Past Engagements
The Global Environmental Governance (GEG) Project team has continually participated in conferences and high-level meetings across the globe. Through meaningful engagement in these forums, with a unique focus on capacity building, creative advocacy, and data-driven tools, the GEG Project transforms knowledge into action, driving impactful change and fostering more inclusive, effective environmental governance. By fostering collaboration among stakeholders, GEG aims to help shape global conversations, ensuring that critical environmental challenges are addressed with innovative and effective solutions. Below is a brief summary of our past engagements:
Fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS4)
Antigua and Barbuda | 27 - 30 May 2024
At the 4th International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS4) in Antigua and Barbuda, held from May 27-30, 2024, GEG Project fellow Karuna Rana organized the side event, ‘Closing the Blue Funding Gap: Mobilizing a Blue Innovation and Impact Fund for Big Ocean States’.  This event focused on bridging the blue funding gap for Small Island Developing States, or so-called Big Ocean States (BOS), showcasing their local knowledge and innovation in the blue economy. This change to BOS was part of an initiative to switch the language from Large Ocean States (LOS), highlights the large role SIDS play as ocean-based nations. Switching the rhetoric exemplifies their impact and contributions as key players in global environmental politics as primarily ocean-based economies.
Fourth Session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-4) on the Plastics Treaty
Ottawa, Canada | 23 - 29 April 2024
At INC-4, held from April 23-29, 2024, the GEG Project participated with a full delegation of students, faculty, and Rwandan partners. Before negotiations, the team joined the event “Beyond the Plastics Treaty: Putting Policy into Practice,” hosted by the End Plastic Pollution International Coalition (EPPPIC) and moderated by Professor Maria Ivanova. The event fostered collaboration among diverse stakeholders to advance sustainable plastic policies. During negotiations, the GEG team closely followed discussions, shared insights with member states, and strengthened ties with small states. Rwandan artist Innocent Nkurunziza’s artwork added a creative element, emphasizing the role of art in inspiring innovative environmental solutions.
World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Plastic Policy Summit
Washington, D.C., USA | 21 - 22 March 2024
WWF hosted their second Plastic Policy Summit in Washington, D.C. from March 21-22, 2024 where national and global plastic policy discussions took center stage. Attendees expressed strong support for a global plastics treaty that addresses the full lifecycle of plastics. Northeastern University’s Prof. Maria Ivanova, graduate student Alexandra Carlotto, and Ph.D. candidate Taylor Maddalene of the University of Georgia co-led a workshop on "Mapping Capacity and Knowledge Gaps." The session opened up new insights on how universities can be used as testing grounds for reduction and reuse initiatives, further emphasizing the role of academia in policymaking.
Sixth Session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-6)
Nairobi, Kenya | February 26 - March 1, 2024
Building on the momentum from INC-3, the GEG Project sent a delegation to UNEA-6. Professor Maria Ivanova and Ph.D. student Olga Skaredina represented Northeastern University, actively engaging in environmental policymaking. The GEG team also facilitated broader participation by accrediting colleagues from Boston-area universities, Kenya, and Rwanda.
At the UN Science-Policy-Business Forum, Olga Skaredina, representing the Children and Youth Major Group, delivered a powerful speech on intergenerational equity. Professor Ivanova highlighted the potential of academia and art to influence policy, emphasizing multistakeholder cooperation in strengthening global environmental governance.
Third Session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on the Plastics Treaty (INC-3)
Nairobi, Kenya | 27 - 30 May, 2023
The GEG Project played a key role at INC-3 by supporting the Rwandan delegation and providing technical assistance through Professor Maria Ivanova. The team also introduced a unique blend of art and policy, with a Northeastern undergraduate filming a documentary on small states' roles in global environmental governance. Rwandan artist Innocent Nkurunziza’s multilateralism-themed artwork, created on sustainable canvases, sparked meaningful conversations outside formal negotiations, showcasing how creative advocacy can deepen connections between policymakers and communities.