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In an important move to secure the supply of essential raw materials, the European Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA) entered into force on 23 May 2024. This legislation is a cornerstone in enhancing the EU's capabilities in sourcing, processing, and recycling critical raw materials (CRMs), which…
Addressing ministers at the 2024 International Transport Forum Summit (ITF24) in Leipzig, UNECE Executive Secretary Tatiana Molcean recalled that 152 United Nations Member States are contracting parties to at least one of the 61 transport conventions hosted by UNECE. These legal instruments help to…
Extreme weather events exacerbated by climate change increasingly threaten the ability of countries worldwide, including those in the UNECE region, to sustain safe, reliable, and equitable transport and mobility.
Adapting to future impacts of climate change is therefore no longer a concern to be…
The COVID-19 pandemic and the regional conflicts have negatively affected economic development in Eastern Europe and the South Caucasus (EESC), significantly disrupting international trade, investment and cooperation. To achieve a resilient recovery and support the transition to knowledge-based and…
The transport sector is responsible for 23% of global greenhouse gas emissions, with road transport accounting for around 77% of these emissions. As populations, economies, and the need for mobility grow, the World Bank estimates that greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from transport could increase by…
The European Commission has proposed a new legislation, the European Critical Raw Materials Act, to ensure a secure and sustainable supply of critical raw materials for the EU. The Act, on which the European Parliament and the European Council reached a provisional agreement on 13 November,…
UNECE presented its innovation policy insights during the Small Business Act for Europe (SBA) stakeholder meeting at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) on 19 June 2023 in Paris. This meeting was a platform for experts on small and medium enterprises (SME) policy,…
For many people around the world, the work and achievements of the United Nations remain in the realms of grand summits of heads of state on pressing global issues, of diplomatic brokering of peace agreements, of urgent humanitarian interventions for people in the greatest need, and other high-…
The mandatory wearing of safety-belts in cars first introduced in Europe at the turn of the 1970s has saved millions of lives around the world in the past 50 years.
According to the World Health Organization, the use of safety-belts by occupants of vehicles in front seats reduces the risk of…
Countries in the Eastern Europe and South Caucasus (EESC) sub-region (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova, and Ukraine) must boost their efforts to diversify and upgrade their economies through innovation for long-term, sustainable growth and resilience, in light of recent crises…
A UNECE working paper released today, Population and migration statistics in Armenia: current situation, future plans and ways to improve describes how Armenia is improving its statistics on population and migration by combining administrative data with sample surveys. The study reviews innovations…
Participants in the motor industry’s complex supply chains, regulators as well as investors seeking to invest sustainably are increasingly interested in considering the carbon footprint of vehicles over their entire lifetime - from material extraction and production to manufacturing, use and…
Addressing the triple planetary crisis of climate disruption, pollution and nature loss, requires an innovative approach to financing as a way to rapidly and systemically address these interlinked issues. Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) offers a financing mechanisms for infrastructure projects…
Public procurement represents 10 per cent of Georgia’s GDP. Therefore, innovation-enhancing procurement (IEP) can be a powerful policy lever to catalyze innovation and promote sustainability. Using public procurement to drive innovation is one of the recommendations arising from the Innovation for…
The extreme heat and drought that the region experienced this summer is a bleak reminder that current commitments under the Paris Agreement and those made last year at COP26 are nowhere near what is needed to limit global warming to below 1.5°C. Inaction is a policy choice that will lead to greater…
UNECE is supporting the Government of Moldova in its efforts to enhance its national innovation system to accelerate progress towards Sustainable Development. During the online meeting on 16 June, the two sides agreed to develop a Roadmap for Innovation and Technology Transfer, which will feed into…
Regional seas and coastal ecosystems, located either entirely or partly within the UNECE region, face growing environmental pressures caused by climate change, the increasing pollution loads, tourism, fishing, mining of minerals, and energy production (such as offshore wind power plants). These…
The temporary importation of private and commercial vehicles is managed through “carnet de passages en douane” (CPD) on the basis of two international conventions (the 1954 Customs Convention on the Temporary Importation of Private Road Vehicles; and the 1956 Customs Convention on the Temporary…
The UNECE region is not on track to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. Public procurement can be a powerful policy lever to accelerate progress. Some Governments in the UNECE region spend as much as 20 percent of GDP annually on procuring goods, services, and infrastructure.…
Since its independence, Armenia has been one of the fastest-growing economies among the countries in Eastern Europe and South Caucasus (EESC) with GDP growth averaging 6 percent during the last two decades. Fueled by substantial reforms and increased foreign investment, the country embarked on a…
COP26 was a positive step forward in the fight against climate change, but as the UN Secretary General pointed out in his comments: “it is not enough. We must accelerate climate action to keep alive the goal of limiting the global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees.” The compromise deal reflects the…
Transitioning towards a knowledge-based economy away from a resource-intensive model of economic growth is central for sustainable development among the seven countries of the UN Special Programme for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA) - Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,…
As world leaders gather in Glasgow for COP 26, there is increasing recognition that the transition to renewable energy is vital to tackle climate change. The circular economy aims at sustainable production, consumption and resource use by minimizing pollution, turning waste products into productive…
A decade after independence, Armenia embarked on a radical reform path to create a vibrant, market economy – triggering substantial economic growth, often reaching double digits.
As recent trends and volatility indicate, sustaining such growth requires addressing a range of structural challenges…
Since their independence, countries in Eastern Europe and the South Caucasus (EESC) – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine – have introduced far-reaching reforms to boost innovation and benefit from the potential of the growing knowledge-based economy.…