GOAL OF THE MONTH – Special Focus – Environment
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Where We Are
There has never been a more urgent need to protect and restore the environment. Without consolidated efforts to safeguard our planet’s climate, biodiversity and finite resources, there can be no sustainable future. As we celebrate key moments related to the environment this month, our newsletter looks at how the United Nations is working to address global environmental challenges and how you can engage.
The world continues to experience unprecedented environmental change and remains in the throes of a triple planetary crisis: climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss.
The United Nations continues to make progress to address these intertwined challenges, bolstered by the July 2022 milestone resolution that established the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment as a human right:
- UNFCCC COP 28 in Dubai in December 2023 was the largest COP ever held. It brought over 85,000 people together, including 150 Heads of State, national delegations, civil society, indigenous people and youth, among other stakeholders. COP agreed on a roadmap to ratchet up efforts to keep temperature increases below 1.5°C – a historic commitment that included, for the first time ever, language on fossil fuels. New funding for loss and damage was also agreed upon, with commitments now over $650 million.
- The first-ever Sustainability Week was convened by the President of the General Assembly at United Nations Headquarters in April in New York New York shone a light on critical topics such as sustainable transport.
- The Fourth Session (INC-4) of negotiations to develop a groundbreaking international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment, took place in Ottawa at the end of April 2024, with the work culminating in Busan in November of this year.
- Preparations are underway for the 2025 UN Ocean Conference hosted by France & Costa-Rica in France next summer, which will focus on accelerating action and mobilizing all actors to conserve and sustainably use the ocean.
While the importance of individual action should not be understated, the scale of the environmental challenges we are facing requires system-wide efforts from governments, the private sector, finance and other influential institutional stakeholders.
““With the 1.5-degree limit in temperature rise already fast approaching, we cannot accept the disappearance of any country or culture under the rising waves.”
– António Guterres, UN Secretary-General, 4th International Conference on Small Island Developing States [27 May 2024]
SDG 15 IN NUMBERS
- Over 1 million plants, animals and other living things facing the threat of extinction.
- 7 million hectares of forests are destroyed every year, particularly in tropical regions.
- It is projected that the world’s cities will produce 2.2 billion tonnes of waste every year by 2025, more than three times the amount produced in 2009.
- Environmental contamination causes approximately nine million deaths annually, with air pollution causing nearly seven million deaths.
Spotlight
5 | Moment of Truth: Special Address on Climate Action by UN Secretary-General
Join UN Secretary-General António Guterres for a special address on the state of climate change and climate action, during which he will set out a roadmap for the next 18 months for governments and the private sector. He will also share new data from the World Meteorological Organization and the Copernicus Climate Change Service. The Secretary-General will be joined by Michael R. Bloomberg, UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Climate Ambition and Solutions and Sean M. Decatur, President of the American Museum of Natural History.
The address will be livestreamed on Wednesday, June 5th at 10:00AM EDT on UN WebTV
5 | World Environment Day
World Environment Day is the biggest international day for the environment. Led by the United Nations Environment Programme and held annually since 1973, it has grown to be the largest global platform for environmental outreach.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will host World Environment Day 2024 with a focus on land restoration, desertification and drought resilience. Land restoration is a key pillar of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030), a rallying call for the protection and revival of ecosystems all around the world, which is critical to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
8 | World Ocean Day
World Ocean Day was established to shine a light on the critical role played by oceans in our everyday lives, be it their role in climate regulation, food, our economies, and as key ecosystems.
This year’s global observance will take place on June 7th, and will focus on how to “awaken new depths” of understanding, compassion, collaboration and commitments to protect our oceans. A hybrid celebration will also be held from 10:30-1:30PM ET on June 7th, featuring UN Secretary-General António Guterres, along with policy makers, scientists, artists, thought leaders and business managers to expand our understanding and appreciation for the oceans.
Find the full program here and register to attend here.
17 | World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought
The 2024 World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought’s theme is “United for Land. Our Legacy. Our Future”, emphasizing the transformative power of sustainable land use – a blueprint to the healthy future on land for future generations. The theme is a call to a recharged global action for sustainable land management and drought resilience in the lead-up to the 16th COP of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in December 2024 in Saudi Arabia.
