UN-Water has announced the 43rd UN-Water Meeting scheduled for 24–25 March 2026 to coordinate the UN’s approach to water and sanitation issues.

• Event details and organiser: UN-Water (listed via the International Water Management Institute IWMI) will hold the meeting on 24 March 2026 – 25 March 2026, 09:00–17:00 (Europe/Rome).

  • Date: 24 March 2026 – 25 March 2026
  • Time: 09:00 am – 5:00 pm (Europe/Rome)
  • Agenda/Subject: Coordinate the UN’s approach to water and sanitation issues.

• Logistics and background: The event is published on IWMI’s events page and cross-listed on SDG.iisd.org; calendar links are provided (ICS, Google Calendar, iCalendar/webcal, Office 365, Outlook Live). Location is indicated by timezone (Europe/Rome); no specific physical venue or pricing/funding details are provided.

The International Water Management Institute (IWMI) will host the 2026 South African International Water Week (SAIWW) in Johannesburg.

• Event details: Host: International Water Management Institute (IWMI); Event: South African International Water Week (SAIWW); Dates: March 16–18, 2026; Times: 9:00 am–5:00 pm (Africa/Johannesburg); Location: The Houghton Hotel, Lloys Ellis Avenue, Johannesburg, 2198, South Africa. The event aims to bring together cross-sector participants to confront water security challenges and convert them into investment opportunities.
• Agenda & logistics:
  • Agenda/Subject: focus on water security, investment opportunities, and cross-sector collaboration.
  • Registration & resources: event page and calendar links available (IWMI event page, ICS/iCalendar, Google Calendar, Office 365/Outlook links).

ITIF is offering a spring 2026 seminar course for congressional and federal staff covering emerging technology policy topics from March 2–30, 2026 in Washington, DC.

• Course details: Five-class seminar running Monday, March 2 to Monday, March 30, 2026 in Washington, DC; open to congressional and federal staff only; participants who attend at least four out of five classes receive a certificate; course and certificate are free of charge.
• Session and implementation specifics: Sessions cover Floating Connection: Broadband and Space-based Technologies (speakers Joe Kane, Ellis Scherer), Quantum ecosystems (Hodan Omaar), AI and life sciences (Sandra Barbosu), Children’s online safety (Alex Ambrose, Ash Johnson), and Powering Data Centers Without Breaking the Grid (Robin Gaster); ITIF worked with Perkins Coie LLP on compliance with House and Senate ethics guidelines.

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) and the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO) are hosting a public briefing on state-led energy solutions on Thursday, February 5, 2026, 3:30–5:00 p.m. EST at Rayburn House Office Building (RHOB 2044) in Washington, DC.

• Main announcement: The briefing will present state-led energy solutions including the 11-state Advanced Nuclear First Mover Initiative, the 13-state Geothermal Power Accelerator, hydropower, advanced transmission reconductoring, grid optimization, energy storage, and energy efficiency; speakers are senior state energy officials (e.g., Will Toor, Kristofor Anderson, Amanda McClinton, John Williams, Janine Benner) representing their respective state energy offices/agencies.
• Background and event details:
  • Date & time: Thursday, February 5, 2026 • 3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. EST (Reception to Follow)
  • Location: Rayburn House Office Building, RHOB 2044 Banquet Room, 45 Independence Ave SW, Washington, DC 20515
  • Access & logistics: Event is free and open to the public, attendees may RSVP to expedite check-in, and a live webcast will stream at www.eesi.org/livecast. Reception follows the briefing.

The International Water Management Institute (IWMI) is hosting/listing ECRISA 2026, a two-day conference on Emerging Concepts and Research in Integrated Sustainable Adaptation at Mount Lavinia Hotel, Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia, Sri Lanka.

• Event overview and logistics:

  • Date: 29 January 2026 - 30 January 2026
  • Time: 08:30 - 17:30 (Asia/Colombo) each day
  • Location: Mount Lavinia Hotel, 100 Hotel Road, Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia, Sri Lanka
  • Subject/agenda focus: Emerging Concepts and Research in Integrated Sustainable Adaptation, approprate technologies for sustainable socioeconomic development; emphasis on space sciences, communications, automation and electronics.

• Background and access details:

  • Audience: researchers, professionals and innovators; the conference encourages interdisciplinary collaboration and networking.
  • Resources/registration links: Event page and resources available via IWMI and ECRISA websites (includes iCal/ICS, Google Calendar, Office 365/Outlook links).

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) and the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) are hosting a public briefing on emerging wildfire solutions and federal policy to accelerate their deployment.

