United Nations Activities
on Environment and Sustainability
EVENTS - NEWS AND POSTS
See also GOVERNANCE
With the growing need for global environmental governance, the United Nations has been playing a leading role for more than half a century
The IEF has documented, and sometimes participated, in UN environment and sustainability activities
in reverse chronological order
MAJOR UN EVENTS
SUMMIT OF THE FUTURE 2024
Preparations for the
Summit of the Future
United Nations, New York, 22-23 September 2024
A Tale of Two Summits
BIC Calls for Synergy Between SDGs and Summit of the Future
New York 3 August 2023
Interim People’s Pact for the Future,
2023 Civil Society Perspectives on the Summit of the Future
prepared by the Coalition for the UN We Want (C4UN) 21 May 2023
Thinking about the Summit of the Future,
Arthur Dahl discusses global environmental governance
for the Global Governance Forum, 12 May 2023
Summit of the Future: What would it deliver?
United Nations, 2023
We Must Face the Risks to the World’s Future – Now
Arthur Lyon Dahl and Augusto Lopez-Claros on Baha'iTeachings.org, 7 December 2023
Climate Change COP28 2023
UN Framework Convention on Climate Change
28th Conference of the Parties
Dubai, UAE, 30 November-13 December 2023
COP28 and Climate Governance
COP28 highlights the need for fundamental transformations in climate governance
Maja Groff, Convenor of the Climate Governance Commission, 15 December 2023
Faith for Climate: A Call to Action
Inspired by the Interfaith Statement signed by Pope Francis,
Ahmed El-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al Azhar, and around 30 religious leaders
and representatives from a range of traditions,
the Faith Pavilion at COP28 puts forth this Call to Action
statement launched on 3 December 2023
Governing Our Planetary Emergency
Climate Governance Commission Report
Launched 28 November 2023
Mobilizing an Earth Governance Alliance
Strengthening global governance to protect the environment
28 November 2023
Ocean Governance: management of marine resources,
food security and sustainable development
Paris, 16-17 November 2023
Global framework agreed to address harm from chemicals and waste
United Nations Environment Programme, 30 September 2023
UN Summits Week 2023,
SDG Summit, Climate Ambition Summit, Preparatory Meeting SOTF,
18-22 September 2023
In pursuit of hope
blog by Arthur Lyon Dahl for UN high-level General Assembly week,
16-22 September 2023
A Second Charter: Imagining a Renewed United Nations
A High-Level UNGA 2023 Side Event
Tuesday, 19 September 2023
Statement
from the Global Governance Forum, 24 August 2023
The Peoples' Environment Narrative
50 Years with UNEP and Civil Society
Towards Stockholm+50 and Beyond
book launch 5 June 2023
How forests benefit people and planet
UN Forum on Forests, 8-12 May 2023
United Nations System Common Principles on Future Generations
endorsed by the United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination
4 May 2023
Sustainable Development Goals Progress Report
Remarks of the Secretary-General
25 April 2023 (excerpts)
A Breakthrough for People and Planet:
Effective and Inclusive Global Governance for Today and the Future
UN High Level Advisory Board on Effective Multilateralism
Report released 25 April 2023
summary of environmental proposals to which IEF members contributed
Global Futures Forum
calls for UN Reforms to address emerging 21st Century challenges
New York and online, 20-21 March 2023
Conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity
beyond areas of national jurisdiction – BBNJ
20 February – 4 March 2023, UN Headquarters, New York
Confluence of Crises: Warnings by the UN Secretary-General
blog by Arthur Lyon Dahl, 21 February 2023
Risks from sea level rise
UN Security Council debate, 14 February 2023
Planned science-policy panel on chemicals, wastes and pollution
UNEA Open-ended Working Group, February 2023
Global Biodiversity Framework Adopted
Convention on Biological Diversity
Montreal, Canada, 18 December 2022
The Right Time for UN Reform
Outcome of an event organized by the Bahá'í International Community
New York, 1 November 2022
IEF Input on Water
to Preparatory Meeting for UN 2023 Water Conference
submitted 27 October 2022
WHO People-Planet-Health Action Board
IEF participation in new World Health Organization
initiative for health promotion
20 October 2022
Biodiversity Values Assessment
Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES)
1 August 2022
Human Right to a Clean, Healthy and Sustainable Environment
approved by UN General Assembly
28 July 2022
Sustainable Development Goals Report 2022
United Nations Statistics Division
7 July 2022
United Nations Ocean Conference 2022
Lisbon, Portugal
27 June-1 July 2022
UN Stockholm+50 International Meeting
A Healthy Planet for the Prosperity of All – Our Responsibility, Our Opportunity
2-3 June 2022
Stockholm+50: Only One Earth
50 years since the 1972 Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment
14 January 2022
Human Right to a Clean, Healthy and Sustainable Environment
