Environment: What’s Up in GENeva | 3 – 9 June 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 | At the opening of the “The Silent Threat: Exploring pollution’s impact on health” panel, held as the first session of the Health and Environment Day thematic day of the Geneva Health Forum 2024, H.E. Amb. Fernando Espinosa Olivera, Deputy Permanent Representative of Mexico, stressed how the international urgency of addressing pollution had been reflected in several resolutions, including UNEA resolutions on ending plastic pollution and on the Science-Policy Panel on Chemicals, Waste and Pollution Prevention, the WHA resolution on the impacts of chemicals, waste, and pollution on human health, and the adoption last year of the Global Framework on Chemicals. © Flore Pratolini | Geneva Health Forum, Campus Biotech, 27 May 2024.

Celebrating World Environment Day and International Geneva Accelerating Action on Land Restoration and Drought Resilience

The 2024 edition of World Environment Day, celebrated on 5 June since 1973, will focus on land restoration, desertification and drought resilience, under the slogan “Our Land. Our Future. We are #GenerationRestoration”, as the year marks the 30th anniversary of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). According to the UNCCD, up to 40 percent of the planet’s land is degraded, and the number and duration of droughts have increased by 29 percent since 2000. Without urgent action, droughts may affect over three-quarters of the world’s population by 2050. This year, the sixteenth session of the UNCCD Conference of the Parties (COP16) will also take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from 2 to 13 December 2024, where the world will come together to aim towards scaling up ambition and investment to restore 1.5 billion hectares of degraded lands by 2030, to have a collective agreement on how to tackle worsening droughts, to feed growing populations without converting more land or depleting our soils, and to deliver secure land rights for all in all parts of the world.

As a global hub for environmental governance, Geneva plays an important role in the global response to desertification, land degradation, and drought. Hosting strong expertise to contribute to global processes tackling such issues, leading experts speaking at this year’s World Environment Day celebration in Geneva will highlight how stakeholders in Geneva are addressing the impacts and preventing the risks posed by this crisis on people and the planet to developing policies to accelerate action on land restoration and drought resilience. The celebration will be preceded by a breakfast. → Register and join us at the International Environment House on Wednesday 5 June at 9:30 CEST.

Find more suggestions and resources to celebrate World Environment Day in Geneva and abroad on our dedicated page. Other events organized by stakeholders in Geneva include:

Virtual Exchange on Community-based Flood and Drought Management | WMO & GWP Associated Programme on Flood Management (APFM) and the Integrated Drought Management Programme (IDMP) | Online | 5 June, 13:00 – 14:30 CEST
Supporting the Transition to Clean Energy | WTO | WTO HQ and online | 5 June, 10:00-12:00 CEST
Digital Transformation Dialogues: Land Reborn: Greening the Digital Footprint for Land Restoration | ITU | Online | 5 June, 14:00-15:00 CEST
The role of electrotechnology in addressing climate change | IEC | Online | 6 June, 13:00 CEST
Global climate predictions for next 5 years | WMO will release the Annual to Decadal Update of predictions of temperatures for the forthcoming five years. This report was compiled with long-range forecasting centers led by the United Kingdom’s Met Office and released to coincide with the major climate policy speech by the UN Secretary-General in New York. A press conference will be held with the WMO Deputy Secretary General and a WMO expert at 15:00 Geneva time in the Palais des Nations.

Road to OEWG 3 | Two Weeks to the Next Negotiation Session for a Science-Policy Panel on the Sound Management of Chemicals and Waste and to Prevent Pollution

This month, 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) will take place in Geneva from 17 to 21 June, preceded by informal, regional and stakeholder consultations on 16 June 2024.

In the run-up to the meeting, the Geneva Environment Network and the OEWG Secretariat are co-organizing a Briefing on OWEG 3 to provide updates on the preparations and regional and stakeholders’ perspectives on the process. This briefing will conclude the Road to OEWG 3 | Science-Policy Panel to Contribute Further to the Sound Management of Chemicals and Waste and to Prevent Pollution events and webinars series, aiming to build bridges between and among stakeholders, and promote collaboration and knowledge sharing in preparation for OEWG 3. Since April 2024, the series explored topics such as the Capacity-Building Function of such a panel (11 April 2024), the documentation prepared for OEWG 3 (7 May 2024), and provided an historical overview of the process (16 May 2024). → Register on Forms to attend in person at the International Environment House 2 or on Webex for online participation in the event taking place on 6 June 2024 from 14:00 to 15:30 CEST.

