Environment: What’s Up in GENeva | 16 December 2024 – 5 January 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. Stay tuned and follow us on X (Twitter), Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Bluesky, and Youtube, or visit our website regularly for additional updates.

The Geneva Environment Network secretariat will be closed from 23 December 2024 to 2 January 2025. This newsletter exceptionally covers activities for the upcoming three weeks.

Image of the week | Leading experts, including four UN Special Rapporteurs and international law experts, unpacking key arguments heard at the Climate Justice Hearings at the International Court of Justice and reflecting on lessons from a human rights perspective and the importance and relevance of the Advisory Opinion for human rights mechanisms and processes. → Rewatch the highlights of the event, and deep dive through the World’s Youth for Climate Justice (WY4CJ), CIEL & AO AllianceDaily Debriefs, IISD Earth Negotiations Bulletin, Greenpeace Live Blog, Swissinfo news article or Euronews.

The Role of Faith in Tackling the Triple Planetary Crisis | GEN @ 25

These last years, Geneva, referred to as the world capital for multilateralism, has seen an important growth in the number of debates and negotiations that tackle the three planetary environmental crises in its numerous fields of expertise: science, health, human rights, development, trade and green finance, employment, peacebuilding and security, disaster risk reduction, humanitarian response, nature conservation, chemicals and pollution, as well as digital transformation and innovation. This interdisciplinarity has allowed and continues to allow international Geneva to have a unique cross-disciplinary expertise in addressing the crisis of climate change, the crisis of nature, land and biodiversity loss and the crisis of pollution and waste. The numerous faith organizations represented in Geneva are also actively involved in these processes, bringing spiritual and religious values to protect our environment and respect our planet.

To close the year, the Geneva Environment Network is partnering with the Geneva Interfaith Forum on Climate Change, Environment and Human Rights (GIF) for a special session exploring the role faith-based organizations play in addressing the triple planetary crisis. Organized as part of the Geneva Environment Network’s 25th anniversary series of events aiming to explore and highlight frameworks and partnerships that strengthen environmental governance, leading experts will discuss the role faith communities and religious leaders play in advocating for environmental and social justice and in addressing the triple planetary crisis, supporting discussions and negotiations from a spiritual and ethical perspective. It will also explore ways to support the pursuit of transformational change at the core of the human relationship with the natural world, a shift upon which the future of our planet depends. → Register to participate in-person at the International Environment House 1, Room 2 on Monday 16 December 2024, from 14:00 to 15:30 CET. This event will be preceded by a musical performance by pianist Andrea Amanti who will engage the audience in a “blind test” around the theme of the event. Join us from 13:00 CET at the International Environment House cafeteria.

Save the date for the culmination of the GEN’s 25th anniversary series of events, with a high-level closing ceremony and reception. Celebrating the Geneva Environment Network is celebrating the numerous institutions in international Geneva and beyond that contribute to the global environmental agenda. The closing panel will reflect on the importance of strengthened partnerships while fostering a vision for the future, encouraging continued collaboration and action. → Join us in-person on 20 January 2025 at the International Environment House 2!

Advancing the Environment and Human Rights Agenda in the Context of Corporate Activities

The tenth session of the open-ended intergovernmental working group (OEIGWG) on transnational corporations and other business enterprises with respect to human rights is taking place from 16 to 20 December 2024 at Palais des Nations. The process began ten years ago on 26 June 2014 when the Human Rights Council adopted resolution 26/9, in which it decided to establish the OEIGWG, “whose mandate shall be to elaborate an international legally binding instrument (LBI) to regulate, in international human rights law, the activities of transnational corporations and other business enterprises.” → Follow the coverage of the negotiations by the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre. Discussions can also be followed on UN Web TV as well as a live audio stream.

In the margins of the 10th session of the OEIWG, FIAN International, ESCR-Net, and the Global Campaign to Reclaim People’s Sovereignty, Dismantle Corporate Power and Stop Impunity are organizing a side event on Concrete Cases of Human Rights Violations and Eco-Destruction in the Context of Corporate Activities on Tuesday 17 December 2024, at Palais des Nations, Room XXIII from 13:00 to 14:00 CET. The event gathers representatives from communities and Indigenous Peoples affected by the activities of transnational corporations — including cases of human rights violation and ecological destruction — to testify and address concrete shortfalls and obstacles they are facing. Side events are open to those registered to the OEIGWG.

