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Newsletter 01 Dec 2025

Environment: What’s Up in GENeva | 1 – 7 December 2025

The Geneva Environment Network’s weekly newsletter includes the latest information on the global environmental agenda, main events, job vacancies, as well as other useful resources and updates. The Geneva Environment Network is not responsible for the content of any linked site or any link contained in a linked site. Stay tuned and follow us on X (Twitter), Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Bluesky, and Youtube, or visit our website regularly for additional updates.

Image of the week | Closing moments of the Briefing on the 7th Session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-7), where panelists spotlighted and reflected on key activities and topics of interest for Geneva stakeholders, and underscored the need for a strong UNEA, delivering strong outcomes that advance sustainable solutions and embody collective ambition and action.

Setting the Stage for the UN Environment Assembly

With one week to go before the Seventh Session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-7), delegates and observers, including numerous experts from Geneva, are already gathering at the headquarters of the United Nations Environment Programme in Nairobi, Kenya, to engage in preparatory meetings and events, setting the stage for negotiations, building consensus, and ensuring that UNEA-7 opens with momentum and clarity of purpose. Last week, in her address to the 172nd meeting of the Committee of Permanent Representatives (CPR), UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen underscored the significance of this moment, noting that UNEA-7 comes at a time of profound change: “It is up to us all to shape this change so that the CPR, UNEA and UNEP emerge stronger. Sharper. Better able to support the UN system and Member States to stabilize the climate; restore nature, land and biodiversity; and decrease pollution and waste. And ultimately deliver a better future for the billions of people we serve across the world.”

Key moments this week include:

  • Seventh Session of the Open-ended Committee of Permanent Representatives (OECPR-7) | 1 to 5 December 2025
    During the five-day meeting, chaired by the Chair of the Committee of Permanent Representatives, representatives of Member States meet in formal plenary sessions and informal working groups and contact groups to negotiate and finalize the text of the draft resolutions and decisions for consideration and possible adoption by the Environment Assembly. → Access all documents, follow live on UN TV and stay up to date with the Earth Negotiations Bulletin live coverage.
  • UNEA-7 Cities and Regions Summit | 5 December 2025
    Convened by the UNEP Cities Unit with the Global Cities Hub and other partners, the 2025 edition of the Summit brings together mayors, regional leaders, and urban sustainability experts under the theme “Global Ambition, Local Action”, emphasizing the critical role of local and regional governments in delivering integrated solutions and driving transformative environmental change from the ground up. It provides a platform for cities and regions to share experiences, showcase best practices, and highlight cross-sectoral solutions that cut emissions, conserve biodiversity, and reduce pollution while promoting equity and sustainable growth, thereby advancing the goals of Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) and the 2030 Agenda. The Summit will also discuss how Member States and the MEAs can create an enabling environment for local implementation. → Register to attend virtually.
  • 21st Global Major Groups and Stakeholders Forum (GMGSF) | 6 and 7 December 2025
    The Forum brings together Major Groups and Stakeholders to shape their positions, statements, and contributions to the UNEA-7 process. Open to both accredited and non-accredited organizations, it provides a platform for dialogue with the UNEP Secretariat and Member States, fostering collaboration on key environmental issues.
  • Youth Environment Assembly High-Level Closing Plenary | 7 December 2025
    The Youth Assembly – and its final high-level plenary – provides a dynamic platform for young people to come together, exchange ideas, and adopt the Global Youth Declaration for the Environment. The first part of the assembly 0n 29-30 November counted on the participation of 500 young environmental leaders from more than 70 countries in person in Nairobi. → More on registration and how to follow online
  • Other associated events will take place throughout the week.

Ahead of UNEA-7, initiatives in preparation of the assembly that took place last week included:

