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International Environmental Negotiations Agenda 2023
Mise à jour: 01 Déc 2023
Various important international environmental negotiations took place in 2023 in Geneva and beyond, presented many opportunities to tackle the triple planetary crisis and advance the global environmental agenda.
Find information on environmental negotiations that took place in 2020-2022 on the dedicated update: International Environmental Negotiations Agenda 2021-2022.
End Plastic Pollution: Towards an international legally binding instrument
In February 2022, at UNEA-5.2, a historic resolution (5/14) was adopted to develop a legally binding instrument on plastic pollution with the ambition to complete the negotiations by end of 2024.
2nd Session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-2)
The second session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-2) took place from 29 May to 2 June 2023 in Paris, France. At the first meeting (INC-1), governments requested the secretariat to prepare a document to be considered at INC-2 with potential options for elements towards an international legally binding instrument, based on a comprehensive approach that addresses the full life cycle of plastics as called for by UNEA resolution 5/14.
Outcomes | IISD ENB
3rd Session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-3)
The third session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-3) took place from 13 to 19 November 2023 in Nairobi, Kenya. The session was preceded by regional consultations on 12 November 2023. Moreover, as decided by the Committee at its second session, a preparatory one-day meeting took place on 11 November 2023.
Outcomes | IISD ENB
Science-Policy Panel to contribute further to the sound management of chemicals and waste and to prevent pollution
Following UNEA resolution 5/8 entitled “Science-Policy Panel to contribute further to the sound management of chemicals and waste and to prevent pollution”, a science-policy panel is to be established to contribute further to the sound management of chemicals and waste and to prevent pollution.
OEWG-1
An ad hoc open-ended working group, mandated to prepare proposals for the science-policy panel, began work in 2022, with the ambition of completing it by the end of 2024. The first part of OEWG-1 took place as a one-day hybrid meeting held in Nairobi on 6 October 2022. The second part was held in person in Bangkok from 30 January to 3 February 2023.
Draft report of the second part of the first 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 | UNEP/SPP-CWP/OEWG.1/L.1 | 1 February 2023
Outcomes 1.1 | IISD ENB
Outcomes 1.2 | IISD ENB
OEWG-2
The second meeting of the ad hoc open-ended working group took place in Nairobi, Kenya from 11 to 15 December 2023.
Outcomes 2 | IISD ENB
Nature based-Solutions for supporting sustainable development
Following the adoption of resolution 5/5, “Nature based-Solutions for supporting sustainable development” at the UN Environment Assembly in March 2022, the Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has been requested to convene the intergovernmental consultations on Nature-based Solutions.
Final Intergovernmental Consultations on Nature-based Solutions
The final round of intergovernmental consultations on nature-based solutions was held at the UN Office of Nairobi, Kenya, from 9 to 13 October 2023, comprising two days of regional consultations (9-10 October) and three days of global consultations (11-13 October).
Outcome | UNEP
Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions (BRS MEAs)
BRS COPs 2023
The 16th Meeting of the COP to the Basel Convention, the 11th meeting of the COP to the Rotterdam Convention and the 11th Meeting of the COP to the Stockholm Convention (BRS COPs) took place in Geneva from 1-12 May 2023.
The theme of this year’s meetings is « Accelerating action: targets for the sound management of chemicals and waste« .
BRS MEAs Note
Basel Convention OEWG-13
The thirteenth meeting of the Open-ended Working Group of the Basel Convention (OEWG-13) met from 21 to 23 February, at the Geneva International Conference Centre, with pre-meetings, including Bureau and regional meetings, held on 20 February.
Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
SBSTTA 25 and Resumed Second Part of CBD COP-15
The 25th Meeting of the CBD Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical, and Technological Advice (SBSTTA 25) and Resumed Second Part of the 15th Meeting of the CBD Conference of the Parties took place from 15 to 20 October 2023 in Nairobi, Kenya. The primary focus of SBSTTA 25 was on facilitating the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and monitoring its progress. Following the conclusion of SBSTTA 25, the resumed second part of the CBD COP 15 convened to consider items pending completion.
Coverage | IISD ENB
CBD COP-15
The 15th meeting of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP-15), originally scheduled for October 2020, is taking place in two parts. The first part of the meetings took place virtually from 11 to 15 October 2021. Due to the continued uncertainties related to COVID-19 pandemic, the second part of the meetings took place in Montreal, Canada from 3 to 19 December 2022.