• Event announcement & details: The briefing titled “Igniting Innovation: Progress and a Path Forward for Wildfire Policy” will be held on Tuesday, January 27, 2026, 3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. EST at Russell Senate Office Building (SR-385), 2 Constitution Ave NE, Washington, DC; a reception follows and a live webcast will stream at www.eesi.org/livecast. Panelists listed: Kelly Martin (Owner, Lasair Fire Consulting Group LLC), Sara Clark (Partner, Shute, Mihaly & Weinberger), and Dr. Hannah Safford (Associate Director, Climate and Environment, Federation of American Scientists). The event is free and attendees are asked to RSVP to expedite check-in.
• Scope, evidence, and context: The briefing will cover preparedness, response, recovery, fuels management, smart zoning, upgraded building codes, and early detection with emphasis on federal policy support for rapid, cost-effective implementation at scale. Background facts cited in the announcement include that wildfires are increasing in intensity and season length and are estimated to cost the United States up to $424 billion annually and displace tens of thousands of people.

The European Union has approved a new security and defense agreement with India, which is scheduled to be signed at the India-EU summit in New Delhi on January 27, 2026.

• Main announcement: The European Parliament has approved a security and defense agreement with India, announced by EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas; the deal is to be signed at the India-EU summit in New Delhi on January 27, 2026, following India’s Republic Day where European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will be chief guests on January 26, 2026. The EU is sending an around 90-member delegation including Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič.
• Background and next steps: The agreement is part of a wider package including a free trade agreement and a joint strategic plan for 2026–2030; legal procedures require approval by the European Parliament (completed) and then the European Council before Trade Commissioner Šefčovič presents the agreement to India for signature. Negotiations continue on CBAM (Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism); the partnership covers maritime security, cybersecurity, counter-terrorism, clean technology, pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, and mobility of professionals.

The Office of Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham announced that the New Mexico Senate approved three of the Governor’s priority bills and moved them to the House for consideration on Jan 23, 2026.

• Main action: Senate approval of three bills: SB 1 (medical licensing compacts) to authorize interstate physician licensure compacts; SB 2 (transportation bonding package) to authorize up to $1.5 billion in transportation bonds with authority for the State Transportation Commission to issue bonds over multiple years and required annual legislative reporting; and SB 3 (definition of harm to self and others) to amend mental health statutes to allow earlier Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) petitions based on clarified legal criteria.
• Details & implementation: SB 2 is a reintroduction of 2025’s HB 145, seeks to address a $7.5 billion transportation funding shortfall, would generate at least $70 million per year in recurring revenue, and establishes a three-part revenue package: a 35% weight distance tax increase (projected $37.8 million/year), a 25% vehicle registration fee increase (projected $31.4 million/year), and a new electric/hybrid vehicle surcharge (projected $700,000/year). SB 1 notes 43 states participate in licensure compacts; SB 3 clarifies criteria for earlier AOT petitions without expanding confinement or reducing due process protections.

Governor Gavin Newsom announced that California has uncovered and disrupted several major wildlife trafficking operations, including one that internationally trafficked illegal products made from endangered species.

• Main action: California CDFW law enforcement seized hundreds of illegal products made from ivory and elephant, plus items including rhino horns, walrus tusks, suspected bear gall bladders, saiga antelope parts, and turtle shells; CDFW opened an investigation after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service intercepted a falsely labeled shipment from Thailand that contained four elephant trunks destined for Fresno.
• Additional details and enforcement: CDFW officers in Madera County shut down an illegal rooster-fighting ring, seized illegal derivatives of protected kestrel falcons and a prohibited firearm suppressor; charges were filed with Madera County Animal Services and the Madera County District Attorney’s Office, and three suspects in Fresno County were booked with wildlife trafficking-related charges under the California Fish and Game Code. The announcement coincides with the 10-year anniversary of AB 96 (California’s ivory ban).

EarthArXiv has published a preprint exploring systemic integration of climate adaptation and mitigation.

• Main announcement: The preprint co-created strategic, adaptive and transformative climate resilient pathways across five European case studies using a mixed methods approach to evaluate integration opportunities between adaptation and mitigation; it finds the greatest opportunities in cross-sectoral actions and transformative logics that address institutional, economic and cultural paradigms.
• Details: Authors include Anita Lazurko, Jay Marisca Gietzelt, Eva Loerke, Anna Victoria Rohrer, Kasper Kok and others; Data availability at https://distender.dss.itti.com.pl/; License: CC BY Attribution 4.0 International; Published: 2026-01-23; DOI: https://doi.org/10.31223/X5WF4G.

