ISPRA is pleased to announce the re-election of Marco Falconi as chair of the IMPEL network (European Network for the Implementation and Enforcement of Environmental Law) for a new two-year term — an important institutional achievement that confirms the trust and appreciation expressed by the network’s member states. The IMPEL General Assembly unanimously approved his candidacy on 2 December, with all 38 participating countries voting in favor, acknowledging the quality of the work carried out during his previous mandate and Italy’s decisive contribution to strengthening European cooperation on the implementation and enforcement of environmental legislation.
During the 34th Assembly of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) , held in London from 24 November to Wednesday, 3 December, the voting for the election of the new members of the Organization’s Council for the current two-year term concluded on Friday, 28 November. According to the Assembly’s rules, 169 out of 176 States were eligible to vote. Italy achieved a result of exceptional significance, having been reconfirmed in Category A— which includes the ten States with the greatest interest in international maritime transport— with 155 votes, equal to about 91.7% of the total number of States eligible to vote.
Boosting Innovation, Building a Sustainable Future Together The 14th edition of the Italy-China Week of Science, Technology and Innovation opened today in Beijing, under the theme “Boosting Innovation, Building a Sustainable Future Together.” The initiative, in which ISPRA is participating, takes place alternately in Italy and China and continues to serve as a key event for the joint promotion of scientific research, technology transfer, and sustainable development. This edition also marks the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
From October 27 to 31, 2025, the international meeting for the review and approval of the Summary for Policymakers (SPM) of the seventh edition of the Global Environment Outlook (GEO-7) , the main environmental assessment report of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), will be held at United Nations Headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya. The meeting will be attended by government representatives, UNEP-accredited observers, and the group of experts and scientists who contributed to the report.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Congress will take place in Abu Dhabi from October 9 to 15. It will be a packed event with events and initiatives: 500 working sessions, 70 interactive exhibitions, over 1,400 IUCN members, and delegations from 140 countries. The conference has three main objectives: to facilitate discussion and collaboration on actionable solutions; to support the achievement of the Global Biodiversity Framework targets and continue conservation efforts towards 2030; and to mobilize key networks and partnerships to promote sustainable change for nature and humanity.
Despite significant progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution, the overall state of the environment in Europe is not good, particularly with regard to nature, which continues to suffer from degradation, overexploitation, and biodiversity loss, as well as from the acceleration of climate change, which poses an urgent challenge. These are the conclusions of the Report Europe's Environment 2025, published today by the European Environment Agency (EEA). The report provides the most comprehensive analysis of the current state and outlook for the environment, climate, and sustainability on the continent, based on data from 38 countries. The outlook for most environmental trends is alarming and poses serious risks to economic prosperity, security, and quality of life in Europe.
Four Italian wetlands have been recognized as being of international importance under the Ramsar Convention. The Conference of the Parties ( COP15 Ramsar) is currently underway at Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, to develop a new strategy for the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. The theme chosen for COP15 is "Protecting Wetlands for Our Common Future." The conference highlights the essential role that wetlands play in sustaining biodiversity, supporting climate resilience and water security, and thus supporting economic development and human well-being.
The sea is one of the key topics of Expo Osaka 2025, under the theme “Designing the future society for our lives,” which will be held from April 13 to October 13, 2025. On July 22nd, within the celebrations of the World Maritime Day in Japan, the Department for Maritime Policies (Presidency of the Council of Ministers of Italy) is organizing the event "Celebrating the Sea as a Source of Knowledge and Sustainability" at the Italian Pavilion’s Auditorium. The event is dedicated to promoting maritime excellence such as the ocean economy and scientific research. ISPRA will be among the main actors of the afternoon session with the presentation of the PNRR MER Project (Marine Ecosystem Restoration) and the implications for the blue economy, just a few days after the inauguration of the new oceanographic vessel Arcadia with which the Institute has renewed its commitment to marine protection by deploying a top-notch scientific infrastructure at the service of research, the environment, and the community.
