GEN 25th Anniversary

Celebrating the 25th Anniversary

The celebration of the 25 Years of the Geneva Environment Network – the pivotal platform of international Geneva dedicated to GENerating participation and engagement for increased collaboration among stakeholders in the fight against the triple planetary crisis – started with a series of events exploring and highlighting frameworks and partnerships that can strengthen environmental governance. It concluded with a closing ceremony on 20 January 2025. This approach aims to create a meaningful and impactful celebration, inspiring renewed commitment to environmental governance and collaborative action.

High-Level 25th Anniversary Celebration

Celebrating the Geneva Environment Network is celebrating the numerous institutions in international Geneva and beyond that contribute to make Geneva a global hub for environmental governance. To close the celebration of this important milestone, two key moments took place at the International Environment House on 20 January: the GEN@25 Environment Forum, followed by the High-Level Closing Ceremony.

GEN@25 Environment Forum

From 9:00 to 10:45, the International Environment House opened its doors for the GEN@25 Environment Forum that featured key thematic areas of work of international Geneva and how these are accelerating action to tackle the triple planetary crisis. Partners and stakeholders gathered at the International Environment House to get together and showcase how international Geneva creates synergies, drives innovation, and boosts ambition to advance environmental action.

The stands presented how international Geneva is advancing:

• Climate Action
• Action on Nature, Land and Biodiversity Loss
• Action on Pollution and Waste
• Beating Plastic Pollution
• Future-Proofing Mineral and Metal Resources Governance
• Advancing Trade Solutions to the Environmental Crisis
• Placing Human Rights at the Heart of Environmental Action
• Catalyzing Environmental Action through Digital Transformation
• Strengthening the Science-Policy Interface
• Advancing the One Health Approach
• Ensuring Decent Work and a Just Transition
• Coordinating Action to Restore the Water Cycle
• Humanitarian Hub at the Frontlines of Environmental Action

The Forum was opened by Inger ANDERSEN | Executive Director, UN Environment Programme and Katrin SCHNEEBERGER | State Secretary and Director, Federal Office for the Environment, Switzerland.

High-Level Closing Ceremony

From 10:45 to 11:45, the 25th Anniversary Celebration of the Geneva Environment Network culminated with a High-level Closing Panel, held under the theme, “Multilateralism Looking at the Future – Protecting the Environment with Humanity at the Center“. Amid a turbulent geopolitical background, a fast-approaching deadline for the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, and in the face of the global environmental crises, the panel reflected on the importance of strengthened partnerships while fostering a vision for the future, encouraging continued collaboration and action, with people and the planet at the center.

The event was followed by a networking reception offered by Switzerland, Canton of Geneva, and City of Geneva.

Late 90’s | Launch of the Network and Inauguration of the International Environment House

The Swiss Confederation and the Canton of Geneva supported the establishment of the Geneva Environment Network and the International Environment House at the end of the 90s to strengthen positive interactions between Geneva-based organizations addressing environmental issues that contribute to the global environment agenda, thus supporting Geneva as an international centre of competence for the environment.

• The International Environment House, inaugurated in 1999, contributes to implementing this policy. During the press conference Klaus Töpfer, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Philippe Roch, Director of the Swiss Agency for the Environment, Forests and Landscape (SAEFL) and Laurent Moutinot, State Councillor of Geneva Canton, stressed the importance of this building as a place for people from the many international environmental organisations in Geneva to exchange ideas and look together for potentially positive interactions.
• In parallel, the Geneva Environment Network (GEN) was launched to facilitate contacts between not only environmental organizations, but also the environmental sectors of the major world organisations based in Geneva.

GEN @ 25 | From 1999 to 2024

The Geneva Environment Network, the oldest of the thematic platforms of international Geneva, is a partnership of over 75 environment and sustainable development organizations based in the Geneva area, including United Nations offices and programmes, inter-governmental and non-governmental organizations, local authorities, and academic institutions.

Set up in 1999 with the support of the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment, and under the coordination of UNEP, the GEN Secretariat is based in the International Environment House, which was established in parallel to the network, and where UNEP Geneva offices are located.

A Look Back into the 25 Years

The Geneva Environment Network has been active in strengthening global environmental governance for over two decades. Take a look back at key moments and highlights of the Network in the past 25 years.