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Newsletter 11 Nov 2024

Environment: What’s Up in GENeva | 11 – 17 November 2024

The Geneva Environment Network’s weekly newsletter includes the latest information on the global environmental agenda, main events, job vacancies, 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 | UNEP Europe Office Director, Arnold Kreilhuber, speaking at the High-level Inter-agency Panel on Human Rights concluding the 2024 Annual Conference of the Geneva Human Rights Platform, on 5 November 2024, at the Maison de la Paix. © Geneva Environment Network

Road to Busan | Designing an Effective Plastics Treaty

As we approach 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), to convene at the end of this month in Busan, Republic of Korea, initiatives and discussions continue highlighting important aspects to achieve the goal of ending plastic pollution and support a timely outcome at this final negotiating session.

This week, two Geneva Beat Plastic Pollution Road to Busan Dialogues will gather Member States and stakeholders:

Other events of interest taking place this week include:

Recent news and resources include:

How to Keep the United Nations Environmental Agenda in Times of Crisis? | GEN @ 25

The celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Geneva Environment Network — the pivotal platform of international Geneva dedicated to enhancing collaboration among stakeholders in the fight against the triple planetary crisis — includes a series of events exploring and highlighting frameworks and partnerships that can strengthen environmental governance.

This week, the Geneva Environment Network joins forces with the Global Governance Center at the Geneva Graduate Institute to propose the event “How to Keep the United Nations Environmental Agenda in Times of Crisis?” discussing the findings of the three-year research project “First Things First!”. In today’s context where international Geneva practitioners and environmental defenders in general face deep uncertainty, overlapping crises, and competition between major problems, remaining politically relevant appears critical to ensure steady progress in the fight against the triple planetary crisis. Leading experts invited to join the panel of this event will discuss how this project contributes to improving the understanding of the United Nations’ functioning, providing information on its internal dynamics and questioning the temporal division of the work of the emergency sector and the sustainability policy field. They will focus on examples for international Geneva and what lessons can support strengthening environmental policy. → Register to join us in-person at the International Environment House I, or register to join us online on Webex on Friday 15 November 2024 from 10:00 to 11:30 CET. Light refreshments will be available.

Celebrate with us and join our 25th Anniversary of the Geneva Environment Network call for video messages. To take part, record a video message (maximum 2 minutes) on how the Geneva Environment Network has been GENerating participation and engagement for increased collaboration among stakeholders for stronger environmental governance in the fight against the triple planetary crisis.

International Geneva @ Baku UN Climate Conference COP29

The UN Climate Change Conference COP29 kicks off this week in Baku, Azerbaijan. COP29 marks an important moment ahead of the unveiling of the new generation of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) at COP30, which will inform how the world is on track to meet the Paris Agreement targets. Among the main deliverables in terms of negotiated outcomes is the New Collective Quantified Goal on Climate Finance (NCQG), a new global climate finance goal that the Conference of the Parties shall set from a floor of USD 100 billion per year, prior to 2025. COP29 is expected to reach a final decision on the Paris Agreement Art. 6 (6.2 & 6.4) with technical negotiations that could unlock the potential of carbon markets. Other items on the agenda include the Just Transition Work Program, the global goal on adaptation, gender and the host institution for the Loss and Damage Fund. → To dive into COP29 negotiations watch the live webcast, follow the Earth Negotiations Bulletin daily coverage, or read the Climate Action Network International (CAN) ECO Newsletter @ COP29.

COP29 takes place after the fifteenth consecutive month of record-breaking temperatures and during what is on track to be the warmest year on record and virtually certain to be the first year above 1.5°C. As stated by the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, in reaction to the important climate studies published in the past weeks: “The climate crisis is here. We can’t postpone protection. We must adapt – now.”