The study authors (Knopp et al.) report that a continuous in-situ tryptophan-like fluorescence (TLF) monitoring system can reliably estimate Escherichia coli concentrations and serve as real-time screening to complement laboratory culture-based monitoring.

• Main results and announcement: The paper reports site-specific linear models and a global machine-learning model trained across deployments; ~75% of linear continuous predictions fell within Colilert analytical uncertainty, with a mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) of 7% in log-transformed concentration space for site-specific models, and a global model MAPE of ~23% in log space. A deployment on the Seine (Paris) produced >90% balanced accuracy for binary classification at management-relevant thresholds (time-blocked test holdout data).
• Background, methods, and disclosures: Findings are based on laboratory experiments, site-specific field deployments, and a global multi-site modeling framework using conventional linear regression (site-specific) and machine learning (global); laboratory reference measurements used the industry-standard Colilert method. This is a version 1 preprint (not peer reviewed); the authors disclose affiliations with Virridy, the developer of the evaluated instrument.

Vistra Corp has announced it will report its fourth quarter and full year 2025 financial and operating results on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026, via a live conference call and webcast.

• Main announcement: Vistra Corp will host a live conference call and webcast on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026 beginning at 10 a.m. ET (9 a.m. CT) to report fourth quarter and full year 2025 financial and operating results; the webcast is available on Vistra’s website under “Investor Relations” > “Events & Presentations,” and participants can register for a phone dial-in prior to the call to receive a conference call number.
• Background and details: Vistra (NYSE: VST) is a Fortune 500 integrated retail electricity and power generation company based in Irving, Texas, operating a generation fleet of natural gas, nuclear, coal, solar, and battery energy storage; a replay of the webcast will be available on Vistra’s website for one year. Media contact: Meranda Cohn, Media.Relations@vistracorp.com, 214-875-8004. Analyst contact: Eric Micek, Investor@vistracorp.com, 214-812-0046.

Natural Resources Canada has announced that The Honourable Tim Hodgson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, will travel to India from January 27 to 30, 2026 to participate in India Energy Week (IEW) 2026 and related engagements.

• Main announcement: Minister Tim Hodgson will attend India Energy Week (IEW) 2026 in Goa and travel to New Delhi; scheduled engagements include Ministerial Panel: Charting a course through uncertainty on January 27, 2026 at 11 a.m. IST (in-person, Goa), Energy Talk: Canada–India: Building reliable, low-carbon fuel and critical mineral partnerships for the Global South on January 28, 2026 at 12 p.m. IST (in-person, Goa), and a virtual media availability on January 30, 2026 at 12:15 p.m. ET. Media must pre-register by emailing media@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca; details provided upon registration.

• Background and contacts: The events emphasize low-carbon fuel and critical mineral partnerships for the Global South; media contact is Natural Resources Canada Media Relations (343-292-6096, media@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca). Office contact listed as Charlotte Power, Office of the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources (Charlotte.Power@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca).

The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights has issued a press release expressing deep concern about severe floods affecting central and southern Mozambique.

• Main announcement: The Commission reports that more than 513,000 people have been affected, over half are children, and more than 50,000 people have been forced to flee their homes and are in temporary centres; it notes deaths across the region exceed one hundred, including approximately 30 recorded in South Africa and Zimbabwe. The release is dated Banjul, 22 January 2026 and states the Commission is monitoring government and partner response efforts.
• Details and calls to action: The Commission identifies severely damaged roads, bridges, hospitals, schools, and farmland, warns of increased risks of waterborne diseases and nutritional problems, and urges Mozambican authorities to ensure access to drinking water, sanitation, healthcare, nutrition and education, protect vulnerable groups (children, women, the elderly, persons with disabilities), and intensify alert, evacuation and coordination mechanisms with humanitarian actors.

The Janet Quinney Lawson Institute for Land, Water and Air at Utah State University and the Utah Office of Energy Development (OED) have announced the creation of the Gigawatt Fellowship.

• Two-year joint fellowship established to support Operation Gigawatt objectives: a two-year program to provide high-quality research for evidence-based policymaking that advances the state’s plan to increase electrical-generating capacity; application available at https://careers-usu.icims.com/jobs/9817/energy-policy-and-research-strategist-%28gigawatt-fellow%29/job.
• State agency–academic partnership: the fellowship will foster interdisciplinary collaboration across engineering, applied intelligence, natural resources and policy, strengthen ties between OED and USU, and pursue a resource-neutral approach guided by the state’s standards of performance and stewardship.

