Environment: What’s Up in GENeva | 19 – 25 October 2020

The Geneva Environment Network weekly newsletter includes updates on global environmental agenda, main events, job vacancies expiring soon, learning opportunities, as well as other useful news and updates. During the COVID-19 pandemic, some live events organized by organizations around the world, contributing to the global environmental agenda, have also been included. Stay tuned and follow us also on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or visit our website regularly for additional updates.

Another busy week with numerous events and the possibility to join live events organized around the world.

Chemicals and Waste: From Science to Policy, Global Issues of Concern, Challenges and Opportunities

On Tuesday 20 October, 14:00 CEST, a briefing, organized within the framework of the Geneva Environment Network, will present two reports developed in response to formal reporting requests by the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA):

An Assessment Report on Issues of Concern | Aims at informing the international community about the current situation of specific issues of concern, based on a review of published evidence, in order to support further discussion at UNEA-5 and other international forums working towards sound management of chemicals and waste.
Assessment of Options for Strengthening the Science-Policy Interface at the International Level for the Sound Management of Chemicals and Waste | Seeks to facilitate and inform discussions on strengthening the science-policy interface for chemicals and waste management and to provide elements for bringing agendas together, and how science-policy platforms need to interact and inform each other.

Join us online on Webex.

E-Waste Day Celebrations

The celebrations of the E-Waste Day continue this week, with events hosted by ITU and the Basel Convention.

Internet Waste Dialogue | ITU & WEEE Forum | Monday 19 October | 15:00 – 16:30 CEST
The objective of the webinar is to discuss the opportunities and challenges of end-of-life management of infrastructure equipment that enables connectivity. The webinar will bring together various manufacturing and recycling companies as well as service providers to elaborate on waste management of data centres, 5G and IoT.
E-waste Challenge MOOC live event to celebrate International E-waste Day 2020 | Inclusive e-waste recycling businesses in developing countries – WRF | Basel Convention | 21 October 2020 | 10:00 – 11:00 CEST
The session will introduce key factors necessary to develop sustainable and inclusive e-waste recycling businesses in developing countries.

Minamata Online

Minamata Online, the new series of digital engagement providing an opportunity for stakeholders to better understand the Minamata Convention. This week don’t miss on 22 October, the session outlining how the Minamata Convention sets out obligations with regard to the control and reduction of mercury and mercury compounds to the atmosphere (Article 8 and Annex D).

UN Day: The Future We Want, The UN We Need

UN Day, celebrated on 24 October, marks the anniversary of the entry into force in 1945 of the UN Charter. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the United Nations and its founding Charter. #UNDay #UN75

In January 2020, the United Nations launched the global consultation to mark its 75th anniversary, through surveys and dialogues. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the consultation revealed a strong call for action on inequalities and climate change, as well as more solidarity. Looking to the future, the overwhelming concerns are the climate crisis and the destruction of our natural environment. Read the UN75 Report.

International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week 2020

The eighth International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week (ILPPW) will start on Sunday 25 October 2020, and will focus on the need to accelerate progress towards the global phase out of lead paint through regulatory and legal measures. The manufacture and sale of lead paint is still permitted in over 60% of countries, presenting a continuing and future source of lead exposure for children and workers. #ILPPW #BanLeadPaint

COVID-19 and the Environment

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. Among the press releases and articles issued last week:

Building a Greener Recovery: Lessons from the Great Recession | UNEP | October 2020
The first in a series of UNEP reports designed to help countries build back more sustainably from the pandemic.
What Happens When Covid-19 Meets Toxic Air? India Is About to Find Out | The New York Times | 15 October 2020
UN chief urges ministers to provide ‘decisive leadership’ on climate action | UN News | 12 October 2020
Nature Hires: How nature-based solutions can power a green jobs recovery | WWF and ILO | 12 October 2020
Choosing a sustainable way out of the pandemic’s economic chaos | Paul Steele | IIED Blog | 12 October 2020

Every week, events around the world and in Geneva focus on the global response to COVID-19 and a green recovery. This week the EU Green Week, referred to as the biggest annual event on European environmental policy, is taking place, under the theme of nature and biodiversity. The sessions, involving various colleagues from international Geneva, will explore the contribution biodiversity can make to society and the economy, and the role it can play in supporting and stimulating recovery in a post-pandemic world.

Green Autumn in Geneva

Consult our list of suggestions of environmental awareness activities to entertain this fall, regularly updated. From exhibitions and film screenings to creative workshops and outdoor activities, learn more about the environment, encounter local wildlife and explore nature trails for a “green” autumn in Geneva.

What (Else) Should I Read Next?

Short Answers to Big Questions on the WTO and the Environment| WTO | 16 October 2020
The report explores trade’s impact on the planet, the policies that governments enact to protect it and the role of the WTO regarding environmental issues.
Financing Circularity: Demystifying Finance for the Circular Economy | UNEP FI | 13 October 2020
Financiers can and must make the shift to circularity, ensuring the consumption and production patterns of the businesses they invest in, to make more efficient use of resources and minimize waste, pollution and carbon emissions.
State of Climate Services 2020 Report: Move from Early Warnings to Early Action | WMO | 13 October 2020
Extreme weather and climate events have increased in frequency, intensity and severity as result of climate change and hit vulnerable communities disproportionately hard. Yet one in three people are still not adequately covered by early warning systems.
The Human Cost of Disasters 2000-2019| UNDRR | 13 October 2020
Published to mark the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, the report confirms how extreme weather events have come to dominate the disaster landscape, from 2000 to 2019.
Promoting Nature-based Solutions in the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework | IUCN | 13 October 2020
There is an opportunity here for the CBD to ride the wave of calls by Parties and UN entities to “build back better and greener” from the COVID-19 pandemic and lead by example, by setting strong targets that fully integrate Nature-based Solutions.
Children’s Rights and the Environment – Guidance On Reporting To The Committee On The Rights Of The Child | CERI | 2020
This guidance can also be used as a resource to support reporting on children’s environmental rights within the context of other sustainable development and environmental agreements, such as the Paris Agreement and SDGs, and to national accountability mechanisms such as National Human Rights Institutions.
Internet Waste – A thought paper for International E-Waste Day 2020 | ITU & WEEE Forum | October 2020
The aim of this paper is to raise awareness about waste from infrastructure that supports connectivity and the need for sustainable WEEE management practices within data centre and telecommunications industries considering forecasted growth.
The Business Case for a UN Treaty on Plastic Pollution| WWF, Ellen MacArthur Foundation and BCG | October 2020
The publication sets out the opportunities to business of a UN treaty on plastic pollution.