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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
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced on 26 July 2023 the appointment of Tatiana Molcean of Moldova as the next Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE).  She will succeed Olga Algayerova of Slovakia, to whom the Secretary-General is
In the 75 years of its existence UNECE has proved to be an effective platform for cooperation among countries in the pan-European region and beyond, facilitating economic development and integration. Yet, due to ongoing multiple crises, the region is further away from achieving the 2030 Agenda for
Stronger fiscal measures needed to resuscitate global economy and support development agenda New York, 25 January – A series of severe and mutually reinforcing shocks — the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine and resulting food and energy crises, surging inflation, debt tightening, as well as
Geneva and Moscow, 25 January - The economic growth in the Commonwealth of Independent States and Georgia will contract in 2023, albeit by a smaller margin than was previously expected, according to the United Nations World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) 2023, which was launched today. A
Several economies may face a mild recession in 2023 even as risk of energy shortages this winter declines Geneva, 25 January – The protracted war in Ukraine, elevated inflation and tighter monetary policies will weigh heavily on Europe’s economies this year, but growth is forecast to pick up in
UNECE Executive Secretary Olga Algayerova took part in a panel discussion at the Russian Energy Week today aimed at fostering international cooperation on hydrogen (H2).  Hydrogen offers the prospect to decarbonize the energy sector and large sectors of the economy. The shift to a decarbonized
UNECE Executive Secretary Olga Algayerova was in Kyiv on Sunday 9 and Monday 10 October to meet with Government officials to discuss UNECE support to the reconstruction of Ukraine. Since the start of the war, upon official requests for assistance from the government, UNECE has been providing
The trade facilitation performance of 44 UNECE member States has improved from 72 per cent in 2019 to 76 per cent in 2021, according to the Regional Report on Digital and Sustainable Trade Facilitation 2021 released today. The report contains the results from the United Nations Global Survey on
SPECA countries have experienced the effects of climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic on key aspects of economic development and cooperation, with negative consequences for sustainable development. COVID-19 related restrictions and border closures caused serious disruption to supply chains and
The Beirut port explosion in August 2020, caused by fire spreading across a storage area detonating a large amount of ammonium nitrate (AN), resulted in 300 deaths and 6,500 injuries, the displacement of about 300,000 people and severe damage to the port and city, including healthcare facilities
The launch of the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030 sets the ambitious target of preventing at least 50% of road traffic deaths and injuries by 2030. To realize this vision, UNECE partnered with WHO and its sister UN Regional Commissions to develop a Global Plan for the Decade of Action, 
The Bureau of the Conference of European Statisticians (CES), UNECE’s statistical decision-making body, has released new guidance for measuring the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on women and men. From the moment that countries began imposing restrictions in a bid to flatten the curve of the
Humanity is facing not one but three intertwined crises: the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and a lack of adequate and affordable housing. Each of these three emergencies has the potential to compound the multidimensional impacts of the others in health, social cohesion, environmental integrity
Approximately 50 million people in the UNECE region live in inadequate housing conditions. In the 21st century, the governance, land and finance systems that influence the delivery and consumption of housing have been beset by numerous crises. Emanating from climate change, unguided investment
The United Nations has released a first version of a Handbook on Provisions and Options for Trade in Times of Crisis and Pandemic. Work on the Handbook was initiated by ESCAP, UNCTAD and other UN Regional Commissions after realizing that the hundreds of regional trade agreements in place provided
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a multi-dimensional effect on the UNECE region, causing the worst economic contraction in decades. Cities and urban areas, with their high population density and interconnectivity, were particularly vulnerable and encountered major disruptions. The pandemic impacted
Habtamu Zerihun is a 38-year old father to three daughters, aged 4, 6 and 12 years. Habtamu used to be a construction worker in and around Addis Ababa, until he was hit by a pickup on his walk to work. The pickup driver was under the influence of stimulant drugs and there were no adequate
The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the European Investment Bank, the financial investment arm of the European Union, have signed today a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen joint efforts to promote economic cooperation, cohesion and to support countries in the
Serbia is undergoing extensive reforms to consolidate a competitive market-based economy. The Government considers trade, along with investment, as an essential element to achieving structural transformation and inclusive growth. Reforms accord priority to harmonizing non-tariff measures. As part
Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of efficient trade processes has become clear as a means to allow for fast and safe movement of products, including bringing the life-saving medicines and food products to people, and to reduce the economic impacts of the crisis. In the Kyrgyz Republic,
Despite decades of discussions on the challenges and intersections between gender and transport, progress has been slow in implementing a gender perspective in transport policies. This has been problematic, for example, in urban planning which fails to recognise the different travel patterns 
The COVID-19 pandemic spread around the world at lightning speed, devastating cities and communities and prompting a lockdown. The lockdown period also provided some respite for nature, resulting in memorable sights of ‘nature unlocked’ in our urban habitats. To immortalize such sights and to
Ghana’s transboundary river basins, namely the Volta River basin (shared with Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali and Togo – home to over 23 million people, with a population projected to more than double by 2050), Bia and Tano Rivers (shared with Côte d’Ivoire) and Todzie-Aka basin (shared
Today, European countries adopted the Vienna Declaration to spur the transformation towards clean, safe, healthy and inclusive transport and mobility, with a strong focus on promoting cycling across the pan-European region.   The Vienna Declaration was signed at the end of the Fifth High-level