One of the outcomes is the adoption of the the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, a historic package of measures that addresses the dangerous loss of biodiversity and the need to restore natural ecosystems and will guide biodiversity policy through 2030.
Outcomes | IISD ENB
CBD COP15 Website
Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES)
IPBES 10
The tenth session of the IPBES Plenary (IPBES 10) was held from 28 August to 2 September 2023. The session was hosted by the United States of America in Bonn, Germany.
IPBES Notification | 14 November 2022
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)
Animal and Plants Committees
The 26th Meeting of the Plants Committee (PC26) and the 32nd Meeting of the Animals Committee (AC32) took place from 5 to 9 June & 19 to 23 June 2023, respectively at the International Conference Centre Geneva (CICG) in Geneva.
CITES Notification | 9 January 2023
Standing Committee
The 77th meeting of the Standing Committee took place at the International Conference Centre Geneva (CICG) in Geneva from 6 to 10 November 2023.
CITES Notification | 9 January 2023
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
IUCN World Conservation Congress
The IUCN World Conservation Congress 2025 — the general assembly of the Union’s members — is scheduled to take place from 9 to 15 October 2025 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Press Release | IUCN
IUCN Council
The 111th Council meeting — IUCN’s principal governing body in between sessions of the World Conservation Congress — will take place from 14 to 16 May 2024 at the IUCN Headquarters in Gland, Switzerland.
Minamata Convention on Mercury
Minamata COP-5
The 5th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Minamata Convention took place from 30 October to 3 November 2023 in Geneva, Switzerland.
Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar Convention)
Standing Committee
The 62nd meeting of the Standing Committee took place at Secretariat headquarters in Gland, Switzerland, from 4 to 8 September 2023.
Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM)
ICCM5
The fifth International Conference on Chemicals Management (ICCM5), originally scheduled on 5-9 October 2020, took place in Bonn, Germany, from 25 – 29 September 2023. The delegates adopted the Global Framework on Chemicals – For a planet free of harm from chemicals and waste, along with 12 resolutions and a High-level Declaration.
Outcomes | IISD ENB
Intersessional Process
The first part of the fourth meeting of the intersessional process (IP4) took place in Bucharest, Romania on 29 August – 2 September 2022, and was adjourned in Nairobi, Kenya on 27 February-3 March 2023.
IP4.1 Summary | Earth Negotiations Bulletin
UN Convention on Climate Change
UNFCCC Conference of the Parties
COP28
The 28th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 28) to the UNFCCC convened from 30 November to 12 December 2023. It took place in the United Arab Emirates.
Towards COP28 | Geneva Environment Network
Subsidiary Bodies for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) and Implementation (SBI)
SBSTA-58 / SBI-58
The 58th sessions of the UNFCCC Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI) and Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) took place from 5 to 15 June 2023 in Bonn, Germany.
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
Fifty-eighth Session of the IPCC (IPCC-58)
The fifty-eighth Session of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) took place at the Congress Kursaal Interlaken, in the city of Interlaken, Switzerland from 13 to 17 March 2023.
6th Assessment Cycle
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has rescheduled the approval sessions for the Working Group II and Working Group III contributions to the Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) and for the Synthesis Report.
Press Release | 28 May 2021
Working Group I
The Working Group I contribution to the Sixth Assessment Report, finalized on 6 August 2021 during the 14th Session of Working Group I and 54th Session of the IPCC, is the most up-to-date physical understanding of the climate system and climate change, bringing together the latest advances in climate science, and combining multiple lines of evidence from paleoclimate, observations, process understanding, and global and regional climate simulations.
Working Group II
The Working Group II report, which assesses climate change impacts, adaptation and vulnerability was released on 28 February 2022. The United Kingdom Permanent Mission to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva organized a COP26-COP27 Briefing on the IPCC Climate Change 2022 Report: Impacts, Adaptation & Vulnerability on 7 March 2022, with the support of the Geneva Environment Network.
Working Group III
The Working Group III report, which assesses the mitigation of climate change, was published on 4 April 2022. A Briefing on the IPCC Climate Change 2022 Report: Mitigation of Climate Change was hosted on 8 April 2022.