Recently published reports informing negotiations about the most urgent gaps to be discussed and addressed during COP29 include:

  • UNEP Adaptation Gap Report 2024: “Come hell and high water” was launched on 7 November 2024. It finds that progress in adaptation financing is not fast enough to close the enormous gap between needs and flows, contributing to a continued lag in adaptation planning and implementation efforts. Despite an increase in public adaptation finance flows to developing countries and the progress in fulfilling the Glasgow Climate Pact — which urged developed nations to contribute US$38 billion by 2025 in adaptation finance to developing countries — it will still leave an abyssal adaptation finance gap. To fill the gap, innovative approaches to mobilize additional financial resources, strengthening enabling factors, and investment in strategic and transformational adaptation are among the necessary steps states will need to take. → Read UNEP Press Release.
  • WMO 2024 State of Climate Services, launched on 7 November 2024, highlights how as climate change impacts intensify, the need for climate services to support mitigation, adaptation and increase resilience has never been higher. Noting the progress made in the past five years, the report stresses that gaps remain and pinpoints regional cooperation as a key enabler for the successful development, delivery and use of climate services.
  • COP29 Special Report on Climate Change and Health, launched on 7 November 2024, outlines priority actions from the global health community for governments, policy-makers, and other sectors to place health at the heart of climate solutions. Developed by WHO with over 100 organizations and 300 experts, it emphasizes health as the definitive argument for climate action across people, place and planet. Fundamental to these actions is the urgent need to end fossil fuel reliance and ensure people-centered adaptation and resilience. → Read WHO Press Release.
  • The New Collective Quantified Goal on climate finance: Quantitative and qualitative elements, launched by UN Trade and Development on 4 November 2024, discusses how the new goal seeks to raise climate finance provisions from developed to developing countries well above the current target of $100 billion per year, stressing it takes more than numbers to address the evolving needs and priorities of developing nations. → Read UN Trade ad Development Press Release.

The UN Climate Change Conference will see strong inputs from international Geneva. As the world capital for multilateralism, Geneva is at the center of numerous debates and negotiations in the fields of science, health, human rights, development, trade and green finance, employment, peacebuilding and security, disaster risk reduction, humanitarian response, nature conservation, chemicals and pollution, as well as new technologies and innovation. This interdisciplinarity allows International Geneva to have unique cross-disciplinary expertise on climate, and be a global hub and a key catalyzer of climate action. → Find more on how Geneva contributes to COP29 in our dedicated update.

Geneva stakeholders will be engaging in hundreds of events, including in pavilions led or co-led by Geneva stakeholders: Health Pavilion | ILO Just Transition Pavilion | IOM Climate Change and Human Mobility Pavilion | Employers’ Green Skills Pavilion | ITU Green Digital Action track events | Trade and Investment House | Standards Pavilion | Business Pavilion | Buildings and Cooling Pavilion | Faith Pavilion | WWF COP29 Pavilion

Other events with Geneva stakeholders taking place this week:

Additional news and reports include:

Towards Deforestation-Free Supply Chains

The 82nd session of the ECE Committee on Forests and the Forest Industry (COFFI) will take place at Palais des Nations from 13 to 15 November 2024. Members will discuss various topics and take stock of developments at the United Nations, and the UNECE having an impact on the work of the Committee. In the context of this session, the UNECE/FAO Forestry and Timber Section will host the Deforestation-free Trade Dialogue, providing a platform for discussing cross-sectoral approaches, effective and efficient implementation, and transition pathways for various commodities, including cattle, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, rubber, soy, and wood. The dialogue will also discuss the European Union’s Regulation 2023/1115 on deforestation-free products (EUDR) and its implications, while aiming to foster collaboration and advancing policies that support deforestation-free supply chains. → Register for the dialogue taking place on 13 November 2024 from 10:00 to 18:00 CET in Room VII of Palais des Nations.

4th Global High-Level Ministerial Conference on Antimicrobial Resistance

The Fourth Global High-Level Ministerial Conference on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) hosted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, takes place from 15 to 16 November 2024 in Jeddah, under the theme “From Declaration to Implementation – Accelerating Actions Through Multisectoral Partnerships for the Containment of AMR”, and preceded by a side event day for State and non-State actors on 14 November. The conference will bring together leaders to address urgent issues in preventing and managing AMR on a global scale and will provide a platform for exchange of best practices and pave the road to implementation across the entire ecosystems, including human- and animal health, agriculture as well as the environment. The conference also aims to converge outcomes from this year’s key global AMR events such as the 154th meeting of the WHO Executive Board, the adoption of the resolution on AMR at 77th session of the World Health Assembly, the UN General Assembly High-Level Meeting on AMR, and G20 Forum in Brazil.

