Environment: What’s Up in GENeva | 11 – 24 April 2022

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 also on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Youtube, or visit our website regularly for additional updates. Due to the Easter holidays in Geneva, this edition of the newsletter exceptionally covers two weeks.

In light of the recent developments in the sanitary situation, institutions in Geneva are adjusting their response and adapting their operations. Our update on COVID-19 and the environment lists relevant information, research, data, and press releases on the environmental origins and impacts of the pandemic.

Image of the week | H.E. Luis Vayas, Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Ecuador, speaking remotely at “Next steps for the plastic pollution treaty: Vision and priorities for commitments and action | Geneva Beat Plastic Pollution Dialogues”, which took place at Maison de la Paix, and virutally, on 7 April 2022.

Green Activities for the Easter Break

Meteo Suisse announced a sweet Easter break. The coming week will be marked by rather mild weather. Saharan dust could influence the cloudiness in the middle of the week before a more unstable and uncertain weekend.

Whether you are enjoying some days off or staying busy with your everyday activities, we invite you to discover our suggestions for a green spring in Geneva. From exhibitions and conferences to guided tours and DIY workshops, you are sure to find some interesting events to learn about and act for the environment.

World Heritage Day

The International Day for Monuments and Sites, also known as World Heritage Day, is celebrated each year on 18 April. On this day, humanity celebrates those landmarks and areas which have outstanding cultural, historical, natural or scientific value. In 2022, the day is celebrated under the theme “Heritage and Climate”, which emphasizes the potential of cultural heritage to enable inclusive, transformative and just climate action. The day should become a time to reflect on how heritage conservation research and practice can deliver climate-resilient pathways to strengthen sustainable development while advocating for just transitions to low-carbon futures.

For World Heritage Day, the Geneva Environment Network invites you to learn more about the importance of heritages sites, discover the 13 sites in Switzerland – including the “Immeuble Clarté” in Geneva – and the organizations active in the region on this topic. More information in our World Heritage 2022 update.

A Step Forward for Environmental Rights in Latin America and the Caribbean

The Escazú Agreement is the Regional Agreement on Access to Information, Public Participation and Justice in Environmental Matters in Latin America and the Caribbean. It was adopted in Escazú, Costa Rica, on 4 March 2018, and entered into force on 22 April 2021.

The virtual event “A Step Forward for Environmental Rights in Latin America and the Caribbean | 1st Meeting of the Parties to the Escazu Agreement in Santiago de Chile (20-22 April 2022)” will take place on the eve of the 1st meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Escazu Agreement, to be held in Santiago de Chile from 20 to 22 April 2022. The event will discuss the expectations of this major milestone. The Escazú Agreement being a parent instrument to the UNECE Aarhus Convention (also on Access to Information, Public Participation and Justice in Environmental Matters), the event includes perspectives from this instrument on this landmark moment for the Escazu Agreement. Register on Webex and join us Tuesday, 19 April, at 14:30 CEST.

International Mother Earth Day

On 22 April, the international community celebrates International Mother Earth Day or Earth Day, in recognition that the Earth and its ecosystems are our common home. By proclaiming this day, UN Member States expressed their conviction that it is necessary to promote Harmony with Nature in order to achieve a just balance among the economic, social and environmental needs of present and future generations. As the world is faced with a triple planetary crisis – climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution – the call for living in harmony with nature cannot be more timely.

The United Nations celebrates this observance through the Harmony with Nature initiative, a platform for global sustainable development that celebrates annually an interactive dialogue on International Mother Earth Day in New York. This year’s dialogue will focus on “Harmony with Nature and Biodiversity: Contributions of Ecological Economics and Earth-centered law”. More information in our International Mother Earth Day update.

Stockholm+50: Jobs and a Just transition for All in a Healthy Planet

The Geneva Stockholm+50 Dialogues are back on Earth Day to showcase Geneva’s contribution to this major global conference, taking place in June 2022. The virtual session “Jobs and a just transition for all in a healthy planet”, organized by the International Labour Organization and the Geneva Environment Network, will address the global environment agenda and its implications for decent work.

Our jobs and businesses depend on a healthy planet. The triple planetary crisis, climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution are disrupting millions of jobs and livelihoods. Our future depends on a just transition to a carbon- and resource-efficient economy. ILO studies show, for example, that implementing the Paris Agreement on Climate Change could create a net gain of 18 million jobs by 2030. The landmark UN Environment Assembly Resolution “End Plastic Pollution: Towards a legally binding instrument” and other outcomes of the UN Environment Assembly and the multilateral environmental agreements also offer major opportunities to create new jobs. Leading experts will discuss more particularly the move for the world of work on global regulation on plastics, the development of circular economies, the agenda on food systems, land and biodiversity, and set the stage for Stockholm+50. Register on Webex and joins us on Friday, 22 April, at 10:00 CEST.