Other upcoming events in preparation for OEWG 3 include:

Science and Capacity Building to Support the United Nations Science-Policy Panel on Chemicals, Waste and Pollution Prevention | Havforskningsinstituttet | 11 June 2024 | 14:00-17:00 CEST | Online
Launch and Panel Discussion | Safeguarding the Integrity of a Science Policy Panel on Chemicals, Waste and Pollution Prevention | OHCHR, Geneva Environment Network, CIEL | 12 June 2024 | 14:00-15:30 CEST | Online

112th International Labour Conference

The 112th Session of the International Labour Conference — the supreme deliberative and decision-making body of the International Labour Organization (ILO) — kicks off in Geneva this week. Government, employer, and worker delegates from the ILO’s 187 Member States will address until 14 June a wide range of issues, including the protection of workers against the effects of climate change and biological hazards, the care economy, and fundamental principles and rights at work. The Conference will also elect members of the ILO Governing Body for the 2024-27 term of office. → Watch the plenaries livestream

On the agenda:

Item IV. Protection against biological hazards, will feature the first discussion of the Standard-Setting Committee on Biological Hazards with a view to setting new international labour standards and will discuss two reports: Report IV(1): Biological hazards in the working environment – Analysis of law and practice and questionnaire and Report IV(2): Protection against biological hazards in the working environment – Summary of the replies received and proposed Conclusions.
Item V. A recurrent discussion on the strategic objective of fundamental principles and rights at work – among which the fundamental right to a safe and healthy working environment – will see the ad hoc committee meeting discuss the report Fundamental principles and rights at work at a critical crossroads, which lists the “growing adverse impacts of climate change” among the longer-term structural trends in the world of work create a challenging environment for the effective exercise of all FPRW → Check the presentation of the report
Item VI. General Discussion on Decent work and the care economy will see the ad hoc committee discuss Report VI: Decent work and the care economy, which finds that climate change may increase the demand for care work, both paid and unpaid.

Road to UNOC 2025 | Ocean Blue Talks

World Oceans Day, celebrated on 8 June, reminds everyone of the major role the oceans have in everyday life. “Awaken new depths” is the theme for this year’s edition, emphasizing the urgency of addressing ocean issues, and underlining that we can no longer afford an “out of sight, out of mind” mentality. To combat the global numbness to alarming statistics, we must open minds, ignite senses, and inspire possibilities to protect the planet’s beating heart.

In preparation for the 2025 UN Ocean Conference, to be held in Nice, France, from 9 to 13 June 2025, co-hosted by France and Costa Rica under the overarching theme “Accelerating action and mobilizing all actors to conserve and sustainably use the ocean”, the Permanent Missions of France and the Permanent Mission of Costa Rica to the United Nations Office at Geneva and other international organizations in Switzerland and Geneva are organizing a series of “Ocean Blue Talks“. This week’s session will be dedicated to innovation for the ocean and will be hosted on 7 June 2024 from 14:30 to 16:00 at the IFRC auditorium.

The event also takes place in parallel to the High-Level Event on Ocean Action: Immersed in Change to be held on 7–8 June 2024 in San Jose, Costa Rica. The High-Level Event will serve as space to exchange good practices and successful experiences on topics related to the governance and health of the ocean ahead of UNOC 2025. → Follow the IISD Earth Negotiations Bulletin Coverage.

63rd meeting of the Convention on Wetlands Standing Committee

The 63rd meeting of the Convention on Wetlands Standing Committee is taking place at the Secretariat headquarters in Gland, from 3 to 7 June 2024. It will feature meetings of various working groups, preparations for the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties (COP15), and discussions on several aspects of the Convention’s functioning such as cooperation with other Multilateral Environment Agreements (MEAs), communication, capacity building, education, participation and awareness and financial matters, among others. → Read the Provisional Working Programme and access all documents on the official website.

