The COPs of the Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm (BRS) Conventions began what many expect to be a busy two-week meeting. The three bodies, the Basel Convention COP16 (BC COP16), the Rotterdam Convention COP11 (RC COP11), and the Stockholm Convention COP11 (SC COP11), each have important issues to consider.

Activists striving to achieve a more just and equitable future for all people and the planet, are being encouraged to apply for a UN award that celebrates initiatives and individuals working to make the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) a reality.

This report looks at the human rights commitments and actions of 15 banks (5 local, 10 international) linked to the financing of transition minerals extraction in South Africa. The research revealed these banks are failing to take adequate measures to avoid contributing to abuses in this particularly risky sector.

New York, 26 April 2023 – With countries hammered by the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the climate crisis, a weak global economy, and amplified by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, UN Secretary-General António Guterres sounded the alarm yesterday as he briefed Member States on the ‘Progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals: Towards a Rescue Plan for People and Planet’ report.