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Newsletter 17 Mar 2025

Environment: What’s Up in GENeva | 17 – 23 March 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.

Image of the week | The UN Special Rapporteur on the human right to a healthy environment, Astrid Puentes, speaking at the side event to the Human Rights Council, “Towards the Third UN Ocean Conference: Human Rights Obligations in Relation to Ecosystems and Their Biomes“, which is also part of the second edition of the Geneva Rights and Environment Talks (continuing with three new sessions this Monday). The event looked at how human rights should contribute to and strengthen the political declaration of the Conference referred to as “Nice Ocean Action Plan” and how Member States need to harness the moment to announce commitments to address the various challenges the ocean is facing. 

Advancing the Right to a Clean, Healthy and Sustainable Environment and Ocean Issues @ HRC58

Advancing the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment remains high on the agenda this week of the 58th session of the Human Rights Council, as the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to a healthy environment continues her engagement on ocean and human rights during the Geneva Rights and Environment Talks (GRET), unpacking the key messages of her report to HRC58, stressing that ocean issues are human rights issues. Taking place on Monday 17 March at Palais des Nations, Room H-307.2 and online, back-to-back sessions of GRET 2025 will tackle:

  • Human Rights at Sea | 14:00 – 15:00 CET
    Considering the too often dramatic human rights situation at sea, this talk will discuss the obligations of Member States to respect, protect and full human rights related to the ocean, including the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment. The talk will tackle possible ways forward in ensuring that human rights are applied equally at sea as they do on land. → Register to attend in-person or online.
  • Ocean Defenders and Communities at Risk | 15:00 – 16:00 CET
    The talk will highlight the various challenges that ocean defenders and communities most at risk face, identify what they are up against and available protections they have, and understand what they do to defend themselves. It will will also explore what kind of support ocean defenders need so that they can enjoy a safe environment and keep performing their role. → Register to attend in-person or online.
  • Will the Ocean remain blue? How marine pollution violates fundamental rights | 16:00 – 17:00 CET
    The talk will highlight the impacts caused by marine pollution on human rights, including the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment. It will emphasize the obligation of States to prevent environmental harm and the resulting human rights violations, including regulating, controlling and monitoring pollution, undertaking environmental impact assessments and upholding the precautionary principle. → Register to attend in-person or online.

Other events of particular interest for the environmental community this week include:

→ Consult regular updates on key environmental issues at HRC58, side events, and further resources available on our dedicated HRC58 and the environment update.

Road to Making the Invisible Visible at the 2025 BRS COPs

The 2025 Meetings of the conferences of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions (BRS COPs) will start convening in Geneva at the end of next month. Preparations for the meetings, organized under the theme “Make visible the invisible: sound management of chemicals and wastes”, are in full swing, with many important moments taking place this week:

On the Road to 2025 BRS COPs, the Geneva Environment Network is collaborating with various partners for a series of events providing information on preparations and facilitating dialogues on key issues to be discussed at the meetings. This week, two sessions will discuss important aspects related to the Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions.

  • The Right to Know – Modernising the Rotterdam Convention, co-organized with the Australian Council of Trade Unions, Pesticide Action Network UK, IPEN, Solidar Suisse and Union Aid Abroad APHEDA, will focus on making visible the invisible occupational health and safety (OHS) victims of chemicals in general and in particular of those chemicals the Chemical Review Committee (CRC) has recommended for listing onto Annex III of the Rotterdam Convention, but which have yet to be listed by the COP. Leading experts joining this session will discuss how the fundamental change in the Human Rights landscape, with the adoption of the right to a safe and healthy working environment, as a fifth fundamental principle and right at work, that every ILO member state is required to respect and promote, is contributing to increasing the visibility of OHS victims of hazardous chemicals. The Discussion will also focus on what steps need to be taken to make Governments more aware of the urgent need to increase the effectiveness of this Convention to align its implementation with these fundamental human rights. → Register and join on Webex on Wednesday 19 March 2025 from 13:00 CET.
  • POP Contaminated Sites: New Guidance for Sustainable Remediation, co-organized with IPEN, will feature a discussion of the new Guidance on best available techniques and best environmental practices for the management of sites contaminated with persistent organic pollutants, recently finalized by the Stockholm Convention Best Available Techniques (BAT) and Best Environmental Practices (BEP) Expert Group. The guidance focuses on sustainable management and remediation of POP contaminated sites using techniques that avoid unintentional creation of POPs (so-called UPOPs) and maximise soil conservation. The guidance is designed for parties seeking to establish or improve their contaminated site framework, including technical, policy, legal and financial issues. Leading experts joining this session will also discuss emerging remediation techniques and hotspots affected by POP PFAS, brominated POPs, dioxins and PCBs. → Register and join on Webex on 20 March 2025 from 11:00 CET.

Humanitarian Networks and Partnerships Weeks 2025

The 2025 edition of the Humanitarian Networks and Partnerships Weeks (HNPW) — a large humanitarian event held annually since 2015 providing a collaborative space for humanitarian networks, partnerships, practitioners and experts to meet and address key humanitarian issues — is convening from 17 to 28 March 2025. The first week 17 to 21 March is taking place online, while the second week (24 to 28 March) will take place in person at the CICG in Geneva.