The Ministerial Conference also comes just ahead of this year’s celebration of the World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week (WAAW) – a global campaign to raise awareness and understanding of AMR and promote best practices among One Health stakeholders to reduce the emergence and spread of drug-resistant infections – from 18 to 24 November. As part of this year’s celebration, the Health Diplomacy Alliance and the Geneva Environment Network are organizing the event, From Jeddah to Geneva | Multilateralism Addressing Antimicrobial Resistance, which will serve as a gathering to build on developments from the conference, and advance collaboration and cooperation to address AMR with partners and stakeholders from international Geneva and beyond. → Register to join the event in-person or online on 19 November 2024, from 10:00 to 11:30 CET at the International Environment House or online.

Suggestions to Enjoy a Green Autumn in Geneva

Suggestions to enjoy your free time and a Green Autumn in Geneva this week include:

  • Vivre ensemble et Durabilité : Mon Défi Carbone | From 12 November to 9 December 2024 the first edition of My Carbon Challenge | Mon Défi Carbone, mandated by the Canton, supported by the City of Geneva and organized in collaboration with 2050Today, aims to engage over 1,000 people in becoming more aware of their individual carbon footprint, while introducing them to existing local solutions that can help them reduce their environmental impact in their daily lives. Participation in My Carbon Challenge is free and open to everyone. → Learn more in the press release.
    • The launch event of the challenge will take place on 12 November 2024 at Impact Hub Geneva from 18:00 to 20:00 CET offering an opportunity to exchange ideas with the various players in the sustainability field, to meet other participants and to explore together concrete avenues of action to meet this challenge!
  • Festival Les Créatives | 12-25 November 2024 | Various locations
    The Festival Les Créatives is a multidisciplinary event dedicated to artistic creations and intellectual reflections of women and gender minorities.
  • Atelier virtuel Alimentation & Boissons – SIG | 12 November 2024 | Zerowaste Switzerland
    Ready to change your daily life by combining ecology, savings and well-being, but without the hassle?
  • Situation d’un reptile à Genève | 12 November 2024| Collège de Saussure
    A specialist shares their passion for wildlife and nature!
  • Opération Eclipse : une fiction tellement vraie dans l’histoire et dans l’espace | 13 November 2024| INGE
    A speaker will share science and history in this conference, even though in his novel, they mix with fiction.
  • Mon beau sapin | 13 November 2024 | Conservatoire et Jardins Botaniques
    Explore the Arboretum and tinker with picks and branches.
  • Clichés alpins pour voyageurs | Visites commentées de l’exposition «Grand Tour» | 14 November 2024 | Bibliothèque de Genève
    Slip into the shoes of a 19th-century traveller by browsing the photographic archives presented in the Couloir des coups d’œil.
  • Filmar en America Latina | 15 – 24 November 2024 | Various locations
    The most important festival dedicated to Latin American cinema and cultures in Switzerland.
  • Des Contes Nature | 16 November 2024 | Centre Nature La Libellule
    An evening of storytelling.
  • FILMARcito | L’Appel de la Nature | 14 & 16 November 2024 | Various locations
    A series of short films that encourage the protection of wildlife and natural resources around the world.
  • Apéritif des Fêtes du Club Suisse de la Presse | 16 November 2024 | Domaine de Penthes
    Enjoy the Féeries de Penthes and join the Geneva Press Club team for a friendly drink!
  • Visite guidée publique de l’itinéraire “Nous, saisonniers, saisonnières” | 16 November 2024 | Ile Rousseau
    Memorial, historical and artistic itineraries in the City of Geneva
  • Excursion : Le Rut du Chamois | 16 November 2024| La Libellule
    Head for the beech and conifer forests of the Jura slopes and climb on foot to the ridges, to discover how the chamois warm up on the eve of winter.
  • Les minéraux, magie aux mille facettes | 17 November 2024 | Musée d’histoire des sciences
    Stories from the Earth – Animuse geologists share their passion in the grand salon of the Museum of the History of Science.
  • Exhibtion: Medusae | 1 – 30 November 2024 | Bibliothèque des Pâquis
    Medusae, little sister of the major exhibition Cinquecento Medusae, represents a school of colorful, light and dancing jellyfish, made of veil and organza.
  • Exhibition: Corallium | 1 – 30 November 2024 | Bibliothèque des Eaux-Vives
    Corallium is a large coral reef made with crochet.

