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Newsletter 29 Apr 2024

Environment: What’s Up in GENeva | 29 April – 5 May 2024

The Geneva Environment Network’s weekly newsletter includes the latest information on the global environmental agenda, main events, job vacancies, learning opportunities, as well as other useful resources and updates. Stay tuned and follow us on X (Twitter), Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Youtube, or visit our website regularly for additional updates. 

Image of the week | Following the 2024 celebration of the World Day for Safety and Health at Work, members of the International Labour Organization (ILO) Safety and Health team pose with copies of the new ILO report, “Ensuring safety and health at work in a changing climate”. © UNEP/GEN, ILO Headquarters, 25 April 2024.

Climate Action in International Geneva

Climate action remains high on the agenda in International Geneva this week, following the release last week of various reports providing evidence on the impacts of climate change, including:

  • The European State of the Climate 2023 report, developed by WMO in collaboration with Copernicus Climate Change Service, found a record number of days with ‘extreme heat stress’ with health impacts related to extreme weather and climate events on the rise. Other records were broken, in the average sea surface temperature for the ocean, and on the proportion of actual electricity generation by renewables. → Read WMO Press Release
  • The State of the Climate in Asia 2023  report, released by WMO, found that the Asian continent is warming faster than the global average and is the most disaster-prone region. Extreme heat continues posing challenges to health and livelihoods, while the melting of glaciers threatens future water security. → Read WMO Press Release
  • Ensuring safety and health at work in a changing climate report, released by ILO, highlights that 70 per cent of the global workforce is likely to be exposed to climate-change-related health hazards, and existing occupational safety and health protections are struggling to keep up with the resulting risks. → Read ILO Press Release

As numerous international organizations, permanent missions, non-governmental organizations and other institutions based in Geneva place the climate issue at the heart of their work, stakeholders from International Geneva bring their unique cross-disciplinary expertise on climate, from the fields of 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 new technologies and innovation. Events this week in International Geneva addressing climate action include:

→ Learn more about how stakeholders from International Geneva are mobilized to tackle climate change.

Other relevant news and updates on climate action from Geneva and beyond include:

2024 Edition of the Humanitarian Networks and Partnerships Weeks

The 2024 edition of the Humanitarian Networks and Partnerships Weeks (HNPW 2024) kicks off online this week, and face-to-face next week. This annual humanitarian conference provides a collaborative space for practitioners and experts from a large variety of humanitarian stakeholders including UN agencies, NGOs, academia, the military, the private sector, and Member States. HNPW 2024 offers a wide variety of cross-network interactive sessions, briefings, technical meetings, and a virtual e, where participants can exchange experiences and have the opportunity to network with professionals and experts across many sectors. The programme features several sessions addressing environmental challenges and opportunities in humanitarian response. Among the sessions of interest on the agenda this week:

New Initiative to Protect Critical Energy Transition Minerals

Last Friday, while stakeholders in Geneva were concluding a week of discussions addressing the critical minerals for the energy transition at the UNECE Resources Management Week and at the UNCTAD Trade and Development Commission, the UN Secretary-General launched an initiative focusing on ensuring fairness, sustainability, and respect for human rights throughout the entire process of sourcing and using critical minerals needed for the clean energy transition. → This topic is of particular interest to international Geneva, where various stakeholders are involved in mineral resource governance.

The UN Secretary-General’s Panel on Critical Energy Transition Minerals builds on existing standards and initiatives, such as the Working Group on Transforming the Extractive Industries for Sustainable Development and its flagship initiative ‘Harnessing Critical Energy Transition Minerals for Sustainable Development’ to strengthen and consolidate existing efforts. Co-chaired by H.E. Ambassador Nozipho Joyce Mxakato-Diseko of South Africa and Ditte Juul Jørgensen, Director-General for Energy of the European Commission, the Panel brings together governments, intergovernmental and international organizations, industry and civil society, to develop a set of common and voluntary principles to build trust, guide the transition and accelerate the race to renewables. The Panel is supported by a technical secretariat led by the UN Secretary-General’s Climate Action Team, UNEP, and UNCTAD, and includes various UN system entities. →  Read the press release, the UN Secretary-General’s remarks on the launch of the Panel on 26 April 2024, and UN News story.

It is also to be noted that UNECE launched last week a new guidebook on critical minerals for sustainable energy transition to support intergenerational action. This guidebook serves as a tool to aid policymakers, industry leaders, researchers, and civil society in navigating the complex landscape of mineral resources crucial for the global shift toward renewable energy technologies.

