plastic pollution

World Health Organization Executive Board 152nd Session

The 152nd session of the Executive Board takes place on 30 January – 7 February 2023. Proceedings will be webcast from this page:

who.int/about/governance/executive-board/executive-board-152nd-session

The Executive Board is composed of 34 technically qualified members elected for three-year terms. The main functions of the Board are to implement the decisions and policies of the Health Assembly, and to advise and generally facilitate its work.

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Human Rights, please email the co-chairs at bobbinassar@yahoo.com or bknotts@uua.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Social Development, please visit ngosocdev.org. For more information on the NGO Committee for Rare Diseases, please visit ngocommitteerarediseases.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Children’s Rights/NY, please visit childrightsny.org.

Leadership for Change: A Call to Action from Sisters Supporting Vulnerable Communities

This side event will address SDGs 14, 15, and 17 – under review at this year’s High-Level Political Forum – by featuring panelists with expertise in creating environmental initiatives that serve and support our planet’s most vulnerable communities. Panelists will include Sisters engaged in grassroots advocacy, speakers from civil society sharing best practices for partnerships around the SDGs, and representatives from Member States with experience of collaborating to make the 2030 Agenda a reality for all. With this event, we aim to model effective implementation of SDG 17, Partnerships for the Goals. UNANIMA and UISG are partnering to produce a concise and powerful call to action, drawing from the experiences of Sisters as development leaders, with concrete policy recommendations on achieving the relevant SDGs.

Join live here on July 7 at 1pm Eastern / 7pm CET:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82672796766?pwd=uuOs9L9gjyMT_WOZAq3SV38ZlU4CWs.1&mc_cid=13e5b4d572&mc_eid=e1bba69d46#success

Through this event, UNANIMA International and the International Union of Superiors General (UISG) will bring to Member States the distinctive voices of Catholic Sisters – women leaders supporting marginalized communities around the world – with a strong call to action on SDGs 14, 15 and 17, under review at this Forum.

The Goals:

SDGs 14 and 15 were established by the UN in 2015. Life Below Water aims to “conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.” Life on Land was created to “protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.” The Earth’s delicate ecosystems sustain and nourish life for all humans.

However, extractive industries, plastic pollution, and many other toxic practices are disrupting the relationship between people and our planet. Marginalized groups, Small-Island Developing States, and countries in the global south are particularly reliant on oceans and land for food security and wellbeing. Habitat loss caused by rising sea levels, deforestation, and other climate-related factors is wreaking havoc around the globe, forcing people to seek out temporary, crowded, and unsafe shelters where illness and infection spread quickly.

Climate injustice – including the loss of homes, biodiversity, and essential food and water supplies – is one of the most pressing obstacles to achieving the SDGs. Indigenous and local communities suffering from changes to their environments can often provide solutions to the challenges we face below water and on land: their insights will be essential in caring for the Earth as we approach 2030.

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women-NY, a Substantive Committee of the Conference of NGOs in Consultative Relationship at the United Nations, please visit ngocsw.org. For more information on the Committee of Religious NGOs at the United Nations, please visit rngos.wordpress.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on Financing for Development, please visit ngosonffd.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women-Vienna, please visit ngocswvienna.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women-Geneva, please visit ngocsw-geneva.ch.

Fourth Oceans Forum on trade-related aspects of Sustainable Development Goal 14

06 – 08 April 2022

Palais des Nations, Room XXVI

Online and Geneva, Switzerland

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A shift to a sustainable ocean economy: Facilitating post-COVID-19 recovery and resilience

The ocean’s resources sustain the livelihoods of about 3 billion people worldwide, the vast majority of whom live in developing countries. But those livelihoods are under threat, as the ocean and its ability to sustain life are in grave danger due to human activities, such as pollution and overfishing.

Every year, an estimated 5 to 12 million metric tonnes of plastic flow into the ocean, which represents 95% of our planet’s biosphere. And due to overfishing, the percentage of fish stocks within biologically sustainable levels fell from 90% in 1990 to less than 66% in 2017.