The European Union has withdrawn GSP tariff preferences for India for the period 2026-2028 under its “graduation” rules adopted in September 2025.

• Main action: The EU has graduated India under its “graduation” rules, removing the GSP margin of preference (typically ~20%) on many product categories for 2026-2028; example impact: clothing with an MFN tariff of 12% previously paid 9.6% under GSP and will now pay the full 12%.
• Background and timing: The change was adopted in September 2025 and coincides with the tax phase of CBAM starting 1 January 2026, leaving exporters to face full MFN tariffs, carbon reporting/compliance costs, and heightened competition until the India-EU FTA is implemented (likely at least a year).

EU High Representative Kaja Kallas announced that the EU and India will move forward with signing a new EU-India security and defense partnership ahead of the 60th EU-India Summit.

• Main announcement: The EU and India will advance a security and defense partnership, launch negotiations on an information security agreement, and aim to conclude a long-pending free trade deal covering clean technology, pharmaceuticals and semiconductors; Kallas said these moves will push the relationship toward more operational cooperation.
• Background and summit details: Negotiations on the joint declaration and a new strategic programme are progressing; Kallas also intends to conclude a memorandum of understanding on a comprehensive mobility cooperation framework (facilitating seasonal workers, students, researchers, highly qualified professionals) and to adopt an EU-India comprehensive strategic agenda for 2030.
  • Event: 60th EU-India Summit
  • Date: January 27
  • Location: New Delhi
  • Agenda highlights: security & defense partnership, information security agreement negotiation launch, free trade deal conclusion, mobility cooperation MoU, comprehensive strategic agenda for 2030

Stony Brook University has announced the launch of a Mixed-Use Residential Development initiative led by the Stony Brook Housing Development Corporation (SBHDC).

• Main announcement and implementation: SBHDC has issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to identify development partners for a comprehensive, mixed-use district on the university’s West Campus that will include student housing, workforce housing, retail/dining, shared amenities, parking, and sustainable energy infrastructure; the RFQ is the first step and qualified teams will be advanced to a subsequent Request for Proposals (RFP) stage.
• Project specifics and policy alignment: The student housing component targets Fall 2029 occupancy, emphasizes affordability, durability, and operational efficiency, and the development is expected to incorporate energy-efficient, all-electric building systems and scalable clean energy solutions in alignment with New York State Executive Order 22 and the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act; procurement details are available at https://procurement.sbhdc.org.

The Franco-German Cross-Border Cooperation Committee (CCT) approved concrete proposals and a 2026 programme in Colmar on 22 January to simplify daily life in border regions.

• Main action: The CCT, jointly chaired by Mr Gunther Krichbaum and M. Benjamin Haddad, endorsed the road map on cross-border cooperation (originally endorsed in August at the CMFA in Toulon) to reduce administrative formalities; it confirmed implementation of the Lauterbourg agreement on apprenticeships (to be implemented in full from autumn 2026) and agreed to broaden apprenticeships to include students on work-study programmes in Germany. The CCT also launched a cross-border impact assessment pilot (“Grenzraumcheck”) on the French-German border and welcomed the combination of SNCF Voyageurs and DB services to strengthen cross-border mobility.

• Background and programme details: The meeting took place at Haut-Rhin Prefecture in Colmar on 22 January (Franco-German Friendship Day, anniversary of the Elysée and Aachen treaties) under the Treaty of Aachen framework; the CCT approved its 2026 programme, including a working group on public health cooperation, measures to facilitate mobility (a regulatory framework for cross-border bus connections) and actions to improve accessibility of the Independent Port of Strasbourg. The committee also addressed postings and established the requirement for systematic impact assessment of national legislation on cross-border areas.

The Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) has handed over new training and accommodation facilities at MOD Lyneham.

• Delivery and scope: The project, delivered by Kier Construction Western & Wales with Mott MacDonald as Technical Service Provider, is an £82 million programme that includes three Single Living Accommodation blocks (providing 96 bedspaces for trainees and 72 beds for permanent staff/RAF personnel), plus a technical building with classrooms, labs, workshops and offices; the training facility is scheduled to open in 2026.
• Background and supporting details: The works facilitate relocation of RAF No 4 School of Technical Training (4SoTT) from MOD St Athan under Project CUBIT, include a 2.5 MVA solar farm and battery storage system to power the new buildings, created the equivalent of 19 new construction jobs, and involve a supporting project at MOD Lyneham Community Centre to improve accessibility and community space.