St. Kitts and Nevis, were elected President and Vice President respectively, during the UNEA7 held 8-12 December 2025, in Nairobi, Kenya, under the theme ‘Advancing sustainable solutions for a resilient planet’.

The milestone marks a historic moment for Caribbean leadership in advancing global environmental governance.

The UNEA Bureau comprises the President, eight Vice-Presidents and a Rapporteur at a Ministerial level, with two members representing each of the five United Nations regions.

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) said the President is the face of the UNEA and the guardian of the rules of procedure, and functions as the moral authority of the assembly.