UNEP and the GEF at 2025 BRS COPs

Under the theme “Make visible the invisible: sound management of chemicals and wastes,” the 2025 Meetings of the Conferences of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions (2025 BRS COPs) will take place in Geneva from 28 April to 9 May 2025.

UNEP and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) are organizing and participating in several technical side events throughout the COP and looks forward to engaging with partners, experts, and practitioners committed to reducing the impact of hazardous chemicals and waste worldwide.

On this page find details about all side events organised by UNEP and/or the GEF at the 2025 BRS COPs, in chronological order. 

 

🧪 The importance of data in chemicals management: Leveraging publicly available data for national POPs inventories and the need for data management systems

🗓️ 28 April | ⏰ 19:00–20:30 | 📍 Exhibition Area

Co-organized by the Green Growth Knowledge Partnership (GGKP) and UNEP’s Chemicals and Health Branch, this event explores how publicly accessible data can support the development of national inventories for Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) and strengthen chemicals and waste management systems.

With the recent listing of new POPs—commonly found in consumer goods, electronics, and waste streams—countries face increasing challenges in identifying, tracking, and managing these substances. Presentations from regional centres, national case studies (including Nigeria), and tools such as UN Comtrade and UNITAR’s E-waste monitors will highlight current efforts and identify data gaps in regions such as Africa, South Asia, and Europe. Emphasis will be placed on systematized approaches to data collection and analysis to support National Implementation Plans (NIPs) and compliance with the Stockholm Convention.

Details & Registration

 

🤝 From evidence to policy action: Establishing a Science-Policy Panel to promote the sound management of chemicals and waste and the prevention of pollution

🗓️ 29 April | ⏰ 18:15–19:45 | 📍 Exhibition Area

The event will focus on the process for the establishment of an independent, intergovernmental science-policy panel to contribute further to the sound management of chemicals and waste and to prevent pollution. The event will emphasize that such a panel can support international efforts to take action, including via the implementation of multilateral environmental agreements such as the BRS conventions, and other relevant international instruments, to promote the sound management of chemicals and waste, and the prevention of pollution by providing policy-relevant scientific advice on these issues. The event will also highlight how such a panel could further support the work of other relevant stakeholders including academia, NGOs, the private sector and others by making visible the invisible. Finally, the event will provide an update on the state of play of the ongoing process to establish such a science-policy panel.

 

🤝 Visible solutions for legacy problems: A collaborative approach to POPs sound management and PCB elimination

🗓️ 29 April | ⏰ 18:15–19:45 | 📍 Room 2

This event will highlight the value of inter-agency and multi-sectoral collaboration in the environmentally sound management (ESM) and elimination of POPs and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Showcasing successful country and regional initiatives, it will emphasize tools and instruments developed to help Parties address environmental and health impacts of PCBs—particularly in the context of the 2025 and 2028 phase-out deadlines under the Stockholm Convention. Lessons learned, emerging challenges, and funding and partnership opportunities will be discussed to catalyze further coordinated action and data sharing.

 

🌍 Making visible the invisible: Strengthening the Global Monitoring Plan for POPs under the Stockholm Convention

🗓️ 30 April | ⏰ 13:15–14:45 | 📍 Exhibition Area

This event marks the launch of the fourth phase of the Global Monitoring Plan (GMP), a critical initiative for generating harmonized, high-quality data on POPs in the environment and in humans. Such data is essential for evaluating the effectiveness of the Stockholm Convention in safeguarding health and ecosystems. A new UNEP-implemented GEF project supporting GMP activities will also be presented, including efforts to expand global mercury monitoring. This project aims to enhance capacity-building, foster regional and global collaboration, and support evidence-based policymaking on chemicals and waste.

 

Strengthening action for change: Advancing integrated solutions for the implementation of the BRS Conventions 

🗓️ 30 April | ⏰ 13:15–14:45 | 📍 Room C

 

🔬 Making visible the invisible: How science-policy partnership and research infrastructures support implementation of the Stockholm Convention

🗓️ 30 April | ⏰ 18:15 – 19:15 | 📍 Exhibition Area

Highlighting the importance of collecting comparable data on human exposure and environmental levels of POPs, this side event spotlights long-term monitoring efforts in the European region. Aligned with broader global efforts towards enhancing the science-policy interface for safer management of chemicals and waste, experts will discuss the role of science-policy partnerships in regulatory risk assessment and prioritisation mechanisms for addressing e.g. endocrine disrupters, per fluorinated chemicals and their alternatives, flame retardants and mercury. 