The 4th Oceans Forum, to be held from 6 to 8 April 2022, is a unique platform to identify ways to change course.

It’s an opportunity to find solutions for using trade as a tool to protect our ocean and its resources, accelerating the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14’s trade-related targets.

Topics

The high-level opening of the Oceans Forum will tackle challenges and opportunities for the ocean economy to contribute to a sustainable and resilient post-COVID-19 recovery for all countries.

During three days, the forum will convene experts and representatives from United Nations agencies, regional bodies, governments, civil society organizations, and research and scientific institutions to address the following topics:

Emerging sustainable ocean economy sectors, such as seaweed production
Transparency and fish subsidies support mechanisms
Ocean economy markets and non-tariff measures reform
Social sustainability of fisheries and aquaculture value chains
Sustainable and resilient maritime supply chains
Trade-related aspects of marine litter and plastic pollution

Hybrid format

Taking into consideration current COVID-19 safety measures, the forum will be held as a hybrid event. It is open to the public, but registration is required.

Morning sessions will convene from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and afternoon sessions from 3 to 5 p.m. CET.

Expected outcome

H.E. Ms. Usha Dwarka-Canabady, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Mauritius to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva, will chair the forum.

As the chair, Ms. Dwarka-Canabady will consolidate the forum’s conclusions and recommendations in an official report that will be sent to the governments of Portugal and Kenya, the co-conveners of the 2022 United Nations Oceans Conference, which will be held in Lisbon from 27 June to 1 July.

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CoNGO Notes: To learn about collaborative work done by NGOs about the issue above and related matters, visit the work of CoNGO related NGO substantive committees. For specific information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-NY, please visit ngocsd-ny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-Vienna, please visit ngocsdvienna.org.

[workshop] Friends of Governance for Sustainable Development

The next workshop for the Friends of Governance for Sustainable Development will be on the 15th of December 9am to 1pm (EDT). This workshop will have three sessions.Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_cKvlWSRiSTi0c5SNXgBWYg Session 1: Marine Litter and Plastic Pollution at UNEA-5.2, with the aim of achieving a new Global AgreementSession 2:: Strengthen Environment Governance and Law (formerly The Global Pact on the Environment)Session 3: Glasgow Climate Summit COP 26 outcomes – where are we?Presenters and Respondents will include:

Liz Thompson, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary with responsibility for Climate Change, Small Island Developing States and Law of the Sea
Mr. Sérgio Carvalho Counsellor Permanent Mission of Portugal
Yunus Arikan, Director of Global Advocacy ICLEI World Secretariat
Craig Jones, Executive Director, Government & Corporate Affairs, General Electric (GE)
Layalee Ramahi North America Network Coordinator United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI)
Alberto Quesada Policy Advocacy Advisor Technical expert on single-use plastics and marine litter, Fundacion MarViva
Dr. Michael Dorsey, Club of Rome and Limited Partner at Ibersun
Prof. Felix Dodds, Water Institute UNC

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, please visit facebook.com/NGOCoRIP. For more information on the NGO Committee on Financing for Development, please visit ngosonffd.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-NY, please visit ngocsd-ny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-Vienna, please visit congocsd.wordpress.com.

[postponed] 21st session, Intergovernmental Working Group on the Right to Development

Announcement to civil society partners & interested participants:

The twenty-first session of the Intergovernmental Working Group on the Right to Development, planned to take place from 2 to 6 November 2020, is postponed to 3-7 May 2021, Ariana 1, Palais des Nations, Geneva, due to the current circumstances arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Organized by the NGO Liaison Unit, Political Affairs and Partnerships Section
Office of the Director-General, United Nations Office at Geneva, Palais des Nations, unog.ngo@un.org

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Social Development, please visit ngosocdev.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-Vienna, please visit ngocsdvienna.org.