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Faced with increasing impacts of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss, which together constitute the “triple planetary crisis”, no country can act alone. Like nature itself, these challenges know no borders, which makes international cooperation a crucial part of action to address them
On 28 February 2024, the UN Special Rapporteur on Environmental Defenders under the Aarhus Convention, Michel Forst, released a position paper on state repression of environmental protest and civil disobedience: a major threat to human rights and democracy. The position paper provides an overview
UN member States took a decisive step towards sustainable low carbon mobility with the adoption on 23 February of the Inland Transport Committee’s (ITC) Strategy on Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Inland Transport.  Transport accounts for some 23% of annual GHG emissions. Inland transport
Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) will be at the forefront of discussions at the sixth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-6) on how to tackle the triple planetary crisis.  Executive Secretary Tatiana Molcean will lead a UNECE delegation to UNEA-6, the world’s
Efforts to reach the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 are facing strong headwinds from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, shocks arising from climate change and the war against Ukraine, high interest rates and still-elevated inflation.   New data available for this year’s report on
In her first visit to Brussels as UNECE Executive Secretary, Tatiana Molcean held strategic discussions this week with European Commissioners for environment and energy, and high-level officials responsible for industrial policy, trade and cooperation with EU acceding, candidate and neighbouring
Uzbekistan has joined to the UNECE-WHO/Europe Protocol on Water and Health, thereby becoming its 29th Party and the first country in Central Asia to join this treaty. Accession to the Protocol is expected to serve as a catalyst to further drive and streamline national action on water, sanitation,
Batteries fitted to electric vans will be required to be of high quality and durable over the years thanks to a proposal agreed today by UNECE’s Working Party on Pollution and Energy (GRPE).   The proposal will now be submitted to the UNECE-hosted World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle
Today, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan signed a joint statement on the approval of the Strategic Action Programme (SAP) for the Chu and Talas river basins aimed at effective transboundary cooperation in the context of climate change to ensure health, security and economic well-being for the 3 million
Nitrogen, which is vital for plant growth, is present in animal excreta and synthetic fertilisers that are applied to land to boost crop production. But excessive and inefficient use of this nutrient means up to 80% of it leaks into the environment, mostly in various polluting forms of nitrogen:
Climate change is a major stress factor for the world’s water resources, heightening risks of conflict in shared basins, threatening health and undermining sustainable development.   During high-level discussions held at COP28 on the thematic days on Peace, Security, and Health and on Agriculture
Cities are a major driver of climate change, responsible for an estimated 75% of all carbon dioxide emissions globally. With two thirds of humanity projected to live in cities by 2050, cities are at the center of climate action. We need solutions to reduce urban greenhouse gas emissions and develop
The global transport sector has the highest reliance on fossil fuels of any sector. In 2021 it accounted for almost one fourth of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The road transport sector, including passenger cars, buses, heavy and light duty commercial vehicles, is the major GHG contributor
Critical Raw Materials (CRM) like lithium, nickel, cobalt, copper, manganese, graphite and rare earth elements are crucial for renewable energy technologies like solar panels, wind turbines and for battery production, driving the global shift to electrification. Yet with surging demand,
Amid the proliferation of data related to climate change, the international statistical community has called at COP28 for greater coordination to improve statistics, address persistent gaps, and to fully leverage existing data systems for urgent climate action. This, as stressed in discussions
Climate investments of $1.6 to $3.8 trillion per year are needed from 2020 to 2050 to meet the objectives of the Paris Agreement, according to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). While green finance has more than tripled since the adoption of the Paris Agreement in
To meet the objectives of the Paris agreement, energy systems will need to undergo a profound transformation and become fully resilient, finding the right balance between the three pillars of resiliency (as defined in UNECE’s publication “Building Resilient Energy Systems”): energy security,
The decrease of air pollution achieved since the 1990s thanks to measures adopted under the Air Convention is leading to ongoing biological recovery from acidification in freshwater environments in Europe. This is the main finding of a new report published in the framework of the International
The world is falling behind on lowering global carbon emissions.  We only have a narrow chance of limiting global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Sixth Assessment Report) or as the United Nations Secretary-General says, “our world needs
The Gambia has taken a decisive step for cooperative water action by officially becoming the 52nd Party to the Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (known as the UN Water Convention) and 9th Party in Africa. The Gambia’s accession comes within
Each year, across the pan-European region, an estimated 1.4 million deaths are linked to environmental risk factors, including pollution and climate change. To accelerate collective commitments for healthier people and a sustainable future, Ministers and representatives of pan-European countries
A systemic change is needed to provide a safe and healthy working environment for the estimated 33 million people working in the forest sector worldwide, according to a new report from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Labour Organization (ILO) and
UNECE welcomes the approval by the Cabinet of the Ministers of Ukraine of the procedure for maintaining a National Pollutant Release and Transfer Register. The Register, to be operational from 8 October 2023, is expected to facilitate the free provision of information on pollution, such as
The interlinkages between air pollution and climate change are manifold, even though discussions at the international level tend to often take place separately: air pollutants and greenhouse gases are often emitted by the same sources,  leading to complex chemical interactions in the atmosphere. A
Guinea-Bissau has acceded to the UNECE Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (Aarhus Convention), bringing the total number of Parties to 47.   By promoting public engagement in environmental decision-making, the