Addressing nitrogen pollution at the United Nations: Global partnerships that deliver impact
In mid-December, the 7th session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-7), the world’s highest-level environmental decision-making body, took place at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) headquarters in Nairobi.
UKCEH’s Professor Mark Sutton, co-chair of the Global Partnership on Nutrient Management and Director of UNEP/GEF International Nitrogen Management System, reflects on the outcomes of UNEA-7 and the next phase needed to continue growing the international response to nitrogen pollution.
A global challenge demanding integrated solutions
Nitrogen has long been central to my research career. My work has focused on its critical role in supporting food systems and economic development, alongside the growing evidence that its inefficient use has become one of the most pervasive drivers of environmental harm. Through sustained research and close engagement with policymakers and practitioners across regions, this work has shown how nitrogen pollution simultaneously affects air quality, water security, climate change, biodiversity, and human health, costing billions of dollars annually.
Because these impacts cut across sectors and borders, nitrogen management requires coordinated international action. Until recently, however, there was no dedicated intergovernmental mechanism to bring countries, science, and stakeholders together around this systemic challenge.
Building partnerships that work
Over the past decade, UKCEH has played a central role in helping to close this gap, working through strong, trusted partnerships with governments, UN agencies, regional bodies, academia, business, and civil society.
With support from UK Research & Innovation and the Global Environment Facility, we have led the development of the International Nitrogen Management System (INMS), providing the first global science-policy framework for integrated nitrogen management. Through the Global Partnership on Nutrient Management (GPNM), this work has been embedded in a multi-actor platform that actively connects Member States with practitioners and innovators.
A defining feature of this approach has been regional leadership. Collaboration with the South Asian Cooperative Environment Programme (SACEP) demonstrated how science-policy dialogue can translate into political momentum. The resulting partnerships underpinned the GCRF South Asian Nitrogen Hub (SANH), led by UKCEH and involving all eight South Asian countries, where together we helped shape the first-ever UNEA resolution on sustainable nitrogen management. For myself, this meant a huge amount of time working with the lead partner countries, distilling the emerging issues of nitrogen science and learning from policy professionals, which in turn helped to make our INMS and SANH science programmes even more relevant.
From momentum to implementation
Two UNEA resolutions (2019 and 2022) have now established a formal UN process on nitrogen, including the UNEP Working Group on Nitrogen and a global network of 96 national focal points. Countries are sharing experiences, developing national nitrogen action plans, and engaging across ministries — agriculture, environment, health, energy, and finance — reflecting the true cross-cutting nature of the issue.
The first International Nitrogen Assessment, coordinated through INMS, is also nearing completion. Together, these elements signal readiness: the partnerships are in place, the science is robust, and countries are engaged and asking for practical support to move from planning to action.
A pivotal moment for investment
At UNEA-7 in Nairobi, I felt both encouragement and concern. On the one hand, nutrient pollution is now clearly recognised as a UNEP priority and embedded in its Medium-Term Strategy. On the other hand, no resolution on nitrogen was submitted, highlighting how financial and political pressures within the UN system can slow the very mechanisms that enable progress.
Strategic resource mobilisation at this stage would unlock significant returns. Effective nitrogen management delivers multiple co-benefits: reducing emissions, improving water quality, protecting biodiversity, strengthening food security, and improving public health, often at net economic gain by cutting waste and inefficiency.
UKCEH and our partners stand ready to take the next steps — working alongside governments, UNEP, funders, and practitioners to translate national plans into action and measurable results. I invite policy leaders and funders to engage with us, explore where your priorities align with this work, and help ensure that sustainable nitrogen management becomes a lasting part of the global response to today’s interconnected environmental challenges.
From where I stand, the pathway is clear. What is needed now is timely investment that can turn global commitment into lasting impact.
