Environment: What’s Up in GENeva | 4 -10 October 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.

Photo | Ninth session of the Meeting of the Parties to the Water Convention, Palais des Nations, Room XVIII, 29 September – 1 October 2021 | © IISD/ENB, Mike Muzurakis for UNECE

Environment @ 48th Session of the Human Rights Council

The 48th Session of the Human Rights Council (HRC48), will conclude this week in Geneva. Council members will have the historic opportunity to adopt the resolution of the core-group on human rights and environment (Costa Rica, Maldives, Morocco, Slovenia, Switzerland), recognizing the right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment. Council members will also have the historic opportunity to adopt a resolution focused on the establishment of a mandate of a Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of climate change (core group: Bahamas, the European Union, Fiji, Panama, Paraguay, Sudan, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands).

Our update provides the latest news and highlights the environmental-related activities of this session. On the agenda this week:

Side Event | Human Mobility, Human Rights and Climate Change at the Human Rights Council – Disaster Displacement | Tuesday, 5 October at 13:30 CEST
Organized by the Platform on Disaster Displacement and the Permanent Mission of Luxembourg, with the support of co-sponsors, the event will aim at putting the human rights of persons displaced in the context of the adverse effects of climate change, and in particular slow-onset events, back on the agenda of the HRC.
Press Briefing | Time Is Now for a Healthy Environment for All | Tuesday, 5 October at 14:00 CEST
Young people, business, civil society organizations, human rights institutions and other stakeholders, will come together to host a press briefing demonstrating the widespread and global solidarity on the call for governments to support the universal recognition of the human right to a healthy environment. Media can register on Zoom.

Urban October

Urban October – a yearly campaign by UN-Habitat and partners to foster discussions around urban sustainability – is kicking off this week with World Habitat Day, on 4 October. Under this year’s theme “Accelerating urban action for a carbon-free world“, World Habitat Day will amplify the global Race to Zero Campaign and UN-Habitat’s ClimateAction4Cities and encourage local governments to develop actionable zero-carbon plans in the run-up to the UNFCCC COP26 in November. Find out more in our update on Cities and the Environment.

On the agenda this week the 2021 UNECE Ministerial Meeting on Urban Development, Housing and Land Management, from 6 to 8 October, under the theme “Affordable, adequate, and resilient housing in liveable cities, including cities which face extreme weather conditions”. Pre-meeting In focus: SDG 11 “Housing & sustainable urban development in a world marked by Covid-19 and climate change” , co-convened by the Geneva Cities Hub, UN-Habitat and UNECE, on Wednesday 6 October, at 9:30 CEST.

From Inequality and Vulnerability to Prosperity for All | UNCTAD15

The fifteenth session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development – UNCTAD 15, hosted by the Government of Barbados in a hybrid format, with events in Barbados, Geneva and across the world, opens on 4 October under the theme “From inequality and vulnerability to prosperity for all”. A virtual conference space is available for those who want to have the opportunity to hear from world leaders and global experts, visit exhibition booths, participate in campaigns and network with other attendees. Activities related to the global environmental agenda include:

World Leaders Summit – Dialogue I: Global vulnerabilities – Call from a vulnerable place | 4 October 2021, 16:30 – 18:00 CEST
Will address two current vulnerabilities our world faces: health and climate change, with a focus on the role trade will play in these crisis. UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen will be speaking in the event.
Ministerial Roundtable II: Reshaping global and regional value chains | 6 October 2021, 16:00 – 17:30 CEST
Will focus on new ways of reconfiguring global value chains (GVCs) that focus on recovery and resilience towards a more inclusive and sustainable growth.
Ministerial Roundtable III: Regional integration for a resilient, inclusive and sustainable future | 6 October 2021, 18:00 – 19:30 CEST
Aims to promote tangible actions that will enable regional integration to establish and improve synergistic linkages between trade and socioeconomic and environmental imperatives.

Data and Environment @ UN World Data Forum

This week, the hybrid UN World Data Forum brings together data and statistical experts and users from governments, civil society, the private sector, donor and philanthropic bodies, international and regional agencies, the geospatial community, the media, academia and professional bodies, to spur data innovation, mobilize high-level political and financial support for data, and build a pathway to better data for sustainable development. Sessions addressing environmental challenges and involving experts from international Geneva include:

Open Environmental Data: A Digital Ecosystem for Earth and the SDGs | 4 October 2021, 15:00-16:00 CEST
Ensuring the future of sustainable water data — for citizens, scientists and policymakers | 5 October 2021, 9:00-10:00 CEST
Earth observations for enhanced decision making on connected land, biodiversity and climate agendas with impact stories from Africa | 5 October 2021, 9:00-10:00 CEST

Wednesdays for the Planet | The Song of the Sperm Whale

Wednesdays for the Planet is back this week, presenting the documentary “The Song of the Sperm Whale” by Stéphane Granzotto and François Sarano. The film follows for the first time a team of scientific divers immersing themselves in the daily life of a clan of cetaceans. Off the coast of Mauritius, and for seven years, they shared the fascinating life of the clan, and tried to unravel the mysteries of their communication through a specially designed recorder. Join us online on 6 October at 13:30 CEST to explore with Chris Johnson, Global Lead of the WWF Protecting Whales and Dolphins Initiative, the life of these creatures, the impacts humans have had on them, and their future.

Green Autumn in Geneva

As the air grows colder & leaves turn yellow, the city remains green. From exhibitions and workshops to outdoor activities, learn more about the environment, encounter local wildlife and explore nature trails for a “Green” Autumn in Geneva through our selection of event.

What (Else) Should I Read Next?

The Trade and Climate Change Nexus : The Urgency and Opportunities for Developing Countries | Paul Brenton, Vicky Chemutai | World Bank | 29 September 2021
Explores the different ways in which trade and climate change intersect. While trade exacerbates climate change, it is also a central part of the solution because it has the potential to enhance mitigation and adaptation.
Climate, pandemic, e-commerce, inclusivity — Public Forum addresses priorities for reform | WTO | 29 September 2021
This new report, published by the World Bank with the support of the WTO, explores the different ways in which trade and climate change intersect. It underlines that while trade exacerbates climate change, it is also a central part of the solution.
9th Session of the Meeting of the Parties to the Water Convention | IISD/ENB Coverage | 29- September – 1 October 2021
Daily coverage and outcomes of the 9th Session of the Meeting of the Parties to the Water Convention.
Nature-based Solutions and the Ocean | Geneva Nature-based Solutions Dialogues | GEN & IUCN | 27 September 2021
Session highlighted the key role of Nature-based Solutions for preserving, restoring, and sustainably managing the ocean, while delivering benefits for people and nature.
Announcement of the 2021 Right Livelihood Award Laureates | Right Livelihood | 29 September 2021
The 2021 Laureates of the Right Livelihood Award were announced in Stockholm on Wednesday, 29 September. In the face of the escalating climate and environmental crises, senseless violence, and blatant human rights abuses, they successfully engage for a better future through solidarity and organization.