The event also highlights synergies between European Union initiatives aimed at advancing sound chemicals management and achieving zero pollution, and the objectives of the WHO work programme promoting human biomonitoring as a tool for evidence-based policy development. Contributions from the research community—including new tools, approaches, and data through human exposome research—will be showcased, particularly efforts to expand access to non-member countries.

 

Interlinkages between the BRS conventions and the Montreal Protocol: Policy, implementation and enforcement

🗓️ 1 May | ⏰ 13:15–14:45 | 📍 Room C

 

🚫 Eliminating the invisible: Launch of the GEF Global Elimination Programme for PCB

🗓️ 1 May | ⏰ 18:15–19:45 | 📍 Room 2

This session will launch the Global Elimination Program for PCBs (Polychlorinated Biphenyls), a new initiative aimed at accelerating the elimination of PCBs under the Stockholm Convention. Experts from various sectors will discuss the lessons learned from past PCB management efforts and explore innovative approaches to meet the 2025 and 2028 Stockholm Convention deadlines. 

The session will focus on key topics such as: 

• What have we learned, and what can we do better? Reflections from GEF agencies on experiences, policies, and actions to date. 
• How to eliminate PCBs – examining the challenges and solutions in various sectors, with a particular focus on the electricity sector. 
• A new approach to PCB elimination – how can energy investments play a crucial role in achieving faster, more effective PCB elimination? 
• Cleaning up PCBs and other chemicals – discussing the GEF's role in supporting global cleanup efforts, with an emphasis on funding and technical support. 

The panel will also feature country stories from Uganda and Cameroon, highlighting their respective experiences in PCB management and the challenges they face. Insights will also be shared on mainstreaming pollution clean-up into MDB investments, with examples from Iraq’s efforts to integrate pollution management into national development strategies. 

The session will conclude with an audience Q&A and discussion, allowing for interactive exchange of ideas and further insights into how to tackle PCB pollution globally. 

 

🇮🇳 Management of POPs in India: Findings of the India NIP Update Project

🗓️ 1 May | ⏰ 18:15–19:45 | 📍 Room 2

This side event highlights India’s achievements, lessons, and ongoing challenges in implementing the Stockholm Convention. Through GEF-supported efforts—including the India NIP Update and a project promoting non-POPs alternatives to DDT—India has significantly strengthened its monitoring systems, adopted Best Available Techniques and Best Environmental Practices (BAT/BEP), and developed neem-based alternatives to DDT for malaria control. New findings will be presented, including the detection of non-essential POPs additives in single-use plastics and emerging PFAS data in consumer goods. As the world's sole remaining DDT producer, India’s innovation and policy shifts have broader implications for global POPs management and the transition away from hazardous substances.

 

🔗 Bridging commitments—Unlocking the power of Stockholm Convention NIPs to achieve targets under the Global Framework on Chemicals

🗓️ 2 May | ⏰ 18:15–19:45 | 📍 Exhibition Area

This session will examine how Stockholm Convention National Implementation Plans (NIPs) serve as essential instruments for addressing POPs and related waste. It will explore how NIPs can be aligned with the Global Framework on Chemicals to enable measurable, policy-relevant progress at the national level. By drawing on concrete examples, the event will illustrate how NIPs translate multilateral environmental commitments into action, strengthen governance frameworks, and address the often-invisible threats posed by legacy and emerging POPs.

 

🐛 From Invisible Threats to Visible Solutions: Integrating chemicals and waste management into biodiversity conservation – The Power of synergies

🗓️ 2 May | ⏰ 18:15–19:45 | 📍 Online and in person, Room C

Details & Registration

 

🌾 Accelerating the transition from HHPs to biopesticides and agroecological alternatives: Fostering sustainable food systems while mitigating severe environmental and public health impacts

🗓️ 2 May | ⏰ 18:15–19:45 | 📍 Room 14

 

 👚 Advancing Global Action for Sustainable Textiles 

🗓️ 4 May | ⏰ 13:15–14:45 | 📍 Room C

This event will spotlight the critical need for stronger global governance and collaboration in addressing the environmental and health impacts of the textile sector, an industry vital for economic growth, yet a major contributor to pollution and chemical risks. Showcasing successful country and regional initiatives, as well as the Global Framework on Chemicals (GFC), the event will emphasize tools and strategies for managing textile waste and enhancing chemical transparency across supply chains. It will highlight sustainable alternatives, promote stakeholder cooperation, and explore opportunities for integrating textile governance into existing multilateral frameworks. 

