Environment: What’s Up in GENeva | 14 – 20 November 2022

The Geneva Environment Network’s weekly newsletter includes the latest information on the global environmental agenda, main events, job vacancies, learning opportunities, 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.

Image of the week | Sonja Köppel, Secretary of the Water Convention, speaking at Ramsar COP14 Side Event “Unpacking the Potential of Wetlands for Addressing Climate Change and Biodiversity Loss“. © UNEP/GEN, Marina Garlatti, 8 November 2022.

Climate Negotiations Week Two | Geneva at Sharm el-Sheikh

A lot remains on the agenda for the second week of the Sharm el-Sheikh Climate Change Conference – UNFCCC COP27, where international Geneva is highly engaged. Most institutions have issued dedicated pages with details on their activities at COP27. → Find the Geneva organization’s activities in our dedicated update.

Last week notable statements and announcements were made by UN officials, member states and other stakeholders. Organizations from Geneva and beyond continue providing useful knowledge for negotiators through key reports and articles. In addition to the important publications issued ahead of the conference, recent resources include the following (for previous reports, check our earlier newsletters and climate change update):

FINANCE | Climate finance is one of the key topics addressed in Sharm el-Sheikh. This includes important negotiations on loss and damage, discussions on nature finance, and more.
- Financing Nature at COP27 | UNEP FI | 11 November 2022
- Climate Finance: What to Expect from COP27? | CUTS Geneva | November 2022
- Net-Zero Banking Alliance first progress report: significant achievement with over 50% setting intermediate decarbonisation targets | UNEP FI | 9 November 2022
HUMAN RIGHTS | Following last week’s call from UN independent experts on States to fully integrate human rights standards and principles in COP27 negotiations, both the UN Secretary General and the High Commissioner for Human Rights have been vocal on the need to have human rights front and center in the new climate agenda.
- Secretary-General’s remarks to High-Level opening of COP27 | UN SG Statement | 7 October 2022
  UN Secretary-General, at the High Level Opening of COP27 stated that it’s time for nations to come together in solidarity, fully respecting all human rights and guaranteeing a safe space for environmental defenders and all actors in society to contribute to our climate response.
- UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Tweets calling for Climate Action
  “We must come together for Climate Action,” tweeted the High Commissioner. “United for human rights and climate justice. The negotiations must have a clear outcome: a pathway to save the planet and preserve the right to a healthy environment.”
FOSSIL FUELS | More countries are joining the call for a fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty, while over 600 fossil fuel lobbyists have been reported to be at COP27.
- Tuvalu Prime Minister, Kausea Natano, called for a fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty, thus becoming the second country to endorse the initiative following Vanuatu. The initiative is currently supported by over 70 cities and subnational governments, 200 health institutions including WHO, faith institutions representing more than 1.5 billion people, around 3000 scientists and academics, and a large number of civil society organizations around the world.
- Fossil Fuelled Fallacy REPORT: How the Dash for Gas in Africa will fail to deliver development | 12 November 2022
- ‘Fossil fuels are a dead end’, says top UN climate adviser on ‘Decarbonization Day’ at COP27 | UN News | 11 November 2022
TRADE | WTO DG and various trade policy experts remind governments of the role of international trade and trade rules to address climate change.
- World Trade Report 2022 – Climate change and international trade | WTO | Read more | 7 & 8 November 2022
- DG Okonjo-Iweala: World “cannot afford to leave trade and WTO behind” in climate actions | WTO | 8 November 2022
- Trade and Climate-Resilient Development in Africa: Towards a Global Green New Deal | Forum on Trade, Environment and the SDGs (TESS) | 7 November 2022
NON STATE ACTORS | To develop stronger and clearer standards for net-zero emissions pledges by non-State entities – including businesses, investors, cities, and regions – and speed up their implementation, UN Secretary-General established on 31 March 2022 a High-Level Expert Group on the Net-Zero Emissions Commitments of Non-State Entities, which issued its first report at COP27.
- Integrity Matters: Net Zero Commitments by Businesses, Financial Institutions, Cities And Regions | United Nations’ High-Level Expert Group On The Net Zero Emissions Commitments | November 2022
  UN Secretary General called for zero tolerance for greenwashing at the launch of the report from his Net-Zero Expert group.
- Some insights from civil society organizations on the report have been compiled by CIEL.
HEALTH | While a recent EEA report warned that heatwaves could kill 90,000 Europeans per year by 2100, WHO is calling for a stronger focus on recognizing the health treat posed by the climate crisis.
- Health must be front and centre in the COP27 climate change negotiations | WHO | 6 November 2022
- Climate change is already killing us, but strong action now can prevent more deaths | Statement by WHO Europe Director | 7 November 2022
- Heatwaves, spread of infectious diseases due to climate change growing health threats to Europeans | EEA | 9 November 2022
GENDER | As environmental issues, including climate change, tend to put women at greater risk of gender-based violence, adopting an intersectional approach to women’s rights is necessary.
- Women’s Rights, Climate Change and Environment | Geneva Centre for Human Rights Advancement and Global Dialogue | 4 November 2022
- Gender, climate and finance: how investing in women can help combat climate change | UNEP FI | 4 November 2022
SCIENCE | In addition to the IPCC and WMO State of Climate Reports, other institutions have published reports detailing the latest climate science.
- 10 New Insights in Climate Science | Future Earth, The Earth League and WCRP | 10 November 2022
  The report identifies that the potential to adapt to climate change is not limitless, and outlines that persistent dependence on fossil fuels exacerbates major vulnerabilities, notably for energy and food security, and that deep and swift mitigation to tackle the drivers of climate change is immediately necessary to avert and minimise future loss and damage.
- The State of the Cryosphere report | International Cryosphere Climate Initiative | 7 November 2022
  The report details how a combination of melting polar ice sheets, vanishing glaciers, and thawing permafrost will have rapid, irreversible, and disastrous effects on the Earth’s population.
BIODIVERSITY | Protecting natural ecosystems and their ability to sequester and store atmospheric greenhouse gases is a vital component to mitigating climate change.
- Crimes that Affect the Environment and Climate Change | UNODC & WWF | November 2022
- Illegal Wildlife Trade and Climate Change | UNODC | November 2022
Reflections on Negotiations | Various stakeholders have issued statements at the end of the first week of negotiations.
- Risk of a lost week at COP27, but opportunity remains | WWF International | 11 November 2022

