Environment: What’s Up in GENeva | 20 – 26 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.

Image of the week | Various organizations setting up their booths at the International Environment House I for the GEN@25 Environment Forum, to take place on Monday 20 January 2025 from 09:00 to 10:45 CET as part of the GEN 25th Anniversary High-Level Celebration.

Celebrating 25 Years of Service to the Environmental Community in Geneva and Beyond

On Monday 20 January 2025, the Geneva Environment Network concludes its 25th-anniversary celebration by opening the doors of the International Environment House. Counting on the representation of various Member States, heads of agencies and over 50 international and non-governmental organizations, the GEN 25th Anniversary High-Level Celebration will be a gathering to inspire renewed commitment to environmental governance and collaborative action.

From 09:00 to 10:45 CET, participants will be welcomed at the International Environment House I for the GEN@25 Environment Forum. Inspired by the opening speeches of UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen and Swiss State Secretary for the Environment Katrin Schneeberger, the public will meet with over 50 organizations active in Geneva to learn about how their work accelerates action to tackle the triple planetary crisis and how Geneva collectively creates synergies, drives innovation, and boosts ambition to advance environmental action.
From 10:45 to 11:45 CET, the celebration will move to International Environment House II for the High-level Closing Panel, held under the theme, “Multilateralism Looking at the Future – Protecting the Environment with Humanity at the Center“. Amid a turbulent geopolitical background, a fast-approaching deadline for the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, and in the face of the global environmental crises, the panel, joined by Member States and heads of agencies, will reflect on the importance of strengthened partnerships while fostering a vision for the future, encouraging continued collaboration and action, with people and the planet at the center.
From 11:45 CET onwards, official speeches will be followed by a networking reception, offered by Switzerland, Canton of Geneva, and City of Geneva.

Building a Science-Policy Panel on Chemicals, Waste on Pollution | Insights on the Road to OEWG3.2

In the lead-up to the establishment of a science-policy panel (SPP) to contribute further to the sound management of chemicals and waste and to prevent pollution, the ad hoc open-ended working group (OEWG) Secretariat and the Geneva Environment Network host a series of events to build bridges and promote collaboration and knowledge sharing between and among stakeholders, and to raise public awareness about the OEWG preparing proposals for the establishment of the panel. The Road to OEWG 3.2 Series is organized in the lead-up to the resumed third session of the Ad hoc Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG 3.2), to be held in 2025.

This week, a new session in the series will provide an opportunity for governments and other stakeholders to gain insights from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) that might be relevant for the establishment of a science-policy panel on chemicals, waste and pollution prevention. Speakers will discuss how governments and stakeholders can engage in their processes; key roles and responsibilities as well as financial considerations for the successful functioning of a panel; and how governments and observers can participate in the work of science-policy panels. → Join us on Webex on Thursday 23 January 2025 from 14:00 to 15:30 CET.

Launch of the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation 2025

In December 2022, the 77th of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) adopted resolution A/RES/77/158 declaring 2025 as the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation and 21 March as the annual World Day for Glaciers, starting in 2025.

Glaciers are crucial for regulating the global climate and providing freshwater, essential for billions of people. However, due to climate change, driven mainly by human activities since the 1800s, these vital resources are rapidly melting. The United Nations has designated 2025 as the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation to highlight the importance of glaciers and ensure that those relying on them, and those affected by cryospheric processes, receive the necessary hydrological, meteorological, and climate services. These efforts underscore the critical role mountain regions play as a key source of global freshwater and ecosystem services. As Geneva hosts various organizations and experts addressing multilateral processes, it can be a platform to foster international cooperation on glacier loss. → Learn more in our update

To officially launch the International Year, on 21 January 2025, WMO and UNESCO with the support of Tajikistan and France are hosting a whole-day event featuring a High-Level Plenary Opening. This segment will mark the official launch of the 2025 International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation, followed by the “main program“, which includes a series of more than 30 online side events accessible globally. The High-Level Plenary Opening will take place at WMO headquarters from 14:00 to 16:00 CET. → Register to participate in person or online.

64th meeting of the Standing Committee of the Convention on Wetlands

The 64th meeting of the Standing Committee of the Convention on Wetlands takes place from 20 to 24 January 2025 at the Secretariat headquarters in Gland. Parties will discuss various administrative; financial; strategic; scientific and implementation matters, including the draft resolutions in preparation for the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to take place from 23 to 31 July in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. → Access all related documents and follow plenaries on the live stream on Zoom.

