Preventing, controlling and managing pollution is central to improving health, human well-being and prosperity for all.
UNEP drives capacity and leadership in sound management of chemicals and waste while working to improve ways to reduce waste through circularity and pollutants released to the air, water, soil and the ocean.
5 June is World Environment Day. Follow live updates from across the globe as countries, communities and changemakers join in to #BeatPlasticPollution.
In an effort to strengthen global efforts on mercury monitoring and control, a weeklong series of technical trainings and coordination events is underway from 2–6 June 2025 in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The initiative brings together customs and enforcement authorities, government representatives, health and environment experts, and international partners to support the effective implementation of the Minamata Convention on Mercury.
Led by UNEP and funded by the Government of Japan and the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the initiative merges two UNEP-led projects to reinforce mercury trade controls and promote the elimination of mercury-added skin lightening products.
The week kicks off with national training for Sri Lankan customs and enforcement officials, enhancing the country’s capacity to identify, track, and regulate mercury trade. This training is conducted in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, the Minamata Convention focal point for Sri Lanka. This is followed by a two-day subregional training with customs officers and enforcement agencies from neighboring countries.
The final two days are dedicated to the Multi-country Meeting on the Elimination of Mercury-Added Skin Lightening Products, which addresses the health and environmental risks posed by these products. Almost forty representatives will be in attendance.
Experts have long known that to end plastic pollution, companies must find alternatives to some plastics, prolong the lives of others and dramatically increase recycling rates.
The problem? Many businesses that make and use plastic cannot find workers with the technical know-how to make all this happen.
That’s why UNEP recently struck a partnership with a network of universities in Latin America and the Caribbean to equip students with a host of green skills, including those linked to plastic. We recently spoke with UNEP’s Regional Director, Juan Bello, about the programme and how it’s planning to make a dent in plastic pollution.
Read the full story in the lead-up to World Environment Day.
This Briefing will provide updates on the preparations for OEWG 3.2 and close the “Road to OEWG 3.2 Series” of events organized by the OEWG Secretariat and Geneva Environment Network to build bridges and promote collaboration and knowledge sharing between and among stakeholders, and to raise public awareness about the ad hoc open-ended working group.
📅 28 May
🕒 15:00 hrs (GMT+3)
This webinar will showcase an assessment of nitrogen fluxes, impacts and solutions in South Asia, featuring expert perspectives from Bangladesh, India and the Maldives.
This webinar is part of a technical webinar series jointly conducted by the GPNM, Centre for Sustainable Nitrogen and Nutrient Management (Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University) and the Sustainable India Trust (SIT). It seeks to enhance engagement between academia, civil society, industry and governments on sustainable nutrient management and appreciation of their roles and synergies in ensuring a timely transition towards sustainability for the benefit of all.
On 15 April 2025, the ninth round of the Tracking Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Country Self-assessment Survey (TrACSS) began, for completion by June 2025. TrACSS is a key component of the global AMR monitoring and evaluation framework. Since its first iteration in 2017, TrACSS has enabled countries to assess their progress in implementing multisectoral AMR national action plans (NAPs) annually.
TrACSS is available in all six official UN languages and covers human health, animal health, food, agriculture and environment sectors in countries. Relevant national authorities and technical focal points from the different sectors complete the survey through a dedicated platform.
For any questions, please contact tracss@who.int. The continued commitment of countries to participate in and use the findings from TrACSS remains critical for monitoring and advancing both national and global responses to AMR.
The 2025 meetings of the Conferences of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions (BRS COPs), held in Geneva from 28 April to 9 May 2025, was an opportunity for the secretariat of the Minamata Convention on Mercury to build partnerships and promote action to address mercury pollution.
A key outcome of the BRS COPs of relevance to mercury was a Basel Convention COP decision to update the technical guidelines on mercury waste to align them with the thresholds adopted at Minamata COP-5. The COPs also adopted a framework for cooperation between the Minamata and BRS secretariats including an outline of activities planned for 2025 and the 2026-2027 biennium. Under the Rotterdam Convention, the Chemicals Review Committee recommended adding mercury to Annex III to the Convention to require prior informed consent for its international trade, but the COP did not reach a consensus on its addition and this will be further discussed at the next COP in 2027.
As part of the World Environment Day celebration calling for collective action to tackle plastic pollution, the Global Partnership on Plastic Pollution and Marine Litter (GPML) is pleased to host an online pre-launch event on 29 May for the rebranded Digital Platform which will henceforth be known as the Global Plastics Hub, a key digital platform designed to catalyze collective global action towards ending plastic pollution.
The Global Plastics Hub is a one-stop global hub for sharing knowledge and data, guiding countries in evidence-based policymaking, and fostering collaboration among stakeholders.
The world generated an estimated 400 million tonnes of plastic waste in 2024. World Environment Day 2025 will focus on ways to prevent plastic waste from escaping into the environment, such as curbing pollution from single-use plastic products and redesigning plastic products so they last longer.
“Plastic pollution is one of the gravest environmental threats facing the Earth but it’s a problem we can solve,” said Elisa Tonda, Chief of the Resources and Markets Branch of the UN Environment Programme. “Doing so could not only improve the well-being of people and planet but also unlock a host of economic opportunities.”
Explore what plastic pollution is, why it’s such a problem and what can be done about it.