If we are to tackle environmental challenges without leaving anyone behind, businesses must respect both the environment and environmental rights, and ensure they are not violated in their conduct of business operations and beyond. → Consult our dedicated update that provides a brief overview on the connections among business, human rights, the environment, and the role International Geneva plays in strengthening such links.

In other news, the UN Human Rights Council has elected H.E. Amb. Jürg Lauber, Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the UN Office at Geneva. He will serve as its President for a one-year term beginning on 1 January 2025. Congratulations to H.E. Amb. Lauber as we look forward to your presidency in 2025 with the hope of continuing the fight against the triple planetary crisis for the people and the planet!

Adopting a “Fresh Approach” in WTO Fisheries Subsidies Negotiations

As recently stated by WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, WTO members must adopt a fresh approach in their ongoing negotiations and focus on delivering outcomes “wherever and whenever possible” in the run-up to the 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14) of 2026. This approach aims to revitalize the efforts for the agreement on fisheries subsidies to enter into force, wherein negotiations, in the words of H.E. Ambassador Einar Gunnarsson (Iceland), Chair of the fisheries subsidies negotiations, have reached a stalemate despite intensive work over recent months.

In 2024, 32 WTO Member States have deposited their instrument of acceptance of the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies with the WTO, bringing to 87 the total number of WTO members that have formally accepted the Agreement. The Agreement will enter into force once two-thirds of the 164 WTO members have completed their domestic ratification processes. The WTO Fish Fund, a voluntary funding mechanism to provide developing and least developed country (LDC) members with targeted technical assistance and capacity building to implement the disciplines under the Agreement, has become fully operational, with agreement on the 2025 budget and work plan and an upcoming call for applications for technical assistance and capacity building is expected to be issued in early 2025.

This year’s efforts will culminate with discussions at the upcoming WTO General Council meeting on 16 and 17 December 2024, where members are expected to discuss the revised text on Additional Provisions on Fisheries Subsidies (TN/RL/W/285) circulated by H.E. Amb. Gunnarsson on 29 November to facilitate a possible conclusion of negotiations. In response, India circulated a communication on 5 December 2024. → Read more in WTO Press Release and in the chair’s explanatory note.

Ahead of the Council meeting, ministers from Barbados, Cabo Verde, Chile, Fiji and Nigeria, jointly published an article stressing that the new rules under negotiation at the WTO must be finalized to curb harmful subsidies that drive overfishing and overcapacity. The world’s coastal communities — their livelihoods, food security, and way of life — depend on it.

Biodiversity Science Panel Final Deliberations to Adopt Two New Reports

The eleventh session of the Plenary of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES 11), ongoing in Windhoek, Namibia, is expected to conclude on Monday 16 December 2024. Experts have been working hard and deliberating for long hours to agree on the key messages and background messages of the thematic assessment of the interlinkages among biodiversity, water, food and health (Nexus Assessment) as well as an assessment of the underlying causes of biodiversity loss and the determinants of transformative change and options for achieving the 2050 Vision for Biodiversity (Transformative Change Assessment).

All eyes are now on the final plenary, where delegates are expected to adopt the two thematic assessments, and other tools and arrangements. The reports will be launched according to the following tentative schedule:

Nexus Assessment on 17 December 2024: the international press conference is scheduled for 14:00 CET and will be livestreamed on YouTube. A press conference for Switzerland will take place at 15:00 CET on Zoom, granting the possibility to conduct interviews and ask questions in German and French (contact marcel.falk@scnat.ch).
Transformative Change Assessment on 18 December 2024. An international press conference is scheduled for 14:00 CET and will be livestreamed on YouTube. A press conference for Switzerland will take place at 15:00 CET on Zoom, granting the possibility to conduct interviews and ask questions in German and French (contact marcel.falk@scnat.ch).

To amplify the messages of the Assessments and the important work of IPBES to the Geneva community and beyond, Switzerland with the support of the Geneva Environment Network is planning to hold a briefing, tentatively on 16 January 2025. → Save the date and register to join us in-person at the International Environment House!

Advancing Action on Land Degradation, Desertification and Drought

The President of the sixteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) gaveled the meeting to a close at 2:05 am, on Saturday 14 December 2024. COP16 was the largest and most inclusive UNCCD COP to date, attracting more than 20,000 participants and featuring more than 600 events.