  • The Digital Knowledge Hub on Environmental Aspects of Minerals and Metals was launched, as requested in UNEA Resolution 6/5, on the “Environmental aspects of minerals and metals” (UNEP/EA.6/Res.5) of 2024. The Hub, hosted by the Green Growth Knowledge Partnership (GGKP), aims to provide access to knowledge products, tools and guidelines and to act as a gateway to facilitate access to curated knowledge and datasets, providing an online platform for capacity-building and Communities of Practice. It was launched alongside the Stocktake Report on Sustainability Standards and Initiatives (SSI) for Minerals and Metals released by UNEP and Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development (IGF). The report provides a comprehensive review of how sustainability standards interact with public governance frameworks and identifies 15 hallmarks for assessing the credibility and environmental effectiveness of sustainability standards across the minerals and metals value chains. → Register now by creating your profile and join the Minerals group discussions group.
  • The first Women’s Environment Assembly in Nairobi brought together women leaders, activists, researchers and policymakers to shape environmental decision-making. Highlighting the importance of this moment, Teresia Gitau, Co Chair of the Women’s Major Group underscored, “We have come far, but not enough. We have been heard, but not fully. Today we hold this space fiercely, lovingly, unapologetically for the women before us, the girls after us and for ourselves.”

Addressing Pharmaceutical Pollution: Green Chemistry and Sustainable Value

Pharmaceuticals play a critical role in safeguarding human and animal health, enhancing food production, and driving economic prosperity. However, their release into the environment — whether during manufacturing, use, or end of life — poses significant risks. These include contributing to antimicrobial resistance, endocrine disruption, and toxic effects on ecosystems and public health. To raise awareness and share best practices, challenges and opportunities to address this pressing issue, the United Nations Environment Programme, in cooperation with the World Health Organization, the Geneva Environment Network, and other key partners, is hosting the Addressing Pharmaceuticals in the Environment through a Lifecycle Approach event series.

The series continues this week with a session on Innovation Opportunities to Address Pharmaceutical Pollution: Green Chemistry and Sustainable Value Chains Strategies. The event will highlight emerging options in green and sustainable chemistry that are enabling the development of pharmaceuticals with reduced persistence and lower ecotoxicity. Multi‑stakeholder initiatives involving governments, industry, academia, and civil society are proving essential to scale cost‑effective solutions and support the transition to sustainable production and use. This event will bring experts together to explore innovative approaches, policies, and collaborations that prevent and mitigate pharmaceutical pollution, with discussions focusing on green chemistry, sustainable procurement, and collective strategies to reduce residues and protect ecosystems and communities. → Register on Webex to participate on 2 December 2025 from 14:00 – 15:30 CET.

Employment in the Circular Economy: Leveraging Circularity to Create Decent Work

This week, a special event will present the Circular jobs global baseline report, Employment in the Circular Economy: Leveraging Circularity to Create Decent Work, co-authored by the International Labour Organization, the Circle Economy Foundation, and the World Bank Group, as part of the Jobs in the Circular Economy initiative, and produced with the support of the UN Partnership for Action on Green Economy (UN PAGE). Developed through three years of joint research, this landmark publication offers the first comprehensive global assessment of employment in circular economy activities.

The launch event, organized with the support of the Geneva Environment Network, will bring together representatives of employers, workers, academia, international organizations and the private sector to present the results of the report and explore how circularity can drive sustainable job creation, improve job quality, and support a just transition that benefits all workers — especially women and those in the informal economy. Participants will gain new insights, evidence, and practical tools to inform policy decisions, strengthen skills development, promote sustainable enterprises, and guide future investment in circular economy transitions around the world. → Register to join the launch in-person at the ILO Headquarters, Room VI or online via Webex on Thursday 4 December 2025, 14:00 – 15:30 CET.

Reflecting on Climate Action in Geneva

Various events this week will bring inspiration for Climate Action:

Updates on the State of Glaciers

As the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation approaches its final stages, the global state of glaciers remains critical. Despite heightened international attention, glaciers continue to retreat at alarming rates, underscoring the urgency of sustained action. Their preservation remains a priority on the global environmental agenda, with Tajikistan tabling a draft resolution on the preservation of glaciers and the broader cryosphere at the upcoming session of the United Nations Environment Assembly. Updates on the evolution of glaciers this year include:

  • The State of Water Report 2024, released by WMO in September 2025, indicates that 2024 was the third consecutive year of widespread ice loss across all 19 glaciated regions, with 450 Gt of global glacier mass loss – equivalent to 1.2 mm of sea-level rise. Record mass loss occurred in Scandinavia, Svalbard, and North Asia.
  • In 2025, glaciers around the world suffered from major disasters. From May and September this year, avalanches, landslides and flash floods tore through mountain communities in Switzerland, Nepal and Pakistan, wiping out infrastructure and causing deaths and displacement. The situation in East Africa, where the last three glacier sites on the African continent are, is even more dire as these are disappearing faster than almost anywhere else on Earth. → Read more in UNEP’s dedicated story of 27 November
  • A recent reportage by Danish newspaper Politiken followed Matthias Huss, head of Glacier Monitoring in Switzerland (GLAMOS), in his monitoring activities on the Swiss Plaine Morte glacier, where he documents its beauty and rapid loss. Among the facts he shared on the visible impact of the glacier’s melting, he reported the emergence of a mountain that was hidden under the ice for thousands of years, now coming to light as the ice melts. Commenting on the direness of the situation the GLAMOS team has been observing over the past 20 years, he stressed that “90 percent of Swiss glaciers will be gone in 100 years“. Another recent study on the Pizolgletscher glacier, whose disappearance was observed for over a century, provides insights into the tracking of a glacier’s extinction with a comprehensive long-term observational series.
  • Glacial melting in Switzerland was again enormous in 2025. A winter with low snow depth combined with heat waves in June and August led to a loss of three per cent of the glacier volume. This is the fourth largest level of shrinkage since measurements began. Consequently, the ice mass reduced by one quarter in the last ten years, as reported by GLAMOS, the glacier monitoring network in Switzerland, and the Swiss Commission for Cryosphere observation (SCC) of the Swiss Academy of Sciences. → Read the full press release of 1 October, from the Swiss Commission for Cryosphere Observation of the Swiss Academy of Sciences
  • A new study published in Nature Communications discusses the role of avalanches in the survival of many glaciers. In some regions, more than 20% of the snow covering glaciers comes from avalanches. → Read the dedicated Swissinfo and WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research articles
  • In the lead-up to UNEA-7, UNEP Patron of the Oceans, maritime lawyer and endurance swimmer Lewis Pugh will climb Mt. Kenya to spotlight the rapid retreat of its glaciers. The Lewis Glacier, once the mountain’s largest, has lost 62 per cent of its surface in only five years. At altitude, Pugh will swim in glacial lake Tarn Lewis to bring awareness to its decline.

This week, the 9th edition of the Festival International du Film sur les Glaciers, organized by the Association Mission Planète Terre at the Maison des Arts du Grütli, will raise public awareness on the effects of climate change on glaciers. Taking place from 4 to 7 December 2025, the four-day festival will screen films from different countries and discussions with the filmmakers, present to engage in dialogue with the audience. The festival kicks off on 4 December with a special evening featuring an opening concert, a projection of photographs of glaciers, and a debate with the Mayor of Geneva, Alfonso Gomez, and Hicham En Nakhla, founder of 420 arbres. While participation to the Festival is free, the opening night will collect money for the reconstruction of the Swiss village of Blatten, buried by a gigantic avalanche of ice, mud and debris after the Birch Glacier collapsed on 28 May 2025.

Highlights from the World Wildlife Conference in Samarkand | CITES CoP20

The 20th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES CoP20), convening in the ancient Silk Road city of Samarkand, Uzbekistan, has entered its second week and is expected to conclude on 5 December 2025. → Follow the Earth Negotiations Bulletin daily coverage or livestream of the discussions

The Secretariat highlighted on Saturday that Parties have already tackled 105 agenda items, including proposals and working documents, with many of them agreed by consensus and 22 votes taken for others in both Committees. These include:

  • An agreement to build regional cooperation to stop illegal wildlife trade and drive sustainable livelihoods in Central Asia has been launched at the CITES CoP20. Known as the Samarkand Declaration and Action Plan, the Central Asian countries of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan signed a commitment to national and regional action that will benefit people and nature. → Read more in TRAFFIC Press Release
  • Committee I agreed on the proposal to transfer oceanic whitetip shark from Appendix II to Appendix I and agreed to the draft resolution on the trade, conservation and management of Anguillid eel species. Additionally, CoP20 adopted by consensus the proposal to include the School shark (Galeorhinus galeus) and Smoothhounds (Mustelus spp.) in Appendix II. The World Conservation Society (WCS) described this as ” a watershed moment for all sharks and rays.”
  • Parties agreed to list the endangered okapi (Okapia johnstoni) on Appendix I. → Read more in WCS News Release of 29 November 2025
  • Parties agreed to keep Appendix II protections in place for all giraffes and Appendix I protections for the critically endangered black rhinoceros.
  • Trade in stockpiled rhino horn from government and private landowners will remain prohibited.
  • Parties voted to allow international commercial trade in saiga horn from Kazakhstan under newly established quotas.
  • Advancements were also made on the trade, conservation and management of anguillid eel species.