The HNPW inter-network collaboration covers Areas of Common Concern (AOCC) to improve humanitarian preparedness and response, which include climate crisis and environment nexus. The session will also feature the annual meeting of the Environment in Humanitarian Action Network (EHAN), focusing on environmental sustainability topics that are relevant to humanitarians. → Consult our dedicated page for an outlook on the environment-related activities @ HNPW.

Celebrating the Role of Forests in Food Security | International Forest Day 2025

The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 21 March the International Day of Forests in 2012. The Day celebrates and raises awareness of the importance of all types of forests. The 2025 edition will focus on “Forests and Foods”, highlighting the crucial roles of forests in food security, nutrition and livelihoods. In addition to providing food, fuel, income and employment, forests support soil fertility, protect water resources, and offer habitats for biodiversity, including vital pollinators. They are essential for the survival of forest-dependent communities, particularly Indigenous Peoples, and contribute to climate change mitigation by storing carbon.

In Geneva, a Celebration co-organized by the UNECE and the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Türkiye to the UN Office at Geneva will feature an expert talk on the connection between forests and healthy diets and a forest food showcase, presenting a variety of nutritious forest-grown foods from different countries, showcasing the diverse flavors and health benefits of these natural products. → Find more information on the programme and register to join the celebration taking place on 20 March 2025 from 12:30 CET in the Auditorium of Building H of Palais des Nations.

Celebrating Glacier Preservation | First World Day for Glaciers and World Water Day

The 2025 global campaign for the World Day for Glaciers — observed for the first time this 21 March — and World Water Day — observed on 22 March every year since 1993 — will highlight the various impacts of glacier changes on downstream communities and ecosystems, and the urgent need for developing water-related adaptation strategies in areas affected by shrinking or disappearing glaciers, more transboundary cooperation and community engagement, alongside continued support for ambitious reductions in fossil fuel consumption. The campaign also engages youth audiences and develop synergies with the Decade of Action for Cryospheric Sciences (2025-2034).

The first World Day for Glaciers and World Water Day will be celebrated with a high-level event taking place in Paris and New York from 20 to 21 March 2025 as part of the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation 2025. The event will launch the 2025 World Water Development Report, themed “High Mountains and Glaciers” emphasizing glaciers’ role in sustaining water supplies and maintaining ecosystem stability, offering data-driven insights to guide sustainable water management and adaptation strategies for communities worldwide. Further, the event will lay the foundation for the Decade of Action for Cryospheric Sciences (2025-2034), fostering international cooperation in scientific research and monitoring to address the impacts of cryosphere changes. It is also to note that on 21 March 2025, WMO will release a briefing on the State of world’s glaciers.

Additional events to celebrate World Water Day and the World Day of Glaciers include:

  • The Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Convention are hosting the webinar “Protecting Glaciers: Combating Plastic Pollution in Mountain Ecosystems” on the occasion of World Glaciers Day to stress the interlinkages between plastic waste and glacier protection, including pollution and microplastic infiltration into water systems and inspire international collaboration and actionable solutions for glacier protection through collaboration under the Mountain Partnership and other frameworks. → Join on Webex on 20 March 2025 from 13:30 CET.
  • UNITAR will host an online event Bridging Gender Gaps in Water Governance to mark World Water Day, highlighting the critical need for gender equity in water security. The event explores the barriers preventing women’s participation in the water sector and presents tangible solutions for advancing women into leadership roles.→ Join on Zoom on 21 March 2025 from 15:00 CET.

Closing the Early Warning Gap Together on World Meteorological Day

Every 23 March, we celebrate World Meteorological Day, commemorating the coming into force of the Convention establishing the World Meteorological Organization on that same day in 1950. This year marks therefore the 75th Anniversary of the organization as the UN’s authoritative voice on weather, climate and water. In the words of WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo “WMO acts as the backbone and central nervous system of global weather forecasting.”

The 2025 edition will be celebrated under the theme “Closing the early warning gap together” reflecting on the fact that climate change is a real and undeniable threat to our entire civilization, with effects already visible and to be catastrophic unless we act now. This year’s celebration takes place at the halfway mark of the Early Warnings for All initiative. While significant progress has been made in saving lives, protecting livelihoods, and strengthening community resilience, climate risks escalate, increasing the urgency of the initiative. Underscoring the importance of the initiative, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has affirmed, “In an era of climate disaster, every person on Earth must be protected by an early warning system as a matter of justice.” → The World Meteorological Day 2025 Ceremony will take place on 24 March 2025 at WMO headquarters.

Enjoying a Green Winter-Spring Transition in Geneva

Winter is officially ending this week, with Thursday 20 March marking the start of the spring equinox in the Northern Hemisphere, while in Geneva, the arrival of spring was officially announced on 10 March, following the hatching of the first leaf of a chestnut tree on Promenade de la Treille, a tradition that started back in 1818. To celebrate the end of the winter, various Geneva neighborhoods celebrate by burning dolls in its effigy with the Fête du Bonhomme Hiver. → Discover other spring activities taking place around Geneva in our Green Spring update.