In a recent article in the accompanying guide to Save Land. United for Land, an exhibition by the Bundeskunsthalle and the UNCCD-G20 Global Land Initiative on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the UNCCD, the Convention on Wetlands’ Secretary General Musonda Mumba highlights the importance of wetlands for the economy and the livelihoods of many, stressing how the “wise use of wetlands” can allow “wetlands continue to provide their invaluable services—supporting livelihoods and sustaining life on our wondrous planet”.

Environment @ WEF Annual Forum

This week, from 20 to 24 January 2025, world leaders, business, and civil society will gather in Davos for the 55th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum. Centered around the theme “Collaboration for the Intelligent Age“, the meeting will gather nearly 3,000 leaders from over 130 countries, and 350 governmental leaders, including 60 heads of states and governments, from all key regions to discuss key global and regional challenges.

With Safeguarding the Planet as one of the five key areas of the Meeting, various actors for the Geneva community will be taking part in the discussions in Davos to discuss a vast range of topics. On 22 January 2025, the House of Switzerland will host ‘Geneva Day‘ organized by the Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the UN in Geneva in collaboration with numerous partners. ‘Geneva Day’ will highlight the important role of International Geneva in a complex world. → Discover how to follow WEF25 remotely.

The Global Risks Report 2025, the 20th edition of the WEF landmark publication launched last week, reveals an increasingly fractured global landscape, where escalating geopolitical, environmental, societal and technological challenges threaten stability and progress. Once more, the environment ranks high among the greater risks facing humanity with Extreme Weather Events believed to be the second major cause of a large-scale crisis in 2025, as well as one of the most likely risks in the short and long term periods together with biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse, climate change and earth resources shortages.
Important publications to be launched in Davos will include the launch of “Financing Climate and Health Solutions for a Faster Response” by Foundation S – The Sanofi Collective, Reaching the Last Mile and The Rock Feller Foundation, which analyzes international finance flows for climate change and health interventions, providing new insights on what finance is available for climate change and health and how is it being deployed, who are the specific funders and funding initiatives available for countries, and specific actions on how to enable increased access to financing for climate and health solutions. To attend the launch event taking place at 10:30 CET in the Ice Village Dome B, in Davos, please register and RSVP here by 20 January 2025.

What (Else) To Read Next?

Conservation de la biodiversité en haute mer : accord approuvé par le Conseil fédéral | Swiss Confederation | 15 January 2025
Le 15 janvier 2025, le Conseil fédéral a approuvé la signature de l’accord international de protection de la haute mer. Il va à présent élaborer un projet de consultation, après quoi le Parlement décidera de la ratification de l’accord.
What is ‘waste colonialism’ and why has Thailand banned imports of plastic? | Al Jazeera | 14 January 2025
Thailand has become the latest country to take on the global plastic waste crisis by banning imports of plastic waste. For years, the country had served as a key destination for plastic waste from developed nations like the United States and Japan.
Exclusive: Norway’s Equinor Forced to Withdraw Key Carbon Capture Claim | DeSmog | 14 January 2025
Equinor has retracted a claim that it stores about a million tonnes of carbon dioxide annually at its flagship carbon capture project after DeSmog obtained data showing the real figure was as little as a tenth of that amount.
Shipping – Trade, Climate, and Net Zero Pathways: Scenarios and Implications for Developing Countries and Climate-Resilient Development | TESS | 13 January 2025
This sectoral briefing note, co-published with the Global Maritime Forum examines some of these interactions, with a specific focus on the regulation of shipping’s greenhouse gas emissions following the revised International Maritime Organisation GHG reduction strategy, including implications and considerations for developing countries.
World Economic Situation and Prospects 2025 | UN | 9 January 2025
The report presents the global and regional economic outlooks for the coming year, underscoring the importance of global cooperation and prudent policies to lift growth and place it on a stable and equitable pathway that can accelerate progress towards the SDGs. This year’s thematic chapter explores critical minerals for the energy transition that can ramp up climate action while presenting opportunities for many developing countries to create jobs, generate public revenues, and reduce poverty and inequality.