Turkmenistan is a landlocked developing country in Central Asia with a population of some 6.4 million people, with 49% living in urban areas. In 2022, 95% of the population used a safely managed drinking water service.
Addressing the Plenary of the Summit of the Future during the UN General Assembly, UNECE Executive Secretary Tatiana Molcean noted that with its strong normative footprint, UNECE is fully dedicated to leveraging and adapting its tools, expertise, and partnerships to reinvigorate the implementation of SDGs across multiple areas, including climate action, through the decarbonization of inland transport, the energy transition, and transboundary water management.
A new report by UNECE and UNESCO sounds the alarm on the lack of international cooperation to manage shared rivers, lakes and aquifers, calling for urgent collaboration among countries. Slow progress threatens to delay joint strategies needed to address the intensifying impacts of droughts and floods in the context of climate change.
With its mining industry set to expand, Uzbekistan is taking steps to strengthen the safety of Tailings Management Facilities (TMFs), thanks to practical training organized by UNECE. The 3-day training session this week brought together representatives from national authorities, mining operators, and international experts to build capacity in preventing accidental water pollution and ensuring tailings safety.
Uzbekistan, the most populated Central Asian country with some 35 million people, faces water stress and inefficient water use. In addition, as a major producer of gold and uranium with its rapidly developing mining industry, the country is exposed to increasing environmental and health risks. Among key risks for both Uzbekistan and its neighbouring countries is water pollution linked to the expected rise in the number and scale of facilities managing mining waste - or ‘tailings’ - if these are not safely managed.
While nitrogen is vital for plant growth, excessive and inefficient use of this nutrient means up to 80% of it leaks into the environment, mostly in various polluting forms of nitrogen: ammonia and nitrogen oxides, which are harmful air pollutants; nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse gas; and nitrate, which affects water quality.
After Morocco (2022) and Mauritania (2023), the UNECE Environmental Performance Reviews (EPR) continue to reach beyond the region of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). Mongolia has requested UNECE to undertake its second review, following the first in 2017.
Indicators are vital tools in environmental and economic policymaking. They simplify complex issues into manageable metrics, guiding decision-making, assessing performance and ensuring accountability. By providing a structured approach, indicators help set objectives, monitor progress and evaluate policy effectiveness. Additionally, they generate data that supports further research, leading to refined policies.
Following the decision of Parties to the UNECE Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (Air Convention) to revise the Protocol to Abate Acidification, Eutrophication and Ground-Level Ozone (Gothenburg Protocol), which is expected to further strengthen efforts to reduce air pollution in Europe and North America, technical and scientific work has begun to support the revision process.
In response to severe drought and ongoing water scarcity, Zambia has joined the UN Water Convention to improve water management both within and across its borders. The country, which declared a National Crisis and Emergency in February 2024 due to a drought that has severely impacted food and energy production for its population of over 21 million people, sits within the cross-border Zambezi and Congo River basins.