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Newsletter 08 Apr 2024

Environment: What’s Up in GENeva | 8 – 14 April 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 | H.E. Emine Erdoğan, First Lady of the Republic of Türkiye, Chairperson of the UN Advisory Board of Eminent Persons on Zero Waste, delivering her video message at the Geneva Celebration of International Day of Zero Waste, on Wednesday 27 March 2024, at Palais des Nations.

Countdown to Next Round of Negotiations Towards the Plastics Treaty

With now two weeks before 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), stakeholders from international Geneva and beyond continue to further their engagement with timely discussions. This week, two sessions of the Geneva Beat Plastic Pollution Dialogues will discuss important aspects for an ambitious plastics treaty:

Last week, the INC Chair released the advance Scenario note for the fourth session of the intergovernmental negotiating committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment to assist Members in their preparations for the fourth session and to propose a way forward with the aim of optimizing the limited time available for the completion of the negotiations.

In preparation for the negotiation session, stakeholders are releasing analyses, including:

Other related events taking place this week include:

Launch of the “Road to OEWG 3 Series”

In preparation for 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), to take place in Geneva in June 2024, the “Road to OEWG 3 Series“, co-organized by the Secretariat of the OEWG and the Geneva Environment Network, is kicking off this week. Two events organized back-to-back, to accommodate participants in different timezones, will aim at showcasing possible ways to implement the capacity-building function of the Panel:

Outcomes of the Human Rights Council

The 55th regular session of the UN Human Rights Council came to a close in Geneva, with several decisions and resolutions taken by the Council from 4 to 5 April 2024. With the environment high on the agenda throughout the six-week session, various environment-related resolutions were adopted without a vote, including:

  • A/HRC/55/L.1 | Mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment | Costa Rica, Maldives, Morocco, Slovenia & Switzerland
    Renews the mandate as the Special Rapporteur on the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment (formerly “Special Rapporteur on the issue of human rights obligations relating to the enjoyment of a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment).
  • A/HRC/55/L.3 | Right to food​ | Cuba
    Recognizes the importance of giving due consideration to the adverse impact of climate change on the full realization of the right to food.
  • A/HRC/55/L.10 | Right to work | ​​​Egypt, Greece, Indonesia, Mexico, Romania
    Emphasizes that actions and responses to address climate change in the context of sustainable and inclusive economies and the fast pace of technological advances present unprecedented opportunities for States to build a better, inclusive, accessible and sustainable world of work that can benefit from the untapped potential of persons with disabilities.
  • A/HRC/55/L.12 | Adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living, and the right to non-discrimination in this context | Finland, Brazil, Germany, Namibia
    Calls on States to take the right to adequate housing into account in strategies for adaptation to and mitigation of climate change, and to work with affected communities and individuals, including persons with disabilities, to develop and promote environmentally sustainable and sound housing design, construction and maintenance to address the effects of climate change while ensuring the right to adequate housing.

In this session, the Human Rights Council also appointed environment-related expert mechanism and special procedure mandate holders:

  • Special Rapporteur on the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment | Astrid PUENTES RIAÑO (Mexico)
  • Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of climate change | Elisa MORGERA (Italy)

Members of the Working Group on the rights of peasants and other people working in rural areas and of the Expert Mechanism on the rights of Indigenous Peoples were also appointed in this session.

→ Consult highlights of key environmental issues at HRC55, side events, and further resources are available on our dedicated HRC55 and the environment update.

Other news related to human rights and the environment include:

Geneva Host of the Santiago Network Secretariat

Geneva has been selected as the host of the headquarters of the secretariat of the Santiago Network — a key Paris Agreement mechanism for funneling technical support to developing countries to help them prevent, reduce and address the impacts of the climate crisis. The decision was made at the first meeting of the Advisory Board, co-organized from 18 to 20 March 2024 by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) and the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) as the host consortium of the Santiago Network secretariat.