June 20, 2025, Punta del Este, Uruguay A decisive step in global environmental governance has been taken with the official establishment of the Intergovernmental Science Policy Panel on Chemicals, Waste and Pollution (ISP-CWP) . This new panel, now the third global science pillar alongside the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) , is dedicated to the responsible management of chemicals and waste and the prevention of pollution.
The Global Framework on Chemicals (GFC) – for a Planet Free of Harm from Chemicals and Waste has been adopted by the Fifth session of the International Conference on Chemicals Management held in Germany, Septmeber 2023. The first session of the Open-ended Working Group (OEWG) of GFC will be helnd in Punta del Este, Uruguay, from 24 to 27 june 2025.
The Executive Director of UNEP convened an intergovernmental meeting to consider the establishment of a Science Policy Expert Group to further contribute to the sound management of chemicals and waste and the prevention of pollution at the Punta del Este Convention and Exhibition Centre, Uruguay, from 19 to 20 June 2025.
The initiative to establish a Science-Policy Panel (SPP) , dedicated to the sound management of chemicals and waste and the prevention of pollution, was launched on the basis of UNEA (United Nations Environment Assembly) resolution 5/8 , adopted on 2 March 2022. This resolution established the need to establish an intergovernmental group to further contribute to the sustainable management of chemicals and waste and to prevent pollution globally.
Taking place from 2 to 6 June 2025, in Geneva, Switzerland, the Eighth Session of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (GP2025) is organized and convened by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR). The theme of GP2025 is “Every day matters, acting for resilience today”. The United Nations General Assembly recognizes the Global Platform as a global multi-stakeholder forum to review progress in the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. At the Platform, Governments, the United Nations system and all relevant stakeholders come together to share knowledge and discuss the latest developments and trends in disaster risk reduction, identify gaps and make recommendations to further accelerate the implementation of the Sendai Framework. The GP2025 agenda will be guided by the Sendai Framework, in particular its objective, the four priorities for action and the seven global targets, as well as the key priorities identified in the mid-term review of the Sendai Framework, the GP2022 Co-Chairs' Synthesis and the Regional Platforms meetings held in 2024.
ISPRA, within the framework of the Italian initiative for the National Collaboration Programme (NCP) of the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) which it coordinates, will participate in the 8th C3S General Assembly and the 3rd C3S NCP Forum in Valencia from 2 to 4 June.
The Parties conferences of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions (BRS COP) will be held in Geneva from 28 April to 9 May. These are the three major multilateral environmental agreements that have as their common goal the protection of human health and the environment from hazardous chemicals and waste.
At the 43rd plenary meeting of the EPA Network held today in Vienna, the Agencies of the Member States have once again raised the topic of discussion of artificial intelligence, in order to identify its potential benefits in carrying out environmental monitoring and control activities but also its possible risks. To this end, the heads of the Agencies have decided, on the proposal of ISPRA President Stefano Laporta, to establish a specific working group (Interest Group) on the topic, in order to facilitate discussion and the exchange of experiences on the possible concrete applications of AI on environmental issues.
On 2 December the biennial meeting of the delegations of 197 signatory countries of of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) has started and it will last until 13 December 2024. Italy has been a signatory to the UNCCD since 1994. This year the theme of COP 16 is “Our Land. Our Future” and, coinciding with the 30th anniversary of the UNCCD, will represent a key moment in the process of combating desertification, land degradation and drought, marking a renewed global commitment to accelerate investments and actions
The 13th edition of the Italy-China Week of Science, Technology and Innovation begins today (26-28 November – Naples, Venice) to discuss the value of science and technology in tackling the great challenges of our time. The event takes place as part of the Italy-China bilateral scientific and technological cooperation program and is promoted by the Governments of the two countries through the Ministry of University and Research of the Italian Republic and the Ministry of Science and Technology of the Republic Popular Chinese. The program is coordinated, for Italy, by the Idis-Città della Scienza Foundation in collaboration with the National Research Council.