Suggestions on how to enjoy the flower season this week include:

  • Festival du Film Vert 2025 | 1 March to 9 April 2025 | Festival du Film Vert
    The Festival du Film Vert is French-speaking Switzerland’s premier documentary festival dedicated to the environment. Featuring over 400 screenings across multiple locations, it raises awareness of climate challenges while showcasing solutions. Many screenings include discussions with filmmakers and experts, encouraging action for a sustainable future. The festival comes to the city of Geneva from 25 March to 9 April, however, numerous other projections are taking place in other in the Canton of Geneva and neighbouring France from 1st March.
  • Sustainability Week IHEID 2025 | 17 to 21 March 2025 | Various Locations
    Join IHEID’s Sustainability Week, part of the Swiss Sustainability Week initiative, for a dynamic lineup of events promoting environmental action. Explore local farms, visit the World Meteorological Organization, engage in thought-provoking panel discussions, swap clothes sustainably, repair your bike, and take part in a creative kitchen battle using rescued food. With inspiring speakers and hands-on activities, this week is an opportunity to learn, connect, and take tangible steps toward a greener future.
  • Salon du Livre | 19 to 23 March 2025 | Palexpo
    Palexpo transforms into a literary hub for five days, bringing together over 600 authors across genres—from novels and poetry to fantasy and philosophy. 
  • Atelier Tableau en Mousse | 20 March 2025 | Ville de Genève
    Unleash your creativity by crafting a unique plant-based artwork! This hands-on workshop teaches you how to work with moss, play with textures, and design a personalized natural decoration. 
  • Dialogues insolites entre le Muséum d’histoire naturelle de Genève et le Conservatoire botanique de Genève | From 21 March 2024 2025 | Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques
    Discover the fascinating interactions between the plant and animal worlds through a unique exhibition showcasing historical specimens and scientific connections. Learn how creatures like the sphinx moth, tattooed armadillo, and Darwin’s orchid have contributed to scientific advancements, and explore the legacy of renowned Geneva naturalists.
  • Les écorces: une histoire gravée dans le bois | 21 March 2025 | Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques
    Join a guided tour exploring the vital role of tree bark in protection, adaptation, and nutrient transport. Discover a variety of textures, colors, and patterns as you examine unique specimens up close.
  • Sortie Nature WWF: Crôa la grenouille | 22 March 2025 | Onex, Parc des Evaux
    Join a nighttime nature walk to observe frogs and toads migrating to breeding ponds. Equipped with boots and headlamps, participants will explore amphibian crossings and witness this seasonal spectacle up close!
  • Les chants de La Laire au fil des saisons | 22 March 2025 | La Laire
    A springtime birdwatching outing from Avusy to Sézegnin, with a return through the vineyards. Listen to the songs of migratory birds and reconnect with nature.

Happening Abroad

1st Part of the 30th Annual Session of the International Seabed Authority (ISA30) | The 1st part of ISA30 convenes from 17 to 28 March 2025 in Kingston, Jamaica. Discussions will focus on the development of regulations for the commercial exploitation of minerals on the deep-sea floor, including on the development of a potential “Mining Code.” → Watch the negotiations on ISA Web TV and follow the live coverage of the IISD Earth Negotiations Bulletin.
The exploration of deep-sea bed materials has gathered interest in the past years, research suggests deep-sea mining could have harmful and unknown consequences for marine biodiversity and ocean ecosystems. To date, 32 countries have signed a moratorium to oppose deep sea-mining. On the other hand, some ISA member states have shared interest in commercial deep-sea mining based on a robust regulatory framework to prevent negative consequences. → For insights on the threats of deep-sea mining, revisit last week’s discussion held as part of the Geneva Rights and Environment Talks and of the Geneva Dialogues on Mineral and Metal Resources and read the latest policy recommendations by the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition.

Climate and Clean Air Conference 2025 | The Climate and Clean Air Conference 2025 will conclude on 21 March 2025, in Brasília, Brazil. This year’s theme, “Accelerating Action on Super Pollutants: The Road to COP30,” highlights the urgent need for decisive action. The event brings together country representatives, global experts, and changemakers, united with over 180 partners, to drive accelerated solutions for mitigating super pollutants and safeguarding our planet’s future.

16th Edition of the Monaco Blue Initiative | The Monaco Blue Initiative is a unique platform for debate that brings together major players in Ocean conservation and governance to reflect on the key challenges facing our future Ocean, in a concrete and forward-looking way. This edition takes place on 23-24 March, two and a half months before the 3rd UN Ocean Conference held in Nice, France in June 2025. It seeks to address key themes of the UN Ocean Conference and to prepare for the Blue Economy & Finance Forum which will be held prior to the Conference, in Monaco on 7 and 8 June 2025.→ Follow the live coverage of the IISD ENB.

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