Update on Plastics Treaty Negotiation

The fourth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to Develop an International Legally Binding Instrument on Plastic Pollution, Including in the Marine Environment (INC-4) is expected to conclude in Ottawa on Monday, 29 April 2024. Various proposals related to all parts of the treaty have been tabled by Member States, as well as proposals for intersessional work.→ Follow the negotiation on UN TV and through the IISD Earth Negotiations Bulletin daily coverage, learn more about the role of Geneva and other news on the dedicated page Towards Plastics Pollution INC-4, and follow the social media coverage of suggested X (Twitter) accounts, including #BreakFreeFromPlastic daily recap

Analyses of the past week of negotiations and other relevant news include:

One Month to the World Health Assembly and the Geneva Health Forum 2024

The Seventy-seventh World Health Assembly (WHA77) — the decision-making body of the World Health Organization that meets annually in Geneva — will take place in a month, from 27 May to 1 June 2024, under the theme ‘All for Health, Health for All’, and preceded on Sunday 26 May, by the now traditional Walk the Talk Geneva Event. WHA77 will host a number of side events and a series of strategic roundtables where the environment will feature predominantly, on topics such as climate, pollution, One Health, anti-microbial resistance (AMR), and pandemic prevention. → Check out last week’s Global Health Strategies (GHS) WHA77 Newsletter including programmatic news and side events.

The 2024 edition of the Geneva Health Forum Conference, to be held alongside WHA77, will take place from 27 to 29 May 2024 at Campus Biotech, providing a unique platform conveying the perspectives of scientists, medical practitioners, and field actors on the main challenges and opportunities for global health. The Geneva Health Forum 2024 conference will be centered around the theme: “Health, a Common Good!”. With three key themes, each explored on dedicated days, the environment is high on the agenda as it tackles “Health and Environment: A Time for Solutions” on the first day. → Register for the Forum.

Road to OEWG-3 Series | Science-Policy Panel on the Sound Management of Chemicals and Waste and  Pollution Prevention

With less than two months before the third session of the ad hoc open-ended working group on a Science-Policy Panel to contribute Further to the Sound Management of Chemicals and Waste and to Prevent Pollution (OEWG 3) takes place in Geneva in June 2024, save the dates for the upcoming sessions of the “Road to OEWG 3 Series“, co-organized by the Secretariat of the OEWG and the Geneva Environment Network:

Green Spring in Geneva

With warmer weather slowly coming back in Geneva, various events taking place around Geneva will allow you to enjoy a green spring, including:

  • Jean Müller, the great master of tropical lichens in the 19th century | On 30 April 2024, the Conservatoire et Jardin Botaniques offers the opportunity to discover one of Geneva’s most little-known 19th-century botanists: a leading specialist in euphorbias, algae, bryophytes and, above all, lichenized fungi.
  • Lidar technology, a tool for understanding and managing tree heritage | This lecture, part of the CJBG “Conférences au vert” cycle offers the opportunity to immerse yourself in the plant atmosphere of the iconic Temperate Greenhouse and hear from experts about their knowledge. Join on 2 May 2024 from 19:30 to 21:00 CEST at the Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques.
  • Treasures of botanical illustration: 15th-19th centuries | A “books on tables” presentation allows visitors to admire these masterpieces of botanical illustration spanning more than 400 years, a selection of which are reproduced in the “Botanical Engravings” panel exhibition. Join the visit on Sunday, 5 May 2024 at the Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques from 14:30 CEST. 
  • Corals, an ocean of life | This conference will talk about corals, including ancient ones that can be observed on the Jura. Join the confirence on Sunday, 5 May 2024 at the Museum of the History of Science from 11:00 to 11:45 CEST.
  • Collector | Organized on the occasion of the Botanical Conservatory’s bicentenary, check out the 5 flagship outdoor exhibitions and the various activities organized at the Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques.
  • Restore Season II: Films from the frontiers of hope | In the lead-up to World Environment Day 2024, a new episode of the second season of the nature documentaries realized in the framework of the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration will be released every Tuesday. Watch the first episode dedicated to the High Andes

What (Else) to Read Next?

