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Environment

Forum for International Cooperation on Air Pollution, which affects over 99% of the world’s population, kicks off under the UNECE Air Convention 

A recent study published in The Lancet found that almost the whole world's population was exposed to unsafe levels of air pollution in 2019, with only a mere 0.001 percent breathing air that contains fine particulate matter (PM2.5) at concentrations lower than what the World Health Organization recommends (5 μg/m3). While these alarming numbers show yet again that air pollution is a global issue, the response at the global level has only recently picked up speed.

Kazakhstan takes further measures to prevent accidental water pollution from mine tailings with UNECE support

Industrial safety and the prevention of accidental water pollution were high on Kazakhstan’s agenda this week, with the Second Meeting of the Inter-institutional Working Group on Tailings Safety and the Prevention of Accidental Water Pollution (IIWG).

World must seize UN Water Conference to consolidate cooperation on shared waters as basis to address water crisis

When leaders gather in New York on 22-24 March for the first major UN Water Conference in almost 50 years, the world must not miss the opportunity to secure greater cooperation on shared waters – which account for some 60% of global freshwater flow – as a prerequisite to address the global water crisis. 

Lake Chad soon to be covered by the legal framework of UN Water Convention thanks to Niger's confirmation of its desire to accede

Today, following the example of several countries in the region, Niger officially confirmed its desire to accede to the United Nations Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes, more commonly known as the Water Convention. This upcoming accession is a decisive step for the region as it will bring Lake Chad fully under the Convention's legal framework.

UNECE convenes inter-agency group to coordinate assessment of environmental damage in Ukraine

In response to the huge impacts on the environment of the war in Ukraine, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and partners including UNEP, OECD, UNDP, UNIDO, the World Bank and OSCE are joining forces though an inter-agency group to coordinate the assessment of environmental damage.

New evidence shows impact of ozone, heavy metals and microplastics on natural vegetation and crops

While the impacts of air pollution on vegetation and crops are sometimes overlooked, they can take a high toll on food production. As the food and energy crises have recently shown the vulnerability of our food systems, the impacts of air pollution on agricultural yields and food production should be looked at carefully.   

Central Asian experts highlight the need to strengthen monitoring and data exchange on water quality and transboundary groundwater

Joint efforts to harmonize data collection, strengthen monitoring and data exchange on water quality, develop early warning systems on water pollution at transboundary waters and improve collection and sharing of data on transboundary aquifers are needed for effective regional cooperation in Central Asia. These are the messages of the Regional Workshop on Monitoring, Assessment and Information Sharing in Transboundary Basins in Central Asia which took place on 1 and 2 February 2023 in Astana.

UNECE and partners support Uzbekistan to strengthen cross-sectoral environmental policymaking

While Uzbekistan has improved its environmental performance in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to water and sanitation (SDG 6) and forests and tree cover loss (SDG targets 15.1, 15.2, 15.3), significant challenges remain related to air quality (SDG 11.6), water resources and wastewater treatment (SDG 6), and environmental health and biodiversity (SDG 15).  

UNECE issues biodiversity monitoring guidelines to help countries implement Kunming-Montreal framework

Updated guidance published today by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) will help governments to strengthen biodiversity monitoring as a basis for sharpened biodiversity protection policies across all sectors. 

The guidance is the first of its kind to build on the historic Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework agreed at the 15th Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP-15) in December 2022.  

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