The observance coincides with the 30th anniversary of the UNCCD and will be hosted by the Government of Germany. It will bring together world leaders, youth and prominent personalities from academia, civil society, sports and entertainment in Bonn, Germany, to showcase a strong ambition for sustainable land stewardship.
Find the full programme of events here and register to attend by emailing [email protected]
Highlights
11-13 | 17th Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)
The 17th COSP of the CRPD will take place at UN Headquarters in New York. It will focus on “rethinking disability inclusion in the current international juncture and ahead of the Summit of the Future”.
It will be structured around a general debate, an interactive dialogue and three round-table discussions:
- International cooperation to promote technology innovations and transfer for an inclusive future;
- Persons with disabilities in situations of risk and humanitarian emergencies;
- Promoting the rights of persons with disabilities to decent work and sustainable livelihoods.
The UN Disability and Development Report 2024 will also be launched on 10 June 2024. The Report will provide an updated comprehensive analysis to address the needs of the international community to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals for persons with disabilities. It presents the most recent global analysis based on an unprecedented amount of data, legislation and policies from all countries to understand the socio-economic circumstances of persons with disabilities worldwide and the challenges and barriers they face in their daily lives, including the exacerbated impacts due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To access the report, please visit here.
Learn more about the conference here and find the provisional agenda here.
Upcoming International Days
18 | Sustainable Gastronomy Day
This year’s Sustainable Gastronomy Day shines a light on the strong environmental impact of our food systems and celebrates cuisines that take into account the origin of their ingredients, the way food is produced, and how it gets from the fields to our plates.
Learn more about sustainable food and agriculture on FAO’s webpage here.
18 | International Day for Countering Hate Speech
This year marks the 3rd edition of the International Day for Countering Hate Speech.
Ahead of June 18th, join the Outreach Programme on the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda and the United Nations on Tuesday, 4 June 2024, 8:30-9:30AM ET, for a virtual conversation of the role of media-led hate speech in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. Panelists and the audience will also discuss what the international community is doing now to curb misinformation and disinformation. Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions.
Register to attend here.
26 | International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking
The International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, or World Drug Day, is marked on 26 June to strengthen action and cooperation in achieving the goal of a world free of drug abuse.
On the day, UNODC will issue its annual World Drug Report, full of key statistics and factual data obtained through official sources, a science-based approach and research, to be published here.
Upcoming Events
27 | The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2024
The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2024 will be launched on 27 June during a press briefing at UNHQ New York. The annual report reviews progress on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development utilizing the latest available data and estimates assessing progress on each Goal and its associated targets. The report details the significant challenges the world is facing in making substantial strides towards achieving the SDGs.
8-17 July | High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF)
Next month, the 12th session of the HLPF will convene under the auspices of ECOSOC. The theme will be “reinforcing the 2030 Agenda and eradicating poverty in times of multiple crises: the effective delivery of sustainable, resilient and innovative solutions”.
HLPF will notably conduct an in-depth review of SDGs 1 (No Poverty), 2 (Zero Hunger), 13 (Climate Action), 16 (Peace, Justice & Strong Institutions) and 17 (Financing and Partnerships for the Goals).
ACTNOW for our Common Future
A healthy planet is essential to safeguard our future. It’s about ensuring clean air, fresh water, and thriving ecosystems that benefit all living things, including ourselves. On the road to the Summit of the Future, we are encouraging everyone to #ActNow, Speak Up, to show decision makers that people worldwide are taking a stand for a more sustainable future for all. Learn more on how you can participate and engage your networks in ActNow: bit.ly/SoF-Challenge-NL
Summit of the Future
The Summit of the Future, to be held in New York 22-23 September 2024, is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to strengthen the multilateral system to address existing and emerging challenges, improve global governance and accelerate the implementation of existing commitments, including the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. The Summit will have as its outcome an inter-governmentally agreed Pact for the Future. Stay tuned for more: https://www.un.org/en/summit-of-the-future
Awake at Night Podcast
Season 8 of the UN’s award-winning podcast is now streaming! Hosted by UN Communications Chief, Melissa Fleming, Awake at Night gives exclusive insights into the inspiring lives of the extraordinary people that make up the United Nations.
Discover all the episodes here: https://pod.link/1429922419