IPEN 2020 Global Meeting and Forum

IPEN’s 2020 Global Meeting and Forum on Chemicals and Waste took place in Bishoftu, Ethiopia, from the 6th – 10th of February. More than 100 environmental, health and human rights leaders from over 50 countries came together to share the work they do locally and globally to ensure a just and healthy future for everyone by eliminating harm to human health and the environment from toxic chemicals.

The Global Meeting, which was conducted simultaneously in English and French, focused on global networking, policies, skillsharing, trainings and sharing with participants the outcomes of IPEN’s 2020 Plan. The objectives were to:

Strengthen the Toxics-Free Future Global Movement: Build and deepen relationships among IPEN Participating Organizations and allies working on chemicals & waste issues.
Learn from Each Other and Share Skills: Elevate awareness about and capacity on toxics issues via learning from each other and sharing skills / experiences on IPEN priorities.
Promote Organizational Capacity-Building & Development: Conduct practical and technical trainings on several of the following issues: toxic impacts on health; generating data/monitoring; communication/message framing; organizational management/planning; fundraising; and international policy processes.
Celebrate Achievements: Acknowledge collective and organizational achievements.
Reflect on the Evolving Global and National Policy Landscapes: Key speakers will share their local, national or global perspectives about how the world has shifted dramatically since IPEN’s last global meeting in November 2016.
Strategize around IPEN’s 2030 Goals & Program: Reflect on the IPEN 2020 Plan, and organize around the IPEN 2030 Global Plan, with the aim to guide future technical and financial resources to strategic initiatives.
Elevate the Profile of Chemicals & Waste Issues: During the IPEN Global Forum on Chemicals and Waste, international and national leaders from governments, UN agencies, civil society organizations and other institutions will share their outlooks about the future actions needed to address the rapid growth and impact of the chemicals and fossil fuel economy, as well as public and political engagement.