Stockholm+50: A Healthy Planet for the Prosperity of All – Our Responsibility, Our Opportunity” (Stockholm+50), an international meeting convened by the United Nations General Assembly, will be held on 2-3 June in Stockholm, Sweden to commemorate 50 years since the 1972 UN Conference on the Human Environment, which made the environment a pressing global issue for the first time and established the United Nations Environment Programme.
With the world facing the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution and waste, Stockholm+50 offers an opportunity to reflect, connect and accelerate urgent action on the environment, harnessing the historical spirit of the 1972 conference.
“Life is one and the world is one, and all these questions are inter-linked. The population explosion, poverty, ignorance and disease, the pollution of our surroundings, the stockpiling of nuclear weapons and biological and chemical agents of destruction are all parts of a vicious circle. Each is important and urgent but dealing with them one by one would be wasted effort,” said Indira Gandhi, late Prime Minister of India in her speech at the 1972 Stockholm Conference. “There is no alternative to a cooperative approach on a global scale to the entire spectrum of our problems.”
More than 10 heads of state/ government and 90-plus ministers from 130 participating member states, as well as representatives from civil society and the private sector, have confirmed their attendance in Stockholm to discuss international cooperation and collaboration to tackle the triple planetary crisis. (Numbers are subject to updates.)
Mutually reinforcing the call for urgent actions towards sustainability, World Environment Day 2022, a global platform for inspiring positive change, will be observed on 5 June. The UN international day was formalized at the Stockholm Conference 50 years ago has grown to be a significant moment every year for environmental outreach, with millions of people from across the world engaging to protect the planet. This year’s theme #OnlyOneEarth was also the slogan of the 1972 Stockholm Conference; 50 years on, this truth still holds – this planet is our only home. Look out for more information on World Environment Day activities.
Members of the media are invited to cover the events. Early registration has closed, but on-site registration will be available from 29 May-3 June.
Stockholm+50: A Healthy Planet for the Prosperity of All – Our Responsibility, Our Opportunity
When: 2 – 3 June 2022
Where: Stockholmsmässan, Stockholm, Sweden
What: Anchored to the Decade of Action, under the theme “Stockholm+50: a healthy planet for the prosperity of all – our responsibility, our opportunity,” the two-day high-level meeting programme includes the international meeting's main sessions, side events and Multi-stakeholder Action Hub events (CEST time zone / UTC+2). An opening press conference and a closing press conference will be held.
Opening Press Conference
Date/Time: 2 June (Thursday) / Time TBC
Venue: Press briefing room, Stockholmmässan/UN Web TV (webinar link for online participation will be provided later)
Closing Press Conference
Date/Time: 3 June (Friday) / Time TBC
Venue: Press briefing room, Stockholmmässan/UN Web TV (webinar link online participation will be provided later)
Programme
View the programme for timing of the Stockholm+50 Main Sessions, Side events and Multi-stakeholder Action Hub events.
Speakers
The provisional list of speakers can be found here.
The three leadership dialogues aim to be collaborative and multi-stakeholder in nature. Stakeholders from different genders and ages, including climate activists, scientists, Indigenous People and local communities are invited to contribute to the discussions to build momentum for a healthy planet for the prosperity of all.
Some confirmed speakers of the leadership dialogues are: Dario Mejía Montalvo, member of the indigenous Zenú Peoples of San Andrés Sotavento’; John F. Kerry, Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, The United States of America; Vanessa Nakate, climate justice activist from Uganda and founder of the Africa-based Rise Up Movement and Virginijus Sinkevičius, Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, at the European Commission.
For more information, interviews and details, contact:
- Keishamaza Rukikaire, Head of News and Media, UNEP, [email protected]
- Moses Osani, UNEP News and Media, [email protected]