UN Common Approach to Biodiversity | Mainstreaming Biodiversity in Agrifood Systems

As a part of the UN Common Approach to Biodiversity webinar series, this week the UN Environment Management Group (EMG) will host the webinar Mainstreaming Biodiversity in Agrifood Systems in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). The webinar aims to highlight the importance of sustainable use of biodiversity across agrifood sectors and their role in achieving the Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework or Biodiversity Plan, identify opportunities to guarantee the full participation of all actors across agrifood sectors, promote awareness and implementation of the Common Approach in the UN system, as well as exchange and disseminate best practices and lessons learned. → Join the online event taking place on MS Teams on 4 June 2024 from 15:00 to 16:30 CEST.

Countdown to the 56th Session of the Human Rights Council

In preparation for the upcoming 56th session of the Human Rights Council (HRC56) to convene in Geneva from 18 June to 12 July, an organizational meeting is taking place on 3 June 2024, from 10:00 onwards at Palais des Nations, Room XX to allow Member States to announce any initiatives they intend to take during the upcoming session and raise any procedural issues. A briefing on HRC rules of procedure and practices followed by a briefing on the Events platform at 15:00 CEST at the same venue.

→ With the environment high on the agenda, consult regular updates on key environmental issues at HRC56, side events, and further resources available on our dedicated HRC56 and the environment update.

Outcomes of the 77th World Health Assembly

The 77th World Health Assembly, held in Geneva last week, yielded important victories in the realm of health and the environment. The assembly:

Approved the General Programme of Work 2025-2028 (GPW 14), defining climate change and health as one of its six strategic objectives under which WHO prioritizes two key areas:bolstering climate-resilient health systems to ensure that people around the world are protected from the escalating health risks of climate change, and championing and promoting lower-carbon health societies.
Adopted the Climate Change and Health resolution, initially tabled by Barbados, Fiji, Kenya, Monaco, Netherlands, Peru, United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The resolution, the first on climate change since 2008, encourages members to take bold action such as decarbonization of health systems, facilities, and supply chains, cross-ministry and with national authorities cooperation, resource mobilization, and awareness-raising among the public and health sector on the interdependence between climate change and health.
Approved a resolution on antimicrobial resistance to mobilize action initially tabled by Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Ecuador, Egypt, the European Union and its 27 Member States, Georgia, Indonesia, Japan, Kenya, Kuwait, Malaysia, Mexico, Norway, Oman, Panama, Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Switzerland, Thailand, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and United States of America. The resolution welcomes WHO strategic and operational priorities to address drug-resistant bacterial infections in the human health sector (2025–2035), with the four strategic priorities of: prevention of infections; universal access to affordable, quality diagnosis and appropriate treatment of infections; strategic information, science and innovation; and effective governance and financing of the human health sector response to AMR.
Agreed a package of critical amendments to the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR), and made concrete commitments to completing negotiations on a global pandemic agreement within a year, at WHA78 at the latest, or earlier in 2024.

Other recent health and environment-related news include:

New Climate and Health Resolution Wins Strong Support from WHO Member State | Elaine Ruth Fletcher | Health Policy Watch | 31 May 2024
World Health Assembly: Health Professionals Hail Adoption of Landmark Climate and Health Resolution | The Global Climate and Health Alliance | 30 May 2024
Climate Change to Be Major Focus for WHO in Coming Years | Health Policy Watch | 28 May 2024
Silent Killers: New Research Links Lead Exposure to Millions of Cardiovascular Deaths | Health Policy Watch | 28 May 2024

Initiatives to Join on the Occasion of World Bicycle Day

World Bicycle Day – celebrated each year on 3 June since 2018, aims to advance the use of the bicycle as a means of fostering sustainable development, strengthening education, promoting health, preventing disease, promoting tolerance, mutual understanding and respect, and facilitating social inclusion and a culture of peace. Being a simple, affordable, clean, and environmentally fit sustainable means of transportation, the bicycle contributes to cleaner air and less congestion and makes education, health care and other social services more accessible to the most vulnerable populations. A sustainable transport system that promotes economic growth, reduces inequalities while bolstering the fight against climate change is critical to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

Find suggestions for biking routes and activities taking place around Geneva on our World Bicycle Day page!