The Secretariat will benefit from the diversity of organizations present in Geneva and will contribute to strengthening this ecosystem of organizations of ‘international Geneva’, as stated by H.E. Felix Wertli, Switzerland’s Ambassador for the Environment.

Other recent news and initiatives referring to climate justice and loss and damage include:

Awaited Climate Justice Judgments

This week, the European Court of Human Rights will be delivering rulings in three cases concerning climate change at a public hearing on 9 April at 10:30 CEST in the Human Rights Building, Strasbourg. The three landmark cases are:

  • Verein KlimaSeniorinnen Schweiz and Others v. Switzerland | The case concerns a complaint by a Swiss association and its members, who are a group of older women concerned about the consequences of global warming on their living conditions and health, that the Swiss authorities are not taking enough action to mitigate climate change.
  • Carême v. France | The case concerns a complaint by a former inhabitant and mayor of the municipality of Grande-Synthe, who submits that France has taken insufficient steps to prevent global warming and that this failure entails a violation of the right to life and the right to respect for private and family life.
  • Duarte Agostinho and Others v. Portugal and 32 Others | The case concerns the current and future severe effects of climate change, which the applicants attribute to the respondent States, and which they claim impact their lives, well-being, mental health and the peaceful enjoyment of their homes.

Commenting on the forthcoming rulings from the European Court of Human Rights, CIEL highlights that these will establish a legal precedent informing how human rights law is interpreted to protect citizens from the climate crisis across all 46 Member States of the Council of Europe. They are also expected to serve as a blueprint guiding future Court decisions and influence pending and future climate cases in Europe and across the world.

Announcement of Impending Release of Niloufar Bayani

On the occasion of Iranian New Year and Eid al-Fitr, Ayatollah Khamenei has agreed to pardon or commute the sentences of 2,127 convicts upon a proposal by Iranian Judiciary Chief Gholmhossein Mohseni-Ejei. Four environmentalists arrested in January 2018 – Sepideh Kashani, Niloufar Bayani, Houman Jowkar, and Taher Ghadirain – are included in the amnesty. Their release date is not yet confirmed.

The United Nations Environment Programme welcomes the announcement of the impending release of four conservationists imprisoned in the Islamic Republic of Iran, including former Geneva-based UNEP colleague Niloufar Bayani, and looks forward to their effective release in the coming days. Over the past six years, UNEP has consistently called for the release of Niloufar and the other conservationists.

Enjoying a Green Spring in Geneva

With the school spring holidays in Geneva and in neighboring France, various events taking place around Geneva will allow you to enjoy a green spring, including:

  • Utopiana | Ces jours terrestres | Utopiana offers a series of free workshops, meetings and conferences as part of the 2024 edition of 1000écologies.
  • Thinking about sustainability with the MEG collections | The Museum of Ethnography hosts on Sunday 14 April 2024 a guided visit of its permanent collection addressing sustainability in the use of natural resources.
  • Samedi du Vélo | Provelo is organizing on 13 April 2024 a day of bike tours, workshops and discussions around Geneva.
  • Grand Nord, un monde en sursis? | Closing on 20 April 2024, take advantage of the last days to visit the photo exhibition dedicated to Northern landscapes at the Audacieuse-Galerie de Carouge
  • Festival Souffle de Printemps | The AOA association organizes a series of organ concerts marking the 10th anniversary of the Souffle de Printemps concerts.

What (Else) to Read Next?

