The UN Environment Management Group (EMG), in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), UN-Habitat and UN Environment, organized its fourth Nexus Dialogue on Cities, Pollution and Health on 3 December 2017, in the margins of the third session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-3) in Nairobi, Kenya.
At the 30th Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) of the Environment Management Group (EMG) in October 2024, the Executive Director of UN-Habitat proposed to the EMG Chair a new Issue Management Group (IMG) on urbanization and the environment. During this dialogue, held on 17 July 2025, participating entities shared their views and suggested concrete proposals for such an IMG. These fed into the drafting of a decision note recommended to the Senior Officials at their 31st meeting in 2025.
The EMG Issue Management Group (IMG) on Urbanization and the Environment was established in 2025 to support a coordinated UN system approach to sustainable urban development and the implementation of the UN System-Wide Strategy on Sustainable Urban Development.