Sign up for Geneva Health Forum

The Geneva Health Forum brings together key actors from all sectors to help find solutions to global health challenges. The 2022 edition of the forum will focus on “Covid-19 Pandemic and Environmental Emergency”, emphasizing the consequences of environmental and ecosystem degradation for human health. With dialogues on pollution, climate change, zoonoses and antimicrobial resistances, the conference taking place at the International Conference Center Geneva, from 3 to 5 May 2022, will address the major issues at the next of environmental, animal and human health. Interested parties are invited to sign up through early-bird registration by 15 April.

INTECOL2022: Calls for Abstracts and Workshops

The INTECOL 2022: Frontiers in Ecology: Science & Society, taking place from 28 August to 2 September 2022 in Geneva, has extended its Calls for Abstracts and Workshops. From ecology and the biodiversity crisis, to conservation and restoration, the world-renowned environmental Congress has 8 thematics and at least 48 proposed sessions that will provide a platform for ecologists to share their knowledge and work together to find creative solutions to world’s ecological issues. Interested parties are invited to submit their proposals by 20 April 2022.

What (Else) Should I Read or Watch Next?

Countries pledge record support to the Global Environment Facility | GEF | 8 April 2022
GEF-8 funding will scale up efforts to tackle biodiversity loss, climate change, pollution, with 29 countries having jointly pledged more than $5 billion for the Global Environment Facility.
How drug-resistant pathogens in water could spark another pandemic | UNEP | 6 April 2022
People around the world are unknowingly being exposed to water laced with antibiotics, which could spark the rise of drug-resistant pathogens and potentially fuel another global pandemic, warns a report from UNEP.
WGIII Contributions to AR6 – Climate Change 2022: Mitigation of Climate Change | IPCC | 4 April 2022
Informed by the reports of WGI and WGII showing the state and threat of global climate change on humans and the environment, the WG III provides an assessment of the world’s progress in limiting emissions, and the range of available options in mitigating the effects of climate change.
Call for input on the impact of toxics on Indigenous peoples | OHCHR | Deadline: 25 April 2022
To inform the Special Rapporteur’s report on “The impact of toxics on Indigenous peoples” to be presented at the 77th session of the UN General Assembly, in October 2022, SR Marcos Orellana is gathering inputs from States and other stakeholders.
Trade must be part of the global effort to address plastics pollution: DDG Paugam | WTO | 31 March 2022
International efforts to reduce plastics waste and promote more sustainable use of plastics must include a better understanding of the role trade can play in achieving these outcomes, Deputy Director-General Jean-Marie Paugam said on 31 March at the OECD’s annual Environment Ministerial Meeting in Paris.
Members launch discussions under trade and environmental sustainability work plan for 2022 | WTO | 31 March 2022
Participants addressed the following themes as set out in the work plan – trade-related climate measures and policies; challenges and opportunities for sustainable trade; environmental goods and services; the circular economy and circularity; and subsidies.
New Global Industry Alliance launched to tackle sea-based marine plastic litter | IMO | 1 April 2022
UN entities and the private sector, through the Global Industry Alliance, have joined forces to tackle sea-based marine plastic litter through the GloLitter Partnerships Project.
Life Below Water and Microplastic Pollution: From Science to Policy | Geneva Environment Network | 6 April 2022
Outcomes of the RFSD2022 side event organized within the Geneva Beat Plastic Pollution Dialogues, providing an overview of the current global state of science and policy of marine pollution by microplastics and possible impacts on life below water.
Next steps for the plastic pollution treaty: Vision and priorities for commitments and action | TESS, Global Governance Center, Geneva Environment Network | 7 April 2022
Outcomes of the Geneva Beat Plastic Pollution Dialogue event which discussed the overarching vision and specific goals the plastics treaty should aim to achieve, along with the key features the treaty will need to translate the UNEA-5 landmark resolution’s ambition into concrete commitments and meaningful action to end plastic pollution.
Briefing on the IPCC Climate Change 2022 Report: Mitigation of Climate Change | Geneva Environment Network | 8 April 2022
Outcomes of the briefing that provided an overview of the WG III contributions to the AR6 report, with leading experts reflecting on its findings and the next steps.