Environment

Finland and the Republic of Namibia, both countries which are strong advocates for transboundary water cooperation in their respective regions and globally, have just embarked on a two-year pilot Twinning Initiative to exchange experiences, build capacity and strengthen bilateral cooperation on transboundary water management. It is the first Twinning of its kind between the two countries. 

Guaranteeing safe access to drinking water and sanitation remains a challenge in the pan-European region, with 16 million people still lacking access to basic drinking water services and over 29 million people not having access to basic sanitation, including hundreds of thousands who have to practice open defecation. This regional trend is also reflected in Montenegro, a country with stark geographical disparities when it comes to access to water and sanitation.  

Research on and monitoring of the effects of air pollution on different environmental media and health has been carried out for more than four decades under the UNECE Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution. The data and research that has emerged from these efforts is unique as it gives insights into long-term trends. It has also created a common understanding of the harmful effects of air pollution, which has been a prerequisite for informing policy decisions and reaching agreement on effective pollution control under the Convention.

How can regional and international cooperation be fostered in a region that faces unprecedented water scarcity? How can the benefits of this vital resource be shared to increase resilience to climate change?

Air pollutants are not only harming human health and the environment but are also degrading surfaces of historical buildings and monuments. Corrosion and soiling of cultural heritage sites as a result of air pollution can lead to severe economic losses as a result of high maintenance and restoration costs. For example, the total annual cost of maintenance work from soiling of the limestone surface of the Colosseum in Rome, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is estimated to be about € 680,000 per year. 

Uzbekistan is one of the world's largest producers of gold and uranium. In the last 40 years, Uzbekistan has built a strong mining industry, which is expected to grow in the years to come, given that only 20 % of the country’s territory has yet been explored.

Experts from Albania and Montenegro met in Shkoder (Albania) on 25 April 2023 to progress with the exchange of information on the shared Cijevna/Cem River. This was the second meeting of the joint technical group on monitoring and assessment established upon recommendation of the Implementation Committee under the UNECE Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (Water Convention). Two members of the Implementation Committee, Pedro Cunha Serra and Ivan Zavadsky, joined the meeting to facilitate the development of data exchange. 

Countries are increasingly facing multiple interlinked environmental, social, economic and health challenges – climate change, pollution from chemicals and wastes, biodiversity loss and species extinction, deforestation, land degradation, emerging zoonotic diseases, and the impact of armed conflicts on the lives and well-being of people and on the environment. The complexity of addressing these challenges is compounded by the urgent need for regulatory measures, legislative changes and good environmental governance at all levels.