  • Mapping Innovations Patents and the United National Sustainable Development Goals | WIPO | 2024
    This report maps global patents to the UN SDGs, providing invaluable insights into patent trends aligned with the SDGs. It illustrates patenting activities relevant to the SDGs and the state of technology development across these goals. Utilizing the WIPO Technology Concordance, the report analyzes the alignment between specific technology fields and the SDGs. The study further investigates the geographical locations of inventors and jurisdictions for protecting SDG-related patents. 
  • Empowering Young Leaders in Wildlife Conservation and Trade: Global Youth Network Launched in Singapore at the CITES Youth Leadership Programme | CITES | 26 April 2024
    The CITES Youth Leadership Programme,  a youth-led programme was hosted by Singapore on 22 to 25 April 2024. It brought together 41 young leaders aged 18 to 30 from diverse countries and backgrounds in sustainable wildlife trade and conservation to establish the CITES Global Youth Network (CGYN). This network is kickstarted by youth leaders with support from the National Parks Board (NParks) of Singapore and the Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
  • UNGA establishes a Preparatory Commission to prepare for the entry into force of the BBNJ Agreement | UNCLOS BBNJ | 25 April 2024
    In a vote of 164-2, the UN General Assembly (UNGA) approved the resolution to establish a Preparatory Commission to prepare for entry into force of the Agreement under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ).
  • Integrating Walking + Public Transport | Walk21, UIC, NTNU, The PEP, UNECE, WHO | 25 April 2024
    Giving more priority to better integration of walking and public transport can quickly, reliably and affordably underpin the efficacy, efficiency and effectiveness of our sustainable transport systems. Emerging research suggests that a safe, accessible, comfortable and enjoyable pedestrian environment results in more people choosing to walk and use public transport.
  • FAO launches global 10-year initiative to reduce the need for antimicrobials for sustainable agrifood systems transformation | FAO | 25 April 2024
    The RENOFARM initiative aims to provide countries with policy support, technical assistance, capacity building, and knowledge sharing to help reduce the need for antimicrobials in livestock production, prioritizing animal health and welfare, mitigating environmental impact, and enhancing food security and nutrition thus, helping to achieve the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals.
  • Global Report on Food Crises 2024 | Global Network Against Food Crises & Food Security Information Network | 24 April 2024
    The Global Report on Food Crises 2024 provides analysis and evidence on acute food insecurity and malnutrition in countries/territories identified as being in food crisis in 2023. It is a document of reference that consolidates data from various sources using rigorous methodologies and a transparent and consultative multi-agency process.
  • Fossil Fuel Subsidy Reform: Options for Inclusive Collective Action at the World Trade Organization | TESS | 22 April 2024
    At a time when countries around the world are looking to reduce their climate impacts by moving away from the use of fossil fuels in their energy systems and seeking to make their economies more resilient to climate impacts, it is vital to re-examine fossil fuel subsidies across their many forms and uses.
  • UN expert publishes User Guide on right to healthy and sustainable environment | UN Human Rights Special Procedures | 22 April 2024
    On the occasion of Earth Day, the UN Special Rapporteur on the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment published a User Guide that looks into how the right can be used to prevent unsustainable and unjust laws, policies, projects and plans proposed by governments and businesses, and how it can be used to advance the transformative and systemic changes urgently needed to achieve a just and sustainable future.
  • States complicit in environmental crisis caused by business activities | OHCHR | 22 April 2024
    “Earth provides a life support system for 8 billion people and millions of other species, but we are in the midst of an unprecedented planetary crisis,” said the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment, David Boyd, adding that large businesses were primarily responsible for attacks on the biosphere and growing inequalities.
  • Canada must strengthen efforts to guarantee right to water and sanitation for Indigenous Peoples: UN expert | UN Human Rights Special Procedures | 19 April 2024
    Canada must step up efforts to eliminate discrimination and marginalisation, particularly of its Indigenous Peoples, and fully uphold the human rights to water and sanitation for all its peoples, the Special Rapporteur on water and sanitation said last week. His full report on his visit will be presented to the Human Rights Council in September 2024.
  • Unpacking the Burgeoning Challenge of Environmental Protection and the Right to Food in the Context of Armed Conflict | Geneva Academy | 18 April 2024
    The Global Report on Food Crises 2024 provides analysis and evidence on acute food insecurity and malnutrition in countries/territories identified as being in food crisis in 2023. It is a document of reference that consolidates data from various sources using rigorous methodologies and a transparent and consultative multi-agency process.
  • Strategic Environmental Assessment for the Mining Sector: Lessons from country case studies | The Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development (IGF) and The Netherlands Commission for Environmental Assessment (NCEA) | 17 April 2024
    This report provides analysis and case studies that highlight how environmental assessments (SEA) can improve mining sector governance.

Events

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Info Session

SDG Lab 2.0 Open House

30 Apr 2024 | 16:00 – 19:00

Palais des Nations | Building E Mezzanine

Beyond Lab

SDG17

Jobs

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Updates

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