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International Environmental Negotiations Agenda

Mise à jour: 04 Mai 2026

Produits chimiques et pollution | Climat | Nature

ODD12 | ODD13 | ODD14 | ODD15

With important international environmental negotiations taking place in 2026 in Geneva and beyond, this page provides the latest updates on the meetings that aim to tackle the triple planetary crisis.

Find information on environmental negotiations that took place in:

2026 Environmental Agenda in Geneva (Public)

Decades, International Years and Anniversaries of Interest

Ongoing decades of interest for the environmental community:

In 2026, we also celebrate:

UN Environment Assembly (UNEA)

UNEA-8

The 8th session of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-8) is scheduled to take place from 6 to 10 December 2027 at UNEP headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya (decision 6/7 of 1 March 2024). Jamaica was elected President of the Assembly.

UNEA website

Open-ended Committee of Permanent Representatives

The 8th Meeting of the Open-ended Committee of Permanent Representatives (OECPR-8) is scheduled to take place in Nairobi, Kenya with dates to be confirmed.

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.

5th Session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5)

The fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5) took place from 25 November to 1 December 2024 in Busan, Republic of Korea.

INC-5 was adjourned at 2.50 a.m. on Monday 2 December in Busan with an agreement that the ‘Chair’s Text’ shared on 1 December will serve as a basis for the resumed session at a later date in 2025. This session was the largest of the INC process, with over 3,360 participants, including delegates from more than 170 countries, and observers from more than 440 organizations.

The second part of the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5.2), took place at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, from 5 to 15 August 2025. After ten days and nights of intense work in formal and informal settings, the resumed INC-5.2 was adjourned at 09:11 a.m. on 15 August 2025 and will resume at a later date.

The third part of the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment (INC-5.3) took place on 7 February 2026 at CICG in Geneva.

UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF)

The High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) will be convened from 6 to 15 July 2026, under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council. This includes the three-day ministerial segment of the forum from 13 to 15 July, as part of the High-level Segment of ECOSOC. The last day of the High-level Segment of ECOSOC will take place on 16 July.

The theme of the HLPF will be “Transformative, equitable, innovative and coordinated actions for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals for a sustainable future for all”.

2026 Regional Forums on Sustainable Development

The 2026 Regional Forums on Sustainable Development, convened annually in the five regions of the world by the respective UN Regional Commissions, are the key platforms at the regional level for policy debate, exchange of good practices and peer learning on SDG implementation. The Regional Forum for the Economic Commission for Europe is scheduled to take place from 21 to 22 April 2025 in Geneva.

Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions (BRS MEAs)

2nd meeting of the Stockholm Convention Compliance Committee | SC CC-2

The second meeting of the Stockholm Convention Compliance Committee (SC CC-2) will take place from 16 to 19 June 2026 at the International Environment House.

17th meeting of the Basel Convention Implementation and Compliance Committee | BC ICC-17

The seventeenth meeting of the Basel Convention Implementation and Compliance Committee (BC ICC-17) will take place from 18 to 21 June 2026 at the International Environment House.

4th meeting of the Rotterdam Convention Compliance Committee | RC CC-4

The fourth meeting of the Rotterdam Convention Compliance Committee (RC CC-4) will take place from 19 to 21 June 2026 at the International Environment House.

15th meeting of the Open-ended Working Group of the Basel Convention | BC OEWG-15

The 15th meeting of the Open-ended Working Group of the Basel Convention (BC OEWG-15) is scheduled to take place in Geneva from 23 to 26 June 2026 in Geneva.

22nd meeting of the Chemical Review Committee | CRC-22

The 22nd meeting of the Chemical Review Committee (CRC-22) under the Rotterdam Convention will take place from 14 to 18 September 2026 in Rome, Italy.

22nd meeting of the Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee | SC POPRC-22

The 22nd meeting of the Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee (POPRC-22) under the Stockholm Convention will take place from 21 to 25 September 2026 in Rome, Italy.

Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)

UN Biodiversity Conference

The United Nations Biodiversity Conference is taking place in Yerevan, Armenia from 19 to 30 October 2026. The Conference encompasses the Seventeenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 17), the Twelfth meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, and the Sixth meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization.

Notification | 22 July 2025

Subsidiary Bodies for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) and Implementation (SBI)

SBI6

The Sixth Meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD SBI 6) took place from 16 to 19 February 2026 in Rome, Italy.

SBSTTA 28/ SBI7

The Twenty-eighth meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA 28) will take place from 27 July to 1 August 2026 in Nairobi, Kenya, back to back with the Seventh Meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity (SBI 7), to be held from 4 to 12 August 2026.