Happening Abroad

Bonn Climate Change Conference | The Bonn Climate Change Conference is scheduled from 3 to 13 June at the World Conference Center in Bonn, Germany, with around 6,000 participants expected to attend the meetings. The Conference will build on the many mandates that emerged at COP28 in Dubai, and aim to drive forward progress on key issues and prepare decisions for adoption at the COP29 UN Climate Change Conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, in November 2024. Agenda items will include climate finance, advancing progress on the next round of national climate action plans (or Nationally Determined Contributions, NDCs), the timely submission of countries’ first Biennial Transparency Reports, work on National Adaptation Plans, and accelerating climate action through a just transition, among many other important issues. → Follow the IISD Earth Negotiations Bulletin live coverage.
Second Global Meeting of the Montevideo National Focal Points | The Second Global Meeting of the National Focal Points for the Montevideo Programme is taking place from 3 to 5 June 2024 in Nairobi, Kenya. Following the adoption of the UN Environment Assembly resolution in 2019 on the Fifth Montevideo Programme for the Development and Periodic Review of Environmental Law (Montevideo Programme V), national focal points will gather to exchange information and build capacities to collaborate with and guide UNEP in strengthening the Montevideo Environmental Law Programme, as well as monitor and evaluate its implementation.

What (Else) to Read Next?

SIDS go forward with ‘new sense of hope, solidarity and determination’ | UN News | 30 May 2024
The roadmap towards achieving resilient prosperity for small island States adopted on Thursday in Antigua and Barbuda “marks the beginning of a new journey” and a decade of delivery for their citizens and the world, said the UN Deputy Secretary-General.
What it takes to preserve groundwater across borders in Geneva | Swissinfo.ch | 30 May 2024
The Genevese aquifer between Switzerland and France has served as a global model for dividing precious groundwater between countries. But amid increasing droughts and population growth, even this exemplary water reserve is reaching its limits.
The ugly truth behind ChatGPT: AI is guzzling resources at planet-eating rates | Mariana Mazzucato | The Guardian | 30 May 2024
When you picture the tech industry, you probably think of things that don’t exist in physical space, such as the apps and internet browser on your phone. But the infrastructure required to store all this information – the physical data centres housed in business parks and city outskirts – consume massive amounts of energy.
Crucial intergovernmental meetings on biodiversity are gaveled to an end in Nairobi | CBD | 29 May 2024
The two-back-to-back intergovernmental gatherings dedicated to the implementation of the objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity —the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources—delivered progress on multiple fronts, including the much-needed transition from agreement to action on The Biodiversity Plan.
EU Critical Raw Materials Act, now in force, stipulates application of UNFC and UNECE environmental treaties | UNECE | 29 May 2024
In an important move to secure the supply of essential raw materials, the European Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA) entered into force on 23 May 2024. This legislation is a cornerstone in enhancing the EU’s capabilities in sourcing, processing, and recycling critical raw materials (CRMs), which are crucial for the region’s climate objectives and sustainable development.
New report: Climate change added average of 26 days of extreme heat over last year | IFRC | 28 May 2024
The Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre, World Weather Attribution and Climate Central released a report looking at the role climate change played in increasing the number of extreme heat days around the world over the last twelve months. Across all places in the world, an average of 26 days were ‘excess’ extreme heat days.
Persistent Threat: PFAS in Textiles and Water in Bangladesh | IPEN | 28 May 2024
While PFAS in consumer products have drawn much attention, the toxic impacts of PFAS used in textile manufacturing have been less studied. This report provides new evidence linking textile-making facilities to PFAS water pollution.
Illicit Trade in Food and Food Fraud | WTO | 28 May 2024
International trade in food has helped to reduce global poverty and hunger. However, illicit trade in food and food fraud undermine the global food system and endanger public health. This publication looks into the challenges of combating illicit practices, such as smuggling and counterfeiting, and the role the WTO could play.
The environmental risks from a critical minerals rush in Ukraine | CEOBS | May 2024
Since February 2022, Ukraine has sought to attract international investment and political partnerships by licensing critical mineral deposits. This analysis examines how the demands of the conflict, economy and recovery are exacerbating the threats that their exploitation could pose for Ukraine’s environment.