At COP16, Parties adopted 39 decisions, including:

Creation of a Caucus for Indigenous Peoples and a Caucus for Local Communities.
Continuation of the Convention’s Science-Policy Interface to strengthen science-based decision-making.
Mobilization of private sector engagement under the Business4Land initiative.
A prototype launch of the International Drought Resilience Observatory, the first global AI-driven platform to help countries assess and enhance their capacity to cope with harsher droughts.
Decisions on the budget, the decision on the midterm evaluation of the Strategic Framework, and the procedural decision on drought were also taken.
Parties adopted the Riyadh Political Declaration.
Over USD 12 billion were pledged to tackle desertification, land degradation and drought around the world, especially in the most vulnerable countries.
Despite notable efforts, Parties did not agree to begin talks on a new drought framework or legally binding protocol. A procedural decision was adopted to continue discussions based on the progress made at COP 16, with a view to adopting a decision at COP 17, in Mongolia, in 2026.

Happening Abroad

68th GEF Council Meeting | The 68th meeting of the Council, the Global Environment Facility’s main governing body, is meeting virtually from 16 to 20 December 2024. Representatives of the Global Environment Facility’s recipient and donor countries will be considering more than $650 million for the management of chemical pollutants, climate adaptation needs, and other ecological challenges, including an expansion of support for Indigenous- and community-led environmental stewardship. → Follow the live coverage by the IISD Earth Negotiations Bulletin.

End of the Year and Season’s Greetings

As 2024 comes to an end, it is time to reflect on another busy year for environmental governance, with major negotiations and intergovernmental meetings in Geneva and beyond, leading to landmark decisions to tackle the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution, we are facing. → Relive these moments in our selection of quotes for 2024.

In 2024, the Geneva Environment Network organized 84 multi-stakeholder events, supported partners in hosting numerous other events, and welcomed 41 visiting delegations and student groups to the International Environment House. We also kept the Geneva community informed of environment-related activities and issues through our weekly newsletter and media resources. → Access videos and summaries of past events and a list of upcoming events.

This year has been full of activities also for interns of the International Environment House who support the work of various secretariats and organizations with their incredible contributions. → Find more highlights of the year from the Intern Board.

We would like to thank Switzerland, our partners, and other stakeholders for their continued support and collaboration, and for continuing to make Geneva a global hub for international environmental governance. The Geneva Environment Network team appreciates working with you and wishes you a very merry and environmentally friendly holiday. We look forward to continuing our support to the Geneva environmental community in 2025!

Looking for some activities to complete your holiday program? Our page “Green Winter in Geneva” showcases our selection of environment-related activities, outdoor excursions, conferences, and more in Geneva.

What (Else) to Read Next?

