The state of the planet is a key agenda item for the United Nations General Assembly. This page features related updates from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and its partners, including key moments of the year such as July’s High-level Political Forum and September’s High-Level Week which in 2024 included the Summit of the Future.
17 Sep
2023
09:00
Happening today: How digital technologies can accelerate progress towards the SDGs
This day-long event will feature a variety of speakers discussing how digital technologies can accelerate progress towards the SDGs.
Sally Radwan, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Chief Digital Officer will be discussing UNEP’s CounterMEASURE project, which uses innovative technologies to collect and share geo-referenced data about plastic pollution in Asia, including The Mekong, the Indian part of the Ganges and rivers in Sri Lanka.
Citizen science is a key part of this effort, alongside drone imaging, machine learning and GIS algorithms. Using the project app, communities are able to identify plastic waste hotspots to help find how plastic is leaking into rivers.
15 Sep
2023
15:05
Nature driving economic transformation
This Sunday, a Nature Driving Economic Transformation High Impact Initiative – one of 12 High Impact Initiatives of the SDG Action Weekend – is taking place. Led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the event will feature a panel discussion where UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen will be speaking. Jordan Sanchez, a youth representative and poet, will be reciting a new, tailor-made poem on youth and biodiversity.
15 Sep
2023
11:59
SDG Mobilization Day
Tomorrow is Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Mobilization Day, which aims to create an opportunity for stakeholders from all sectors to convene inside the United Nations Headquarters and mobilize towards an ambitious SDG Summit and UN General Assembly High-Level Week.
Part of the SDG Action Weekend, the day will see events, workshops and forums featuring civil society, the private sector, youth, scientists and local and regional governments.
15 Sep
2023
10:37
Why we need to value nature
Nature has the power to drive economic transformation, as reflected in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework adopted by 193 parties in 2022. Based on principles of sustainable use, equity and access and benefit sharing that leave no one behind, delivery of this Framework can drive more action in support of key Sustainable Development Goals.
Happening on 17 September from 11:45 – 13:15 EDT, Nature Driving Economic Transformation: Leveraging the power of biodiversity and nature to drive equitable economic progress is one of twelve high impact initiatives that help support Member States efforts towards just development transitions and SDG achievement.
14 Sep
2023
16:19
Adventurer Lewis Pugh completes Hudson River swim
Lewis Pugh completed his 507 km swim down the Hudson yesterday, highlighting the decades-long campaign to revive the Hudson River , once one of the United States’ most-polluted waterways. Pugh also hopes the swim will raise awareness among both the public and policymakers about the importance of protecting the world’s rivers, which are under mounting pressure from pollution and climate change.
14 Sep
2023
15:13
Why climate justice matters
Climate justice will be part of the discussions next week during the United Nations General Assembly, and it also played a big role in Africa Climate Week which finished last week in Nairobi. African heads of state, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres and Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme Inger Andersen all spoke of the need for climate finance for Africa that is commensurate with the scale of the crisis facing the continent.
For more information on why this subject is so important, watch this video.
13 Sep
2023
17:21
How does UNEP support the Sustainable Development Goals?
Next week, the SDG Summit will take place during the High-level Week of the General Assembly. The Summit marks the half-way point to the deadline for achieving the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and aims to respond to the impact of multiple and interlocking crises facing the world.
So, how does UNEP support the achievement of the 17 SDGs? Read here to find out more.
05 Sep
2023
15:30
Adventurer Lewis Pugh soldiers on with mammoth Hudson River swim
Marathon swimmer Lewis Pugh is in the home stretch of a month-long swim down New York state’s Hudson River, a journey designed to cast a spotlight on the threats to the world’s waterways.
Pugh is scheduled to arrive on Manhattan’s southern tip on 13 September, following a record 500km swim down the Hudson. His arrival has been timed to coincide with the UN General Assembly.
The Hudson has rebounded in recent years after decades of pollution. Pugh hopes his swim will raise awareness among both the public and policymakers about the importance of protecting the world’s rivers, which are under mounting pressure from pollution and climate change.
05 Sep
2023
14:03
Environment on the agenda as UN General Assembly gets underway
The UN General Assembly opens today, kicking off a three-week session in which the environment is expected to feature prominently in discussions between world leaders.
The session will include a summit designed to supercharge efforts to counter the worsening climate crisis. It comes with the world entering what UN Secretary-General António Guterres recently called “the era of global boiling.” Leaders will also discuss how to speed up progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. Humanity’s blueprint for a better future, many of the goals are underpinned by the environment.
This marks the 78th session of the General Assembly, which is the main policy-making organ of the UN.