More analyses and news include:

Reports launched at CoP20 include:

Facing the Triple Planetary Crisis | Updates from Global Science-Policy Panels

Science-Policy Interfaces (SPIs) are critical for translating scientific knowledge into effective and actionable policy, especially as the world confronts the triple planetary crisis — climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution. In response to each of these interconnected crises, and other environmental challenges, independent, international, and intergovernmental bodies have been established to support policymakers in making informed, science-based decisions, and have key events and deadlines coming up:

A special event “Strengthening the Science-Policy Interface to Address the Triple Planetary Crisis” taking place on 17 December 2025, from 09:00 – 14:00 CET at the International Environment House II, will serve to raise awareness of science-policy processes and underscore their critical contribution to shaping informed international decision-making. Through lightning talks, fireside chats and an interactive fair, the Science-Policy Day will provide opportunities to engage and exchange with leading experts, stakeholders and Members States working in the interface of science and policy, fostering collaboration to advance solutions for today’s environmental challenges. → Register on Eventbrite to participate. Geneva-based organizations interested in sharing their work on science-policy by having a stand at the Fair, kindly use our contact form.

More Upcoming Deadlines Relevant for the Environment

With the environment high on the agenda of International Geneva and beyond, international processes, negotiations, and fora regularly call for inputs in preparation for future reports and guidelines, for people to support their process or to register to attend upcoming sessions. A dedicated update lists calls for submissions related to the environment. Additional updates also list those related to Human Rights Mechanisms and ongoing contests launched by our partners. Deadlines not to be missed during the coming weeks include:

  • The thematic report by the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food, Michael Fakhri, to be presented to the Human Rights Council in March 2026, will focus on the “Interlinkages between land rights and the right to food“. examine the interlinkages between land rights and the right to food, with a particular focus on the voices, experiences, and insights of civil society actors working on the ground, including small-scale food producers, Indigenous Peoples, fishers, pastoralists, and youth. The deadline for submission is 5 December 2025. → Submit your input
  • Working Group on Business and Human Rights
    • Agri-business, food security and human rights | The Working Group is drafting a report to identify progress made, and challenges that remain, in advancing rights-based food systems that address food fraud, while advancing food security. The Working Group seeks the written input of all stakeholders. The deadline for submission is 1 December 2025. → Submit your input
    • Indigenous Peoples Free, Prior and Informed Consent, Business and Human Rights | The Working Group is developing a thematic study to help States and businesses—including investors—understand and fulfil their obligations and responsibilities related to FPIC, in accordance with international human rights law and standards, including the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. The deadline for submission is 1 December 2025. → Submit your input
  • Country Visits
    • In advance of the visit to Mexico, to take place from 9 to 20 March 2026, by the UN Special Rapporteur on toxics and human rights, Marcos Orellana, is calling for feedback. A report on the visit, including recommendations, will be presented to the UN Human Rights Council in September 2026. The deadline for submission is 5 December 2025. → Submit your input
    • In connection with a country visit to Ireland, to take place from 9 to 20 February 2026, the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, Astrid Puentes Riaño, is taking feedback for a report to be presented to the Human Rights Council in March 2027. The deadline for submission is 10 December 2025. → Submit your input
  • The UN Special Rapporteur on climate change and human rights, Elisa Morgera, in her upcoming report to the Human Rights Council in 2026, will focus on “Transforming food systems to protect human rights and prevent climate harm“. It seeks to synthesize and analyze a varied body of evidence (from across the natural and social sciences, including Indigenous science, traditional knowledge and other knowledge systems) of the actual and potential contributions of transforming food systems to climate change mitigation, adaptation, prevention and responses to loss and damage, and human rights protection, taking an integrated approach to land- and ocean-based food systems. The deadline for submission is 15 December 2025. → Submit your input
  • The Global Framework on Chemicals Fund issues periodic calls for applications. The second round of applications launched on 30 September 2025 with a closing date for concept notes on 15 December 2025.
  • The UN Special Rapporteur on toxics and human rights, Marcos Orellana, upcoming report to the human rights council in 2026, will address forever chemicals (PFAS) and human rights. The focus is both timely and essential as scientific studies have made clear that PFAS are widely disseminated and remain recalcitrant in the environment for decades. The scale, transboundary nature and long-term costs of contamination mean that delayed action will increase remediation costs and perpetuate avoidable risks and harms to human and environmental health. The deadline for submission is 9 January 2026. → Submit your input
  • The third part of the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment (INC-5.3), is scheduled to take place at CICG in Geneva on 7 February 2026. Registration for INC-5.3 is open until 16 January 2026.