→ Follow live coverage of the conference through the Earth Negotiation Bulletin and UN News special coverage.

Towards a Global Plastics Treaty | Two Weeks to Go Before INC1

As Member States and stakeholders will meet in Punta del Este, Uruguay, later this month for the start of the negotiations for the global plastics treaty, various preparatory activities are taking place.

The Secretariat of the Intergovernmental negotiating committee (INC) to develop a legally binding instrument on plastic pollution has been hosting a series of technical briefings, with a final one happening this week. → Slides and recordings are available on the INC website.
Scientists are also mobilized. The journal Nature Reviews Earth & Environment dedicated its latest issue to plastic pollution, with a series of articles diving into the complexity of plastics and the opportunities for stronger global action on the matter. The issue includes a call from scientists to the UN to “aim for a minimum goal of 0% new plastic pollution by 2040”.
The High Ambition Coalition to End Plastic Pollution is gathering interest in the run-up to INC-1, as demonstrated by the latest briefing held in Geneva. → Find here some key points.
The summary and video of the Briefing on the 1st Session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to Develop an International Legally Binding Instrument on Plastic Pollution (Plastic Pollution INC-1) hosted by the Geneva Environment Network and partners as part of the Geneva Beat Plastic Pollution Dialogues are accessible online.

Recent reports on the plastic crisis also provide useful insights ahead of the negotiations, including:

Global plastics trade reached nearly $1.2 trillion in 2021 | UNCTAD | 10 November 2022
The UNCTADstat plastics trade dataset provides insights into trade over the life cycle of plastics by type of product, destination and source. It can help increase transparency and set baselines for policy commitments. The data highlights the urgent need to find sustainable substitutes for plastics.
Global Commitment 2022: Progress needs fresh acceleration as key target aimed at tackling plastic pollution set to be missed | Ellen MacArthur Foundation | 2 November 2022
The latest New Plastics Economy Global Commitment progress report warns that the objective to use only reusable, recyclable, or compostable plastic packaging by 2025 will likely not be met. A significant acceleration of policy efforts is needed to transition towards a circular economy for plastics.

→ Learn more about plastics and the environment in our dedicated update.

Parties to Biodiversity-related Conventions Meet to Halt Biodiversity Loss

The end of the year is packed with important milestones for the global biodiversity agenda.

The 14th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar Convention) concluded Sunday in Geneva, with the adoption of 21 resolutions. → Read the outcomes of the negotiations on the Earth Negotiations Bulletin.
The World Wildlife Conference or 19th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES CoP19) kicks off in Panama City on Monday 14 November. The 184 Parties to CITES will consider total of 52 proposals and more than 100 working documents at the meeting. With at least 2,000 participants expected, the conference is a strategic moment to conserve wildlife species, ensure that they can survive in the wild, and that indigenous peoples and local communities who rely on them can thrive. → Follow live coverage of the event through the Earth Negotiation Bulletin. Read the summary of the Geneva Briefing on the World Wildlife Conference.
Governments and other stakeholders will gather in Montreal in December for the second part of the UN Biodiversity Conference (Fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP-15) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the Tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (COP-MOP 10), and the Fourth 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 (NP-MOP 4)), taking place in Montreal, Canada, from 7 to 19 December 2022. The meeting is expected to adopt the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, which will set targets for 2030 in line with the vision of living in harmony with nature by 2050. Events will be held in Geneva to support preparations for the negotiations, including:
- Geneva Executive Briefing on the United Nations Biodiversity Conference | Geneva Environment Network | 30 November 2022, 14.00 – 15.30 CET
- On the Road to the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP15) | FAO Liaison Office in Geneva | 22 November 2022, 10.00 – 11.30 CET

World Antimicrobial Awareness Week 2022

The World Antimicrobial Awareness Week 2022 starts on 18 November, under the theme “Preventing Antimicrobial Resistance Together”. The campaign is a reminder that antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a threat to humans, animals, plants and the environment. The theme calls for collaboration across sectors through a One Health approach to to encourage the prudent use of antimicrobials and to strengthen preventive measures addressing AMR. → A series of events will take place throughout the week, concluding with the 3rd High-level Ministerial Conference on AMR in Muscat, Oman.

In Switzerland, the Federal Office of Public Health, the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office, and the Federal Office for the Environment recently published the “Swiss Antibiotic Resistance Report 2022“, which showcased positive trends of decreasing numbers of prescribed antibiotics in the country. As such, the report highlights encouraging outcomes of the country’s Strategy on Antibiotic Resistance, which was adopted in 2015.

AMR depends greatly on the interaction between humans, animals and the environment, hence, adopting a One Health approach is critical for developing appropriate responses. → Read more on this topic in our One Health update.