  • Extreme terrestrial heat in 2023 | Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick, David Barriopedro, Roshan Jha, Lin Wang, Arpita Mondal, Renata Libonati & Kai Kornhuber | Nature Reviews Earth & Environment | 4 April 2024
    Multiple relentless heatwaves occurred in 2023, with much of the world experiencing at least 20 more heatwave days than the 1991–2020 average. Prominent and record-breaking events included exceptional wintertime and spring heat in South America, large heatwaves over Europe, Africa and Asia, and a prolonged event over south-eastern USA and Central America.
  • Global rainforest loss continues at rate of 10 football pitches a minute | The Guardian | 4 April 2024
    An area nearly the size of Switzerland was cleared from previously undisturbed rainforests last year, totalling 37,000 sq km (14,200 sq miles), according to figures compiled by the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the University of Maryland. This is a rate of 10 football pitches a minute, often driven by more land being brought under agricultural cultivation around the world.
  • Ms. Schomaker becomes the 8th Executive Secretary, and the Convention on Biological Diversity’s first from Germany | CBD Press Release | 2 April 2024
    United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Ms. Astrid Schomaker as the Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Astrid brings to the position extensive experience in international relations and negotiations, deep knowledge of the global sustainable development agenda and multilateral environment agreements, and of policymaking on global environmental issues.
  • Gaza Strip Interim Damage Assessment Report | World Bank, European Union,  United Nations | 2 April 2024
    The cost of damage to critical infrastructure in Gaza is estimated at around $18.5 billion. That is equivalent to 97% of the combined GDP of the West Bank and Gaza in 2022. The report finds that damage to structures affects every sector of the economy. […] An estimated 26 million tons of debris and rubble have been left in the wake of the destruction, an amount that is estimated to take years to remove.
  • Earth at risk: An urgent call to end the age of destruction and forge a just and sustainable future | Charles Fletcher, William J Ripple, Thomas Newsome, Phoebe Barnard et al. | PNAS Nexus | 2 April 2024
    Human development has ushered in an era of converging crises: climate change, ecological destruction, disease, pollution, and socioeconomic inequality. This review synthesizes the breadth of these interwoven emergencies and underscores the urgent need for comprehensive, integrated action.
  • Vehicular Pollution: New Roadmap to Avoid Millions of Early Deaths and Cases of Childhood Asthma | Health Policy Watch | 1 April 2024
    The report, Global Health Benefits of Policies to Reduce On-Road Vehicle Pollution Through 2040, is the first of its kind to provide a globally consistent evaluation of this issue. Authors examined the impact of vehicular pollution at a one-kilometre resolution across 186 countries and territories that cover 99% of the global population. Fifteen emissions scenarios were evaluated representing different policy combinations. 
  • Carbon Majors Database | Carbon Majors | April 2024 
    This analysis of the emissions traced to the world’s largest carbon producing entities, or Carbon Majors, provides insights into the responsibility for historical and post-Paris Agreement industrial emissions. The historical overview, spanning from 1854 through 2022, reveals that 70% of fossil fuel and cement CO2 emissions since the Industrial Revolution can be traced to 78 entities.
  • Food Waste Index Report 2024 | UNEP | 27 March 2024
    To catalyse essential action towards reducing food waste and achieving SDG 12.3, it’s imperative to grasp the extent of food waste. Measuring food waste allows countries to comprehend the magnitude of the issue, thereby revealing the size of the opportunity, while establishing a baseline for tracking progress. 
  • From Pristine to Polluted | How Chemicals and Pollutants Drive Fishery Declines and Ecosystem Collapse  | National Toxics Network and IPEN | 26 March 2024
    The report reviews the significant harmful effects on fisheries from toxic chemicals and demonstrates that chemicals and other pollutants worsen the productivity-degrading effect of overfishing. The report notes the triple planetary crises of biodiversity loss, climate change, and chemical pollution, and concludes that we urgently need stronger global and national regulations to stem the chemical assault on the world’s fisheries.
  • Antarctic sea ice ‘Behaving Strangely’ as Arctic reaches ‘below-average’ winter peak | Carbon Brief | 26 March 2024
    Following an all-time low maximum in September 2023, Antarctic sea ice has been tracking at near-record-low extent for the past six months. Last month, it hit its 2024 minimum extent, tying with 2022 for the second-lowest Antarctic minimum in the 46-year satellite record.

Events

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Conference

Climate, Justice and Education

08 Apr 2024 | 18:30 – 19:30

Maison de la Paix (Auditorium A2) & Online | Webex

IHEID

Climate

SDG4 | SDG13 | SDG16

Jobs

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Updates

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