Intergovernmental Science-Policy Panel on Chemicals, Waste and Pollution (ISP-CWP)

The first session of the Plenary of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Panel on Chemicals, Waste and Pollution (ISP-CWP P1) was hosted by the Government of Switzerland from 2 February to 6 February 2026, at the Geneva International Conference Centre (CICG). The session was preceded by regional and stakeholder meetings on 1 February 2026, at the same venue.

Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES)

IPBES 12

The twelfth session of the IPBES Plenary (IPBES 12) is scheduled took place from 3 to 8 February 2026 in the United Kingdom.

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)

Animal and Plants Committees

The 28th meeting of the Plants Committee (PC28) and the 34th meeting of the Animals Committee (AC34) is scheduled to take place in Geneva from 13 to 23 July 2026.

Standing Committee

The 81st meeting of the Standing Committee (SC81) is scheduled to take place in Geneva from 2 to 6 November 2026.

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)

IUCN Council

The 117th Council meeting is scheduled to take place in the first quarter of 2026 at the IUCN Conservation Centre in Gland, Switzerland.

Minamata Convention on Mercury

Minamata COP-7

The 7th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Minamata Convention is scheduled to take place from 6 to 10 September 2027 in Geneva, Switzerland.

Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar Convention)

Standing Committee

The 67th meeting of the Standing Committee is scheduled to take place at the Secretariat headquarters in Gland, Switzerland, from 4 to 8 May 2026.

16th meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties

The 16th meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties (COP16) is scheduled to take place in Panama City, Panama in July 2028.

UN Convention on Climate Change

UNFCCC Conference of the Parties

COP31

The 31st session of the Conference of the Parties (COP31) to the UNFCCC is scheduled to convene in Antalya, Türkiye from 9 to 20 November 2026.

Subsidiary Bodies for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) and Implementation (SBI)

SBSTA-64 / SBI-64

The 64th sessions of the UNFCCC Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI) and Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) is scheduled to take place from 8 to 18 June 2026 in Bonn, Germany.

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

Sixty-fourth session of the IPCC (IPCC-64)

The sixty-fourth session of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC-64) took place in Bangkok, Thailand from 24 to 27 March 2026.

UN Convention to Combat Desertification

UN Convention to Combat Desertification Conference of the Parties

COP-17

The 17th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP-17) will be held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia from 17 to 28 August 2026, during the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists.

UN Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals

Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals

CMS COP15

The 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS COP15) took place in Campo Grande, Brazil from 23 to 29 March 2026.

Press Release | 26 March 2025
Notification | 17 February 2024

Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds

Meeting of the Parties to AEWA

AEWA MOP10

The 910th Session of the Meeting of the Parties (MOP9) to the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement (AEWA) is scheduled to take place in 2028 at a venue to be confirmed.

Vienna Convention and Montreal Protocol

Combined fourteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (14th COP) and thirty-ninth Meeting of the Parties (39th MOP)

The fourteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Vienna Convention will be held back to back with the thirty-ninth Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol in 2027.

Thirty-eighth Meeting of the Parties (38th MOP)

The thirty-eighth Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer is scheduled to take place in Kigali, Rwanda from 2 to 6 November 2026.

48th meeting of the Open-ended Working Group of the Parties

The forty-eighth meeting of the Open-ended Working Group of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol on Substances the Deplete the Ozone Layer (48th OEWG) will be held from 13 to 17 July 2026 in Bangkok, Thailand.

UN Ocean Conference

2028 UN Ocean Conference

The 2028 United Nations Conference is scheduled to take place in the Republic of Korea to support the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14. The Conference will be co-hosted by Chile and the Republic of Korea.

UN Water Conference

UN 2026 Water Conference

On 1 September 2023, the UNGA adopted resolution 77/334 in which it decided to convene the UN Water Conference 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.

The UN Water Conference, co-hosted by United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Senegal, will be held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE) from 8 to 10 December 2026.

International Seabed Authority Assembly and Council

The first part of the 31st Session of the International Seabed Authority Assembly and Council (ISA31) took place from 9 to 20 March 2026 in Kingston, Jamaica and will resume for the second part from 13 to 31 July 2026.

UN-Water

The 43rd Meeting of UN-Water, the UN’s coordination mechanism for water and sanitation, took place from 24 to 25 March 2026 in Rome, Italy.

UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)

Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (Water Convention) and Protocol on Water and Health

The eleventh session of the Meeting of the Parties to the Water Convention is scheduled to take place in Dakar, Senegal in 2027.

The meeting of the Expert Group on Climate Change under the Protocol on Water and Health is scheduled to take place from 11 to 12 May 2026 in Geneva.

The Global Network of Basins Working on Climate Change Adaptation is scheduled to meet on 8 July 2026 in Geneva.

Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context (Espoo Convention) and Protocol on Strategic Environmental Assessment

The 10th session of the Meeting of the Parties to the Espoo Convention and the 6th session of the Meeting of the Parties to the Protocol on Strategic Environmental Assessment are scheduled to take place from 1 to 4 December 2026.