A Clean Planet Supporting a World Free From Violence – Both Offline & Online

For this year’s 16 Days of Activism to End Gender-based Violence, marked from 25 November to 10 December 2025, the world unites under the theme “UNiTE to End Digital Violence against All Women and Girls”. In our digital age, violence against women and girls is being amplified by the reach and speed of technology. The call is clear: technology must be a force for equality, not harm. As mentioned by the UN Secretary General, on the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration, communities must come together in zero tolerance for online hate. We cannot allow digital spaces to be yet another place where women and girls are unsafe.

A clean planet that supports a world free from violence – both offline and online in this new hyper-digital era – is essential, stressed UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen last week in Nairobi, where the UN family came together to reinforce that there is simply no excuse for gender-based violence. UNEP is calling for stronger investments to prevent violence against women and girls, urging that a healthy planet must also be a safe one. As 1 in 3 women experiences gender-based violence in her lifetime, these are not isolated incidents. There is simply No Excuse for gender-based violence.

On 3 December, IUCN is co-convening a webinar discussing efforts to prevent and respond to Gender-based violence in environment sectors, including from the perspective of the Nature-Based Solutions for Climate Adaptation (NAbSA) initiative and the Resilient, Inclusive and Sustainable Environments (RISE) Challenge.

Enjoying a Green Autumn in Geneva

With snow-covered mountains all around, temperatures will continue to be low in Geneva as we transition towards the winter months. Consult our suggestions to enjoy a Green Autumn in Geneva, including this week:

  • Discovering Palm Trees: From Ghana to Our Greenhouses | 3 December 2025 | Conservatoire et Jardin Botaniques
    Explore the captivating journey of a palm seed, harvested in Ghana and meticulously cultivated in the greenhouses of Pregny, through the immersive and multidisciplinary project, Multipalms.
  • Atelier Marmite de l’Escalade – Enfants | 3 December 2025 | La Bonbonnière
    The professionals from the La Bonbonnière chocolate factory will welcome you to L’Ecole du Chocolat for a unique moment of sharing around the traditional Escalade festival. A unique Geneva tradition during which a chocolate pot garnished with papilottes and marzipan vegetables is broken and shared.
  • 47e Course de l’Escalade | 6 & 7 December 2025 | Promenade des Bastions
    A joyful, sporting and popular celebration, the Course de l’Escalade brings together runners from all horizons every first weekend in December, making it the biggest running events in Switzerland and one of the biggest in Europe.
  • Rendez-vous pour réfléchir et agir | 7 December 2025 | Musée d’ethnographie de Genève
    Through this series of ‘think and act’ events, they help people tackle the urgent issue of climate change through the prism of the Musée d’ethnographie de Genève (MEG) specific characteristics. 
  • Léman : L’éveil d’un peuple | Until 14 December 2025 | ASL | Espace Léman
    Through a wealth of documents, testimonials, objects, and audiovisual archive footage, this exhibition traces the decisive action taken by associations, scientists, fishermen, journalists, and institutions that helped turn the tide, reminding us that each of us can bring change.
  • Noël au quai | Until 24 December 2025 | Quai du Mont-Blanc
    After its birth at Parc de Bastions, its magic at the Jardin Anglais, the Christmas market now illuminates Quai du Mont-Blanc. It offers a wide selection of local artisans, samples of specialties offered by food stalls, and entertainment for children with an extensive program of activities.

What (Else) To Read Next?

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23 Aug 2026

Ongoing Contests

Climate | Nature | Chemicals and Pollution

SDG11 | SDG12

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