Cambodia: Experts alarmed over forced resettlement due to heritage conservation | OHCHR | 13 December 2024
Independent human rights experts* today expressed alarm over ongoing forced resettlement of around 40,000 people, including Indigenous Peoples, from their homes and lands in Angkor, Cambodia.
Theme for UNEA-7 | UNEP | 12 December 2024
A year ahead of UNEA-7, the UNEA Bureau at a joint meeting of the Bureaux of UNEA and CPR defined the UNEA-7 theme, “Advancing sustainable solutions for a resilient planet” after broad consultations with Member States and observers, including the major groups and stakeholders, led and as announced by the UNEA Presidency.
Plastics pollution treaty negotiations – alternative pathways to overcome the impasse | John Scanlon, Maria Ivanova, Charles E. Di Leva | illuminem Voices | 11 December 2024
The preferable outcome remains for an ambitious, legally binding global plastics pollution treaty to be concluded under UNEA’s auspices, thereby ensuring broad inclusivity. However, we see at least two other possible pathways to success. One involves remaining within the UNEA process but scaling back the level of ambition (for now); the other is opting out of the current UNEA progress and initiating a new one.
La Niña may develop, but it is likely to be weak and short-lived | WMO | 11 December 2024
La Niña conditions may develop in the next three months but are expected to be relatively weak and short-lived, according to the latest Update from the World Meteorological Organization.
The loss and damage fund should open for business in 2025. Will it be fit for purpose? | Will Worley | The New Humanitarian | 10 December 2024
“It’s about a systemic approach that’s nationally led rather than just sort of a first-through-the-door application process for projects.”
Video of felled forests takes axe to Ikea’s green credentials | Oliver Moody | The Times | 10 December 2024
The furniture maker has been accused of turning swathes of woodland in Romania into ‘moonscapes’.
The risks of ignoring SRM in the shadow of a second Trump Administration | Shuchi Talati | Alliance for Just Deliberation on Solar Geoengineering | 10 December 2024
While SRM deployment isn’t something that could happen imminently—requiring significant technological and engineering R&D to move beyond its experimental stages—the decisions made now will shape power structures around it and the future of its development. The fast evolution of this field, already controversial, now has to contend with new realities in the United States that will have ripple effects around the world.
Translating science into action and engage in biodiversity policy-making | Bärbel Zierl | Eawag Aquatic Research | 10 December 2024
In view of biodiversity loss, it is important that early-career researchers get involved not only in science but also contribute to biodiversity policy. The Blue-Green Biodiversity research initiative of Eawag and WSL organised a workshop to facilitate cooperation between science, practice and politics.
2024 Champions of the Earth | UNEP
People and organizations around the world are leading innovative and sustainable solutions to restore land, enhance drought resilience and halt desertification. The Champions of the Earth stand at the forefront, offering hope and inspiration that restoration is possible. They remind us that safeguarding the envrionment is key to achieving sustainable development.
New initiative aims to reduce environmental impact of fashion, construction industries in eight countries | UNEP | 9 December 2024
Governments participating in the GEF-funded Integrated Programme on Eliminating Hazardous Chemicals from Supply Chains launched the six-year, $45-million initiative which is aimed at reshaping the supply chains of their fashion and construction sectors.
Mercury-containing lamps phased out at the Minamata Convention offices in Geneva | Minamata Convention on Mercury | 9 December 2024
In line with the objectives of the Minamata Convention on Mercury, the International Environment House, housing the offices of the Secretariat, is transitioning to mercury-free lighting.
‘If it’s dangerous for one population, it will be for the other’: the Brazilian farmers poisoned by a banned pesticide exported from Britain | Unearthed | 8 December 2024
Postanovicz is one of a growing number of farmers who have been poisoned with diquat in Paraná, Brazil’s agricultural heartland and its largest consumer of the herbicide. Since a ban on the notorious weedkiller paraquat took effect in Brazil in 2020, the country’s usage of diquat – a close chemical cousin – has soared. Between 2019 and 2022, annual diquat sales in Brazil rocketed from around 1,400 to 24,000 tonnes – an increase of more than 1,600%.
“Climate diplomacy”: For the world’s most polluted city, the fix has to be regional | Urwah Iftikhar & Ali M. Latifi | The New Humanitarian | 5 December 2024
Last month, Lahore was designated the world’s most polluted city. When the air quality index (AQI) reached 1,165 and kept climbing for most of November, it was more than 120 times the UN-recommended safe level.
Addressing Carbon Leakage: A toolkit | IISD | 5 December 2024
As more countries implement carbon pricing and other ambitious climate strategies, concerns are growing over carbon leakage – where production and emissions move to nations with lower climate ambition. This toolkit outlines the available policy options to address this challenge and examines the trade-offs of each approach.
Malawi is First to Ratify WIPO Treaty on IP, Genetic Resources and Associated Traditional Knowledge | WIPO | 5 December 2024
Malawi has become the first nation to ratify the WIPO Treaty on Intellectual Property, Genetic Resources and Associated Traditional Knowledge, the first WIPO Treaty to address the interface between intellectual property, genetic resources and traditional knowledge.
State of Finance for Nature – Restoration Finance Report | UNEP | 3 December 2024
The report tracks public and private finance to restoration Nature-based Solutions (NbS) and compares these flows with investment needed to achieve global restoration goals (1 billion hectares to be restored by 2030) under the Rio Conventions.
Navigating Nature-related Regulations for Banks: Mapping the Policy Landscape | UNEP FI | December 2024
As nature-related regulatory initiatives for banks are picking up globally, this report, authored by UNEP FI and WWF’s Greening Financial Regulation Initiative, helps make sense of these developments, and how broader policy frameworks interact.
Research Brief: The Implementation of UN General Assembly Resolution 76/300 Recognizing the Right to a Clean, Healthy, and Sustainable Environment | Baïna Ubushieva | Geneva Academy | December 2024
As a cornerstone of the human rights-based approach to environmental protection and climate change, this human right was formally endorsed by the UN in 2022. Since its recognition, it has been understood to encompass both procedural and substantive dimensions, emphasizing the critical need for clean air, safe water, sustainable food, a non-toxic environment, healthy biodiversity, and a stable climate.