Industrial Accidents Convention

The 14th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Industrial Accidents Convention is scheduled to take place from 9 to 10 December 2026.

Resource Management Week

The UNECE Resource Management Week 2026 is scheduled to take place from 27 April to 1 May 2026 at Palais des Nations.

UN Forum of Mayors

The UN Forum of Mayors 2026 is scheduled to take place from 12 to 13 October 2026 at Palais des Nations.

Regional Agreement on Access to Information, Public Participation and Justice in Environmental Matters in Latin America and the Caribbean (Escazú Agreement)

Conference of the Parties

The 4th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Escazú Agreement is scheduled to take place from 22 to 24 April 2026.

International Labour Conference

The 114th Session of the International Labour Conference (ILC) took place from 1 to 12 June 2026. The member States of the ILO meet at the Conference, held every year in Geneva, Switzerland, in the month of June.

World Health Organization

World Health Assembly

The seventy-ninth World Health Assembly (WHA79), the decision-making body of the World Health Organization, is scheduled to take place in Geneva from 18 to 23 May 2026.

Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG) on the WHO Pandemic Agreement

The sixth meeting of the Intergovernmental Working Group on the WHO Pandemic Agreement (IGWG) took place on 23 to 28 March 2026. Member States, with a resumed session that took place from 27 April to 1 May.

The seventh meeting is expected to take place from 6 to 17 July 2026.

In May 2025, the World Health Assembly adopted the WHO Pandemic Agreement under Article 19 of the Constitution of the World Health Organization to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness and response. Through resolution WHA78.1, the Health Assembly established an open-ended Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG) to undertake several tasks, including, as a priority, drafting and negotiating an annex to the WHO Pandemic Agreement on the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing (PABS) system. This system will enable the safe, transparent and accountable access and benefit-sharing for PABS materials and sequence information.

The finalized PABS annex is expected to be submitted to the Seventy-ninth World Health Assembly in 2026 for its consideration.

Conference of the Parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC)

The 12th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP11) to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) is scheduled to take place in Yerevan, Armenia in 2027.

Meeting of the Parties (MOP4) to the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products

The fifth session of the Meeting of the Parties (MOP4) to the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products will take place in 2027.

Global Framework on Chemicals

The First International Conference of the Global Framework on Chemicals – For a Planet Free of Harm from Chemicals and Waste is scheduled to take place from 16 to 20 November 2026 at CICG, Geneva.

Agreement on Marine Biodiversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement)

The first meeting of the Conference of the Parties to 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) is scheduled to be held from 11 to 22 January 2027.

The third substantive meeting of the Preparatory Commission (PrepCom III) for the Entry into Force of the Agreement and the Convening of the First Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Agreement took place in New York from 23 March to 2 April 2026.

World Meteorological Organization

World Meteorological Congress

The twentieth ordinary session of the World Meteorological Congress is scheduled to take place tentatively from 3 to 14 May 2027.

High-Level Ministerial Conference on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)

The 5th High-Level Ministerial Conference on AMR is taking place from 6 to 8  December 2026 in Abuja, Nigeria.

World Trade Organization

14th Ministerial Conference (MC14)

The 14th World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Conference (MC14) is scheduled to take place from 26 to 29 March 2026 in Yaoundé, Cameroon.

World Economic Forum

Annual Meeting 2026

The Annual Meeting 2026 of The World Economic Forum took place at Davos-Klosters from 19 to 23 January 2026. The Meeting will be held under the theme, « A Spirit of Dialogue ».

Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction

The 9th Session of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (GP2028) is scheduled to take place in Doha, Qatar in 2028.

World Resources Forum

The dates for World Resources Forum 2026 will be confirmed.

World Urban Forum

The 13th edition of the World Urban Forum, held under the theme “Housing the world: Safe and resilient cities and communities”, is taking place from 17 to 22 May 2026 in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Global Compact for Migration

The Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM) is recognized as the first-ever intergovernmentally negotiated agreement on a common approach to managing international migration. It is a non-legally binding, cooperative framework that upholds the sovereignty of States and their obligations under international law.

International Migration Review Forums

In the GCM, Member States decided that the International Migration Review Forum will serve as the primary intergovernmental global platform to discuss and share progress on the implementation of all aspects of the Global Compact, including as it relates to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and with the participation of all relevant stakeholders.

The International Migration Review Forum (IMRF) shall take place every four years beginning in 2022. Each edition of the International Migration Review Forum will result in an intergovernmentally agreed Progress Declaration. The next edition of the IMRF is scheduled to take place in from 5 to 8 May 2026 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. Preparatory and regional meetings are taking place from 2024 to 2025, including the IMRF Preparation kick-off in May 2025.

