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Our health and well-being is contingent on the quality of air we breathe, the water we drink and the ground we live on. Environmental causes are responsible for 22% of all deaths worldwide each year: for 17% of all cancers, 25% of strokes and 44% of asthma cases. According to a report published…
The Eighth Environment for Europe Ministerial Conference (Batumi, Georgia, 8–10 June 2016) addressed education for sustainable development (ESD) issues at the highest regional level, with UNECE ministers in Batumi recognizing education for sustainable development as a cross-cutting theme that…
Chad expressed its intention to accede as soon as possible to the Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (Water Convention), serviced by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). This is the main outcome of the national…
Effective transboundary cooperation is crucial to address the frequent floods and droughts in the Dniester River basin, shared by the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. Such cooperation will become even more important in the future, as climate change is expected to affect the volume and seasonal…
In Kyiv, a high-level multi-stakeholder meeting on 28 March 2017 marked the restart of the UNECE-assisted water policy process after a six-year pause. Some 50 participants from key stakeholder organizations attended the meeting of the newly formed National Policy Dialogue (NPD) Steering…
Experts from UNECE member States and the secretariat will be visiting Bosnia and Herzegovina from 27 March to 6 April 2017 for a field mission in the framework of the third environmental performance review (EPR) of the country. The team will meet governmental officials and representatives of…
Increasing demands for land and other natural resources, construction of environmentally hazardous installations and industrial accidents put people exercising their rights and seeking justice at the new frontline in the battle for the sustainability of their communities and the future of their…
As recently highlighted in the news from the United States on the Oroville dam and its damaged spillway, the safety of dams is a major issue worldwide. For quite some time UNECE has been engaged in Central Asia to develop capacity and policy with regard to dam safety. A project funded by the…
While there is increasing awareness about the health effects of air pollution, its impact on ecosystems and crops is sometimes overlooked. Recent air pollution peaks in Warsaw, Krakow and other cities in Poland and other parts of Europe also have significant effects on plant life. This, in turn…
Six months after UNECE ministers from 44 countries renewed their commitments on a number of environmental issues in the region (Batumi, Georgia, 8-10 June 2016), delegates at the 22nd session of the UNECE Committee on Environmental Policy (CEP) discussed progress in the implementation of those…
How to make the most of the recommendations contained in UNECE Environmental Performance Reviews (EPRs)? How to involve the public in decisions affecting the environment, making public participation effective? How to involve better the private sector in the development and implementation of…
On 25 January 2017, a national round-table discussion on legal implementation of the UNECE Protocol on Strategic Environmental Assessment was held in Astana, Kazakhstan. Underpinning the round table was a legislative review prepared by UNECE experts, assessing the existing legislative…
An intersectoral (nexus) approach to managing water, energy, land resources and ecosystems has a significant potential to improve sustainability in the Syr Darya River Basin in Central Asia. This is the main conclusion of a technical report just issued by the United Nations Economic Commission…
Should the public be consulted about whether to extend the lifetime of a chemical or nuclear plant? Should the public have a say when there is a proposed change to a mining activity? What about the rights of future generations? Are their interests protected when deciding on sustainable…
Transboundary water cooperation often brings many more benefits than expected, but they are frequently not fully perceived by and not appropriately communicated to policy-makers. The Policy Guidance on Identifying, Assessing and Communicating Benefits of Transboundary water Cooperation,…
The Drin River basin, shared by five Riparians: Albania, Greece, Kosovo (UNMIK, Security Council resolution 1244), Montenegro and The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, faces several acute challenges, such as loss of biodiversity, pollution and frequent floods. The basin includes three major…
Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will require coordination across sectors, coherent policies, and integrated planning. It is increasingly clear that authorities need to “break the silos” of their sectoral mandates and work in better coordination across different sectors. The…
UNECE environmental performance reviews (EPRs) can play an important role in supporting the achievement and monitoring of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). EPRs can assess the progress made by a country in achieving the relevant SDGs, identify challenges and provide recommendations to…
Following up on member States’ pledges to improve air quality across the region at the Eighth Environment for Europe Ministerial Conference in Batumi, Georgia earlier this year (8-10 June 2016), Parties to the UNECE Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (Air Convention) this week…
Delegations from Bulgaria and Tajikistan meeting with expert representatives from other UNECE countries in Geneva from 6 to 8 December 2016 discussed and finalized recommendations arising from environmental performance reviews (EPRs) undertaken in those countries. In January 2017, the Committee…
Sustainable development is high on the United Nations agenda this year. To stand up for sustainable development and environmental protection, UNECE is contributing to World Environment Day celebrations taking place in Geneva from 3 to 5 June 2015. World Environment Day, celebrated annually on 5…
Emissions of air pollutants have been reduced considerably in the UNECE region over the past few decades as a result of integrated air pollution management strategies developed under the Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (Air Convention). However, as evidenced by recent…
Countries in Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia need to increase water-use efficiency in view of pressures on the subregion’s water resources, in particular from economic development and climate change. Opportunities and challenges to achieve this were at the centre of the debates…
With help from the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), Belarus is currently assessing its legislation with a view to implementing the Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment (Espoo Convention) and its Protocol on Strategic Environmental Assessment (Protocol on SEA).…
The use of nitrogen fertilizers and the combustion of fossil fuels have led to a doubling of the flow of nitrogen compounds around the world in the past 100 years. Nitrogen (N) is important for plant growth and sufficient amounts are needed for plants to achieve optimum crop yields. However,…