 

🪨 Role of Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions in Sustainable Circular Models for Minerals and Metals | Geneva Dialogues on Mineral and Metal Resources

🗓️ 5 May | ⏰ 13:15–14:45 | 📍 Room B

This side event will discuss the role of the Conventions in circular models for mineral and metal resources.

Details & Registration

 

📘 Knowledge for Action: Sustainable tools and approaches for Tackling Chemicals and Hazardous Waste

🗓️ 6 May | ⏰ 18:15–19:45 | 📍 Exhibition Area

Co-hosted by the Green Growth Knowledge Partnership (GGKP) and BCRC-Caribbean, this side event will showcase multiple initiatives which leverage innovative tools and knowledge-driven solutions to strengthen national and regional capacity for chemicals and waste management, and demonstrate how they bring practical knowledge to key stakeholders and bridge knowledge gaps. The session will also make the case that digital tools should be complemented by strategic stakeholder engagement and targeted knowledge management efforts to ensure that knowledge is applicable, practical, and accessible. 

Details & Registration

 

🌡️ Mercury in products: Integrated approaches and innovative tools for sustainable waste management

🗓️ 7 May | ⏰ 18:15–19:45 | 📍 Exhibition Area

This event provides a platform for South-South-North exchange on the management of waste generated from mercury-containing products. National experiences from Burkina Faso and Uganda will be shared, alongside insights from Uruguay on tools for handling dental amalgam waste and strategies from Honduras, the Philippines, and Zambia on mercury-containing medical devices.

It will also showcase results from inter-agency cooperation, identify policy and administrative needs for Basel Convention compliance, and explore practical approaches to improving the ESM of mercury-containing waste—particularly in the African region.

 

See the Unseen: Leveraging MEAs and Digital Tools for SDG Progress on Chemicals and WastE

🗓️ 8 May | ⏰ 13:15–14:45 | 📍 Room C

This side event will explore the key question: As the digital world evolves rapidly, are we effectively leveraging these advancements to help governments fulfill their commitments to chemical and waste-related SDGs while staying context-sensitive and aligned with national priorities? 

Registration & Details

 

💊 A ‘One Health’ approach to addressing pharmaceuticals in the environment across key sectors

🗓️ 9 May | ⏰ 13:15–14:45 | 📍 Room C

This event addresses the rising environmental and health risks posed by pharmaceuticals—including links to antimicrobial resistance, endocrine disruption, and aquatic toxicity. It will highlight the full lifecycle of pharmaceuticals and showcase how key sectors, including healthcare, agriculture, and municipalities, can implement sound management strategies.

Innovative practices and regulatory tools will be discussed, such as extended producer responsibility (EPR), sustainable procurement, and pollution prevention measures. The session will promote a holistic “One Health” approach—integrating human, animal, and environmental health—and offer concrete, cross-sectoral recommendations for achieving environmentally sound pharmaceutical waste management.

Details & Registration

 

🌊 ISLANDS Forum | From Challenges to Solutions: Advancing the Sound Management of Chemical and Waste in SIDS

🗓️ 12-13 May | 📍Palais des Nations 

In the wake of the 2025 Meetings of the Conferences of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions (2025 BRS COPs), over 50 representatives from Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are gathering in Geneva for the first in-person ISLANDS Forum. 

The two-day forum opens dedicated space for SIDS to showcase emerging solutions and demonstrated strategies for targeted action on chemicals and waste, aiming to strengthen efforts toward sound chemicals and waste management across these uniquely vulnerable nations. 

The ISLANDS Forum will focus on priority areas crucial to SIDS: stronger legislation and regulation, technical solutions, private sector engagement and sustainable financing. Experts will share best practices for managing e-waste and end-of-life vehicles (ELVs), controlling hazardous waste flows, and attracting private investment for long-term waste management solutions. It will foster relationship building, knowledge sharing, and peer learning across the global ISLANDS Programme. This collaborative approach drives scalable, sustainable outcomes, ensuring long-term impact in SIDS communities.

It will also host the annual ISLANDS Programme Coordination Group (PCG) Meeting and see the establishment of a Project Steering Committee (PSC) for the global Communications, Coordination and Knowledge Management (CCKM) Project, as recommended in the project’s Midterm Review.

A high-level panel discussion organised by the UNEP GEF Chemicals & Waste Unit will formally close the ISLANDS Forum. It will be broadcast live on UN Web TV and through the Green Growth Knowledge Partnership (GGKP) YouTube channel.

Details