Synthesis Report
The Synthesis Report, which integrates the findings of the three Working Groups and the three Special Reports already released in this assessment cycle was released in 20 March 2023 in Interlaken, Bern, Switzerland.
UN Convention to Combat Desertification
UN Convention to Combat Desertification Conference of the Parties
COP-16
The 16th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP-15) will be held in Saudi Arabia in 2024.
Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention
The 21st session of the Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention (CRIC21) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) was held from 9 to 13 October 2023 in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
UN Ocean Conference
2025 UN Ocean Conference
The UN General Assembly has decided to convene the high-level 2025 United Nations Conference to Support the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development in France, in June 2025, to support the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14. The Conference will be co-hosted by Costa Rica and France.
UN Water Conference
UN 2023 Water Conference
The UN 2023 Water Conference – formally known as the 2023 Conference for the Midterm Comprehensive Review of Implementation of the UN Decade for Action on Water and Sanitation (2018-2028) (A/RES/73/226)– took place at UN Headquarters in New York, 22 to 24 March 2023, co-hosted by Tajikistan and the Netherlands.
UN 2026 Water Conference
On 1 September 2023, the UNGA adopted resolution 77/334 in which it decided to convene the UN Water Conference in 2026 and the UN Conference on the Final Comprehensive Review of the Implementation of the Objectives of the International Decade for Action, “Water for Sustainable Development”, 2018–2028 in 2028.
United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea
UN Open-Ended Informal Consultative Process on Oceans and the Law of the Sea
The 23rd meeting of the United Nations Open-Ended Informal Consultative Process on Oceans and the Law of the Sea (ICP-22), on the topic of « New Maritime Technologies: Challenges and Opportunities », took place from 5 to 9 June 2023.
UN Open-Ended Informal Consultative Process on Oceans and the Law of the Sea Website
IGC-5 on Biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction
UN Member States gathered in New York for the 5th Session of the Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) on the biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ), from 15 to 26 August 2022. Following the adoption of UNGA resolution 72/249, these negotiations aim to establish a legally binding instrument under UNCLOS on the conservation and sustainable use of marine BBNJ.
On the last day of that session, the conference, in considering the way forward, decided to suspend the fifth session and resumed it in New York from 20 February to 3 March 2023. At the end of that meeting, the conference decided to resume at a later date with a view to adopting the agreement. In this connection, the further resumed fifth session of the conference took place from 19 to 20 June 2023, tentatively, or on a date to be determined in consultation with the President of the conference.
Global Intergovernmental Meeting on Minerals
The Global Intergovernmental Meeting on Minerals took place at the International Conference Centre Geneva (CICG) in Geneva from 7 to 8 September 2023.
International Labour Conference
The 111th Session of the International Labour Conference (ILC) took place on 5 – 16 June 2023. The member States of the ILO meet at the Conference, held every year in Geneva, Switzerland, in the month of June.
World Health Organization
Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) for a WHO instrument on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response – resumed
In December 2021, the World Health Assembly established an intergovernmental negotiating body (INB) to draft and negotiate a convention, agreement or other international instrument under the Constitution of the World Health Organization to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.
The resumed fifth session of the INB (INB5) took place from 12 to 16 June 2023.
World Health Assembly
The seventy-sixth World Health Assembly (WHA76), the decision-making body of World Health Organization, took place in Geneva from 21 to 30 May 2023.
WTO Ministerial Conference
MC13
The 13th World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Conference (MC13) will take place from 26 to 29 February 2024 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE).
WTO Dialogue on Plastic Pollution and Environmentally Sustainable Plastic Trade
The coordinators of the WTO Dialogue on Plastic Pollution and Environmentally Sustainable Plastic Trade (DPP) are currently organizing the 2023 meetings, with plenary sessions scheduled to take place on 13 March 2023, 25 May 2023, and 11 December 2023.
Global Environment Facility
Seventh GEF Assembly
The Seventh GEF Assembly and Associated Meetings was held from August 22 to 26, 2023 in Vancouver, Canada.
The Assembly is the governing body of the GEF that includes representatives of all 185 member countries, and is responsible for reviewing and evaluating the GEF’s general policies, operations, and membership. It is also responsible for considering and approving proposed amendments to the Instrument for the Establishment of the Restructured Global Environment Facility and any other recommendations coming from the GEF Council.