Human Right to a Clean, Healthy and Sustainable Environment
David Boyd, UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment, 8 April 2022
GA approves Human Right to a Clean, Healthy and Sustainable Environment, 28 July 2022
UN Climate Change Conference COP26 2021
and IEF 25th Conference associated events
Glasgow, Scotland
1-5 November 2021
NEWS AND POSTS
To be continued
A Tale of Two Summits, BIC Calls for Synergy Between SDGs and Summit of the Future, 3 August 2023
Valuing What Counts: Framework to Progress Beyond GDP, UN Secretary-General, Our Common Agenda Policy Brief no. 4, May 2023
The Peoples' Environment Narrative: 50 Years with UNEP and Civil Society, Towards Stockholm+50 and Beyond, 5 June 2023
, Interim People’s Pact for the Future, 21 May 2023
UN Common Principles on Future Generations, 4 May 2023
How forests benefit people and planet, UN Forum on Forests, 8-12 May 2023
Global Futures Forum, 20-21 March 2023
Conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity, 6 March 2023
Confluence of Crises: Warnings by the UN Secretary-General, 21 February 2023
IEF Input on Water to Preparatory Meeting for UN 2023 Water Conference, 27 October 2022
WHO People-Planet-Health Action Board, 13-14 October 2022
GA approves Human Right to a Clean, Healthy and Sustainable Environment, 28 July 2022
Reflections on Stockholm+50, blog by Arthur Dahl, 13 June 2022
Interfaith Prayers for the success of Stockholm+50, 1 June 2022
Stockholm+50 side event with UN agencies, 2 June 2022
Stockholm+50 Interfaith Statement, 24 May 2022
Accelerating integrated action for a healthy planet and prosperity of all, Stockholm+50 Side Event with IEF President Arthur Dahl, 23 May 2022
From Stockholm and back, Portrait of Arthur Dahl in Sveriges Natur (in Swedish), 27 April 2022
Humanity at a Crossroads – Breakdown or Breakthrough, Civil Society Declaration for Stockholm+50, 16 March 2022
First IEF contribution to Stockholm+50, 10 March 2022
Only One Earth Science, website with graphics, 11 February 2022
Foreseeing the Future of Our Responsibility and Opportunity, UN Environment Management Group Nexus Dialogues, November 2021
Stockholm+50: Only One Earth, 22 November 2021
Human Right to a Healthy Environment, adopted by Human Rights Council, 8 October 2021
Stockholm+50, 1 June 2021
Stockholm+50: some reflections, Arthur Dahl, 15 April 2021
Bahá'í International Community launches UN75 statement, 22 October 2020
A Governance Befitting: Humanity and the Path Toward a Just Global Order, Bahá'í International Community Statement on the United Nations 75th anniversary, 21 September 2020
UN at 75: Prospects and Potentials: The Future We Want, Global online event, 3 September 2020
Progress report on UN75, 14 June 2020>
IEF Contribution to UN75, 31 March 2020>
Endorse our proposals for UN reform, Together1st, 10 March 2020>
Civil Society Declaration for UN75, 20 February 2020>
Negotiations on UN75 declaration, 11 February 2020>
UN75 Launched, 3 January 2020>
UN Secretariat Reform on Sustainable Development, 8 June 2018
UNECE Regional Forum on Sustainable Development, 1-2 March 2018
UN Environment and Faith-Based Organizations, Nairobi, 30 November 2017
Why should the UN and in particular UN Environment Engage More with Faith-based Organizations?, Arthur Dahl for UNEP Perspectives, February 2017
UN Climate Change Conference (COP21) 2015
and IEF events
Paris
30 November-11 December 2015
UN Independent Expert on Human Rights and the Environment, July 2014
United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) 2012
and 16th IEF Annual Conference
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
16-19 June 2012
Summary outcomes of Rio+20, September 2012
IEF Statements for Rio+20, 9 June 2012
Invitation to join and contribute to Rio+20 Dialogues on Sustainable Development
1 May 2012
IEF course proposal for Rio+20
16 March 2012
Comment on the Rio+20 zero draft, 13 January 2012, with IEF input
Preparations for the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio 2012)
5 November 2011
IEF submission to the Bureau of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), 25 October 2011
Inequality between rich and poor
Baha'i International Community Statement to the UN Commission on Social Development 6 February 2012
Report of the UN Global Sustainability Panel
30 January 2012
UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD) 2005-2014
and UNESCO Global Action Programme for education for sustainable development 2014-
World Summit on Sustainable Development
and IEF 6th Conference
Johannesburg, South Africa
27 August-3 September 2002
United Nations Conference on Environment and Development
Rio de Janeiro, 3-14 June 1992
produced Agenda 21, an action plan for sustainable development
(IEF President was in the UNCED Secretariat and helped to draft Agenda 21)
UN Conference on the Human Environment
Stockholm, Sweden
5-16 June 1972
(The IEF did not exist in 1972, but the IEF President was there representing the Bahá'í International Community)
Last updated 17 May 2025