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Newsletter 21 Jun 2021

Environment: What’s Up in GENeva | 21 – 27 June 2021

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. 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, Youtube, or visit our website regularly for additional updates.

Due to the developments in the sanitary situation, various institutions in Geneva continue operating virtually. 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: Warming Stripes for Switzerland from 1864-2020. Broadcast meteorologists and climate scientists are uniting on 21 June – the Summer/Winter Solstice – for Show Your Stripes day to raise awareness of the urgent need to act on climate change – download climate stripes.

Global Trade & Environment Agenda

Busy week for who follows or is interested in the global trade and environment agenda.

WTO’s Committee on Trade and Environment (CTE) is meeting this week in Geneva. Interested stakeholders have the possibility to join a CTE side event:

Other multi-stakeholder events organized in parallel to the CTE:

WTO negotiations on fisheries subsidies continue this week in Geneva. WTO Director-General, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, told heads of delegations on 14 June that WTO negotiations on fisheries subsidies have progressed ahead of the 15 July meeting of ministers, but gaps remain and much is left to be done to secure an agreement. A meeting of the Trade Negotiations Committee, chaired by the Director-General, will be held on 25 June for members to discuss how the July ministerial meeting will be run.

The Informal dialogue on plastics pollution and environmentally sustainable plastics trade, launched in November 2020 by a group of WTO members, is scheduled to convene this week. It aims at supporting WTO members’ efforts to reduce plastics pollution and to promote sustainable trade in plastics, with a view to reaching an outcome at the 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12). Last week, the Global Governance Centre at the Graduate Institute, the new established Forum on Trade, Environment and the SDGs (TESS), the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), UNEP Environment and Trade Hub, the Geneva Environment Network, and the Geneva Trade Platform hosted the online launch of the report How can international trade policy help tackle plastic pollution? (watch video), which will be made available for download this week.

Climate Change @ Human Rights Council

The 47th Regular Session of the Human Rights Council (HRC47) is taking place from 21 June to 15 July 2021 in Geneva and virtually. Our update highlights the environmental-related activities of this session.

Climate will be high on the agenda of HRC47. The HRC is expected to adopt its annual resolution on human rights and climate change. The OHCHR’s analytical study on the promotion and protection of the rights of older persons in the context of climate change (A/HRC/47/46), requested last year in Resolution 44/7, will be presented at this session, and discussed at the Council’s Panel on Climate Change on 30 June. Various side events are in preparation and will be announced in due time. Stay tuned.

CITES Animal & Plant Committees

The 31st meeting of the CITES Animals Committee and the 25th meeting of the CITES Plants Committee are concluding virtually this week. Both gatherings were originally scheduled to take place in July 2020. The Committees are discussing the conservation and trade status of selected species of wild fauna and flora and address a wide-ranging number of scientific and technical issues relating to trade in CITES-listed wildlife. Plenary and joint sessions are broadcasted live in English, Spanish and French and viewable to the public on the CITES YouTube Channels.

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