International Organization on Migration (IOM, UN Migration)

The 117th Session of the Council of the International Organization on Migration is scheduled to take place in November 2026.

GEO Symposium and Plenary

The 2026 GEO Symposium and GEO-21 Plenary is scheduled to be held in Geneva from 26 to 28 May 2026.

Global Environment Facility

71st GEF Council Meeting and 8th GEF Assembly

The sixty-ninth meeting of the Council — the GEF’s main governing body which comprises 32 members appointed by constituencies of GEF member countries — is scheduled to take place in 30 May to 6 June 2026 in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

Sustainable Buildings and Construction Summit

The Sustainable Buildings and Construction Summit 2026 is scheduled to take place from 20 to 22 April 2026 in Lausanne, Switzerland. Convened by EPFL’s Centre for Worldwide Sustainable Construction in collaboration with UNEP as the host of the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC), the Summit aims to catalyse action on one of the most pressing challenges of our time: transforming the built environment into a driver of environmental sustainability through holistic approaches that seamlessly integrate resilience and socio-economic factors. The GlobalABC Annual Assembly 2026, Intergovernmental Council for Buildings and Climate (ICBC) Technical Meeting (TBC), along with Buildings-Cement-Steel Breakthrough Meetings (TBC) are also expected to take place at the Summit.

Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels

The first Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels is taking place from 24 to 29 April 2026 in Santa, Marta Colombia.

The Conference will take place in two segments. The Stakeholder-led Dialogues, taking place from 24 to 27 April 2026, will focus on identifying enabling pathways for a just transition across the three thematic pillars of the conference. The High-Level Segment, taking place from 28 to 29 April 2026, will bring together ministers, high-level representatives from subnational governments, and spokespersons and representatives from different stakeholder groups.

International Ban Fossil Advertising Conference

The International Ban Fossil Advertising Conference is scheduled to take place from 2 to 3 May 2026 at the Escale Solidaire Wilson of Habitat et Humanisme in Lyon, France. Campaigners, residents and activists who are working to reduce the impacts of corporate advertising on our environment, well-being, and mental health will gather for 2 days of workshops, talks, strategizing and information sharing on topics such as building broader alliances, fossil fuel sponsorships, working with digital screens, involving youth, archiving fossil ads, mapping European ad legislation, reaching the press.

Munich Security Conference

The 62nd Munich Security Conference (MSC) took place from 13 to 15 February 2026 in Munich, Germany. The Conference will feature high-level debates on the key foreign and security policy challenges of our time, including the intersections of intersections of governance, the environment, security, and prosperity.

International Conference on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development

The second International Conference on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development (ICARRD+20) took place from 24 to 28 February 2026 in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia.

Regional Ecological Summit 2026

The Regional Ecological Summit 2026 (RES 2026) is taking place from 22 to 24 April 2026 in Astana, Kazakhstan. Initiated by the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, during the 78th session of the UN General Assembly in September 2023, RES 2026 aims to bring together the countries of Central Asia — working in partnership with the United Nations and other international organizations—to develop shared solutions to climate change and broader environmental challenges. The Summit will place particular emphasis on identifying the region’s concrete green-financing needs to support adaptation measures, accelerate the deployment of low-carbon technologies, and strengthen environmental resilience across Central Asia.

Human Rights and the Environment

Relevant meetings taking place in Geneva in 2026 that may tackle the environmental agenda include:

  • 19 – 30 January | 51st session of the Working Group on Universal Periodic Review (WG UPR 51)
  • 16 – 20 February | 34th session of the Advisory Committee of the Human Rights Council
  • 23 February – 2 April | 61st session of the Human Rights Council (HRC61)
  • 4 – 15 May | 52nd session of the Working Group on Universal Periodic Review (WG UPR 52)
  • 18 – 22 May | 27th session of the Working Group on the Right to Development (WG on Right to Development 27)
  • 15 June – 10 July | 62nd session of the Human Rights Council (HRC62)
  • 13 – 17 July | 18th session of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP 18)
  • 3 – 7 August | 35th session of the Advisory Committee of the Human Rights Council
  • 7 September – 9 October | 63rd session of the Human Rights Council (HRC 63)
  • 19 – 23 October | 12th session of the Open-ended intergovernmental working group on the legally binding instrument on TNCs (OEIGWG 12)
  • 26 – 28 October | 14th session of the Expert Mechanism on the Right to Development (EMRTD 14)
  • 29 – 39 October | 2026 UN Social Forum
  • 2 – 13 November | 53rd session of the Working Group on Universal Periodic Review (WG UPR 53)
  • 23 – 25 November (TBC) | 15th UN Forum on Business and Human Rights
  • 30 November – 4 December | Annual Meeting of Special Procedures Mandate Holders

→ More information on Human Rights and the Environment.

2026 | Human Rights Agenda Geneva Public