Environment: What’s Up in GENeva | 9 – 15 January 2023

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 | Genève, débordement de l’Arve dans la nuit du 14 au 15 septembre 1733 | Robert Gardelle (Genève, 09/04/1682 – Genève, 07/03/1766) | Bibliothèque de Genève. Historical flood of the Arve River in 1733 (destruction of bridges).

2023 and the Global Environmental Agenda

Happy New Year to all! After a busy year in 2022 that led to the adoption of historic decisions to tackle the triple planetary crisis, various key events for the future of our planet are scheduled to take place around the world this year. Consult our updated page on the International Environmental Negotiations Agenda.

Among the international meetings planned this year, here are of particular interest for international Geneva:

Resumed session SPP CWP OEWG-1 | 30 January – 3 February | Bangkok, Thailand
Resumed session of the 4th meeting of the intersessional process (IP4) | 27 February – 3 March | Nairobi, Kenya
58th session of the IPCC | Adoption of the AR6 Synthesis Report | 13 – 17 March | Interlaken, Switzerland
UN 2023 Water Conference | 22 – 24 March | UN Headquarters in New York
BRS COPs (Basel Convention COP16, Rotterdam Convention COP11, Stockholm Convention COP11) | 1 – 12 May | Geneva
76th World Health Assembly | 21 – 30 May | Geneva
Plastic Pollution INC-2 | 22 – 26 May (TBC) | Paris, France
High-Level Political Forum 2023 | 10 – 19 July | New York, US
2023 World Resources Forum | 5 – 7 September | Geneva
Global Intergovernmental Meeting on Minerals | 7 – 8 September | Geneva
5th International Conference on Chemicals Management (ICCM5) | 25 – 29 September | Bonn, Germany
Minamata COP5 | 30 October – 3 November | Geneva
Plastic Pollution INC-3 | 13 – 17 November (TBC) | Nairobi, Kenya
UNFCCC COP28 | 30 November – 12 December | United Arab Emirates
SPP CWP OEWG-2 | Q4 2023 | Location TBC

Ongoing decades:

International Decade of Indigenous Languages | 2022-2032
United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration | 2021-2030
United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development | 2021-2030
International Decade for Action “Water for Sustainable Development” | 2018-2028
United Nations Decade of Sustainable Energy for All | 2014-2024

2023 is also the

International Year of Millets

A Science-Policy Panel to Contribute Further to the Sound Management of Chemicals and Waste and to Prevent Pollution

The resumed first session of the ad hoc Open-Ended Working Group on the Science-Policy Panel to Contribute Further to the Sound Management of Chemicals and Waste and to Prevent Pollution (OEWG-1.2) will be held in person in Bangkok, Thailand, at the end of this month, as a follow-up to resolution 5/8, adopted at the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) last year. This week a briefing organized within the framework of the Geneva Environment Network will provide updates on the preparations of this important event and how stakeholders can engage in the process. → Join us in person or online on Thursday 12 January at 13.30 CET.

Ending Plastic Pollution Agenda: Preparing for INC-2

The second session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-2) will tentatively take place in Paris, France, from 22 to 26 May 2023. At the first meeting (INC-1), governments requested the secretariat to prepare a document to be considered at INC-2 with potential options for elements towards an international legally binding instrument, based on a comprehensive approach that addresses the full life cycle of plastics as called for by UNEA resolution 5/14.

The INC Secretariat invites Members of the Committee and observers to provide written submissions. Upon requests from stakeholders, and in consultation with the Chair, the deadline for observers has been extended to 13 January 2023, while 10 February remains for Members of the Committee. All written submissions must be sent to unep-incplastic.secretariat@un.org. The statements received will be compiled and made available the INC website.

International Conference on Climate Resilient Pakistan

The International Conference on Climate Resilient Pakistan, co-hosted by the Government of Pakistan and the United Nations, on Monday 9 January 2023 at Palais des Nations, Room XVII, is a significant event that brings together a diverse group of leaders and organizations to address the issue of climate resilience in Pakistan. It is important for countries and communities to be proactive in addressing the challenges posed by a changing climate and to develop strategies to become more resilient to the impacts of extreme weather events and other climate-related hazards. → Read more and watch the conference on UNTV

What (Else) to Read Next?

What is the Right to a Healthy Environment? | UNDP, OHCHR, UNEP | 5 January 2023
This Information Note, co-authored by UNDP, OHCHR, and UNEP, unpacks the elements and importance of the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment and outlines how diverse stakeholders can play an active role in making the right a reality for all.
2023: The year sport strengthens its relationship with nature | Matthew Campelli | The Sustainability Report | 5 January 2023
Nature’s value to sport touches on almost every aspect of its core business. An investment in nature is a partial investment in all of those areas.
Why 2023 will be a watershed year for climate litigation | Isabella Kaminski | The Guardian | 4 January 2023
2023 could be even more important, with hearings and judgments across the world poised to throw light on the worst perpetrators, give victims a voice and force recalcitrant governments and companies into action.
Here’s How We Protect Earth’s Defenders | Mie Hoejris Dahl | Atmos | 4 January 2023
After a deadly decade for environmental activists and defenders of the Earth, the article asks: is there a way out?
Tobacco: Vaping and smoking drive environmental harm from farm to fingertip | Sean Mowbray | Mongabay | 22 December 2022
E-cigarettes have been classified as a “rising environmental threat,” but they are only part of the global harm linked to the tobacco industry.
Voluntary Sustainability Standards in International Trade | UNCTAD | 20 December 2022
Many initiatives have been developed that seek to govern global trade in a way that would make it more sustainable. One important initiative is the development and implementation of voluntary sustainability standards (VSS) relating to products and production processes.
Green bonds: the disappearing greenium is a welcome development | Lex | Financial Times | 2 January 2023
Green bonds are heading towards normalisation. The “greenium” — a yield discount that investors in green paper accepted compared with identical non-green bonds — has been shrinking. Its demise signals maturity for the sustainable debt market.
Legal Solutions to Reduce the Environmental Burdens of Disposables. A Comparison of EU, Canadian and Swiss Law | Christine Bühler | Zenodo | 22 November 2022
Comparing legal solutions regulating disposables in the EU, Canada, and Switzerland, this thesis analyzes whether they explicitly intend or implicitly are capable of reducing environmental burdens caused by producing, using, and disposing of such goods.