ISPRA participates in the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), COP29, which is held this year in Baku, Azerbaijan, from 11 to 22 November 2024. ISPRA experts bring their contribution to the negotiations , offering technical-scientific support to the delegation of the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security (MASE) on a series of crucial topics in compliance with the commitments of the Paris Agreement and the prerogatives of the Institute which is the theme of Transparency. In particular, the definition of the new reporting for national greenhouse gas inventories, the information to be reported on policies and measures, and the expert review processes of the information transmitted, to be sent by 31 December 2024.
ISPRA is participating at the conference "A change in the water: the fate of seas and oceans under climate and pollution" that will be held in Paris. In this occasion ISPRA will present the project PNRR MER and two exhibitions “ 20,000 nets under the sea ” and “ Carrie, a brave turtle in a changing world ” will be set up. The topics addressed are the impact of plastics and microplastics on the marine environment.
The President of ISPRA, Vice-chair of the Management Board of the EEA, took part today in the 102nd meeting of the Management Board. During the meeting, in the context of the Agency's strategic orientation decisions and in particular in the context of the EEA-Eionet Strategy 2021-2030, he highlighted the need to implement coherent measures to reorganize the Agency's staff and which are reflected in the relevant economic-financial planning documents, in order to achieve the expected strategic objectives.
The event on 22 May which will be held at the European partnership pavilion at the Water World Forum in Bali is dedicated to the presentation of Water4All' s activities. Water4all is the EU's largest partnership for water: it contributes significantly to sustainable water management efforts and supports the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, as well as stepping up efforts to achieve the Green Goals Deal.
Four ISPRA experts participate in the negotiations 15 months after the historic adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF for short) in December 2022 at the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 15) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), attention is now focused on its actual implementation. Establishing a path towards achieving the 23 goals for 2030 and the four strategic goals for 2050 of the GBF is the only way to achieve the global vision of a world that, as the text of the CBD requires, «lives in harmony with nature" by 2050.
On the occasion of the tenth anniversary (2014-2024) of the activities to promote excellent postgraduate education in Africa carried out by the Africa Centers of Excellence (ACE) will take place in Mauritius from 8 to 10 May 2024, the First Workshop of International Partnerships of African Centers of Excellence.
The Report highlights how urgent it is to implement adaptation actions in cities to make them more resilient to climate dangers such as heat waves, intense rainfall, drought and provides useful indications to administrations committed to combating the impacts of climate change at urban level.
ISPRA continues in the collaboration for the implementation of the London Convention and the 1996 Protocol on the prevention of marine pollution caused by the dumping of wastes and other matter.
The G7 Climate, Energy and Environment ministers met in Turin, in the Royal Palace of Venaria, from 28 to 30 April. At the end of the working sessions they adopted a Joint Declaration which gives a precise follow-up to the objectives agreed at COP 28 and sends a clear message to other countries, in particular the major economies, on the level of commitment needed to adequately respond to the challenge of change climate, in an ambitious and effective way.
The 18th Session of the Intergovernmental Coordination Group for the Tsunami Early Warning and Mitigation System in the North-eastern Atlantic, the Mediterranean and Connected Seas it will be take place in Paris from 5 to 8 February
The 110th meeting of the Management Board of the European Environment Agency was held today in Copenhagen, attended by the President of ISPRA and SNPA, Stefano Laporta. Among the topics covered and of particular interest, in a moment of political transition at European level, was that of the implementation and involvement of institutional stakeholders and civil society in the Agency's activities. "This strengthening is a fundamental strategic point and must be considered with a horizontal approach with respect to the different issues and challenges where the Agencies are involved." declared ISPRA President Laporta
Slovenia is currently hosting COP23 , the meeting of the Contracting Parties to the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment and Coasts of the Mediterranean and its Protocols. Present were government officials and accredited representatives of the Contracting Parties (21 Mediterranean coastal countries and the European Union) together with observers and intergovernmental organizations.