What (Else) to Read Next?

  • The State of Food and Agriculture | FAO | 7 November 2024
    The State of Food and Agriculture 2024 builds on the findings of the 2023 edition, delving deeper into the use of true cost accounting assessments of agrifood systems and identifying policy interventions aimed at transformation.
  • Breaking the silence: Scotland’s refusal to comply to the Aarhus Convention | The Glasgow Guardian | 7 November 2024
    On 1 October 2024, the Environmental and Human Rights campaigners rallied outside Scotland’s highest civil court, the Court of Session. The protest expressed the grave concern and disappointment in the Scottish Government for missing the deadline for compliance with the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe’s (UNECE) Aarhus Convention.
  • ISA’s Contribution to the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdictions | ISA | 6 November 2024
    This policy brief outlines the relationship between the role and mandates of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) and the provisions of the Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (2023 Agreement).
  • How conflict impacts our environment | UN | 6 November 2024
    While the human cost of war is undeniable and profound, the environment also suffers immense and often-overlooked consequences. Beyond the immediate destruction, conflicts disrupt ecosystems, deplete natural resources, pollute the environment, and jeopardize the health of our planet for generations to come.
  • Let’s Be Nice to the Ocean Paper Makes the Case for Protection Principle | IISD SDG Knowledge Hub | 6 November 2024
    The Let’s Be Nice to the Ocean Initiative has released a paper laying out proposals to elevate Ocean conservation through the Protection Principle at the upcoming Third UN Ocean Conference (UNOC-3) in Nice, France, in June 2025. The report argues that “adopting the Protection Principle, based on the recognition of the intrinsic value of the Ocean, can be a game-changer with immediate effect.”
  • Il faut inscrire le droit à un environnement sain dans le système des droits humains | Astrid Puentes Riano, David R. Boyd et John Knox | La croix | 5 November 2024
    Face à l’aggravation de la crise climatique et environnementale, Astrid Puentes Riano, David R. Boyd et John Knox demandent la reconnaissance du droit à un environnement sain de la part du Conseil de l’Europe. Aujourd’hui, il est le seul système régional des droits humains dans le monde à ne pas encore l’intégrer.
  • Negotiators Have A Week To Decide If Pandemic Agreement Possible By December | Health Policy Watch | 4 November 2024
    The pandemic agreement talks resumed on Monday for two weeks, but parties only have a week to decide whether they have sufficient common ground to call a special World Health Assembly (WHA) in December to adopt the document.
  • The UN special rapporteur on environmental protection calls for the release of Anar Mammadli | VOA | 4 November 2024
    The UN special rapporteur on environmental protection, Michel Forst, called for the immediate and unconditional release of Anar Mammadli, director of the Election Monitoring and Democracy Education Center.

Events

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Body Meeting

Deforestation Free Dialogue

13 Nov 2024 | 10:00 – 18:00

Palais des Nations | Room VII

UNECE Forest and Bioeconomy Section

Green Economy | Nature

SDG9 | SDG15

Jobs

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Intern

Internship: COP Coordination

14 Nov 2024

BRS

Chemicals and Pollution | Air Pollution | Health and Environment | Plastics

SDG12 | SDG3 | SDG17

Updates

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23 Aug 2026

Ongoing Contests

Climate | Nature | Chemicals and Pollution

SDG11 | SDG12

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