Archives
UN World Data Forum 2023
At the third in-person UN World Data Forum in Hangzhou, China, delegates will seek solutions to challenges identified by the global data and statistics community, including developing more inclusive data as well as maximizing the use and value of data for better decision making.
UN 2023 Water Conference
Forty-six years after the last major UN water conference, the international community convened to advance efforts to provide safe water and sanitation for humanity. By the conference’s end, there was agreement to establish a UN Special Envoy for Water, renewed political momentum, and more than 700 voluntary commitments and pledges.
IUFRO Global Forest Expert Panel on Forests and Human Health - Launch of Assessment on Forests and Human Health
Forests, trees, and green spaces play a vital role in ensuring a healthy life for all on a global scale. This is one of the key messages of the global assessment titled “Forests and Trees for Human Health: Pathways, Impacts, Challenges and Response Options,” launched by the Global Forest Expert Panels Programme of the International Union of Forest Research Organization (IUFRO).
14th Meeting of the Monaco Blue Initiative
Held in a spirit of celebration of recent international progress, notably the newly agreed UN high seas treaty, the 14th Meeting of the Monaco Blue Initiative discussed options for ocean conservation and a sustainable blue economy. Debates centered on fisheries, marine protected areas, ecosystem restoration and scaling solutions.
1st Part of the 28th Annual Session of the International Seabed Authority (ISA)
The pressure is on as negotiators face impending deadlines for whether to adopt regulations, rules, and procedures to move forward with commercial exploitation of the deep sea or whether to call for a moratorium or precautionary pause on deep sea mining.
58th Session of the IPCC (IPCC-58)
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report is a clarion call to the world: the time for serious action on climate change is now, before it’s too late. The adoption of the Synthesis Report and its Summary for Policymakers marks the end of the sixth assessment cycle and raises questions about how the next assessment cycle should proceed.
Resumed 4th Meeting of the Intersessional Process for Considering SAICM and the Sound Management of Chemicals and Waste Beyond 2020
While delegates made great progress on a blueprint of a post-2020 instrument on the sound management of chemicals and waste, consensus was elusive in this multi-stakeholder process. Negotiations will continue on the eve of the International Conference on Chemicals Management in Bonn, Germany in September 2023.
13th Meeting of the Open-ended Working Group of the Basel Convention
Delegates had three days to address the challenges of updating the Basel Convention and its associated tools on issues including e-waste, plastic wastes, and modernizing the prior informed consent (PIC) procedure, while working to ensure the Convention is functioning effectively given the shifting landscape of chemicals and waste policy.
Resumed 5th Session of the Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) on BBNJ
Governments agreed on a draft treaty on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction. The eventual treaty will address exploitation of marine genetic resources, including benefit-sharing; establish area-based management tools, such as marine protected areas; set procedures for environmental impact assessments; and provide capacity building and transfer of marine technology.