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At the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, UNECE Executive Secretary Tatiana Molcean highlighted the role of UNECE’s legal instruments, standards and tools in dealing with the most pressing global challenges, namely climate change, digital and green transformations, low-carbon energy…
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-…
Originally published as a guest article by IISD’s SDG Knowledge Hub.   How can we rescue the vision of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and get in shape for Our Common Agenda for 2050? Part of the way forward is without doubt to embrace the digital and green transitions.   As we heard…
Halfway to 2030, the future we want seems to be still well out of reach. The 2023 SDG progress report for the UNECE Region, which informed discussions at the inclusive and 1000-strong Regional Forum on Sustainable Development held last week, showed that despite some bright spots, we face a troubled…
Innovation and Technology, which is the focus of this year’s International Women’s Day, presents powerful opportunities for gender equality, and offers welcome hope at a time of great challenges for women’s empowerment. In fact, the regional progress report on the Sustainable Development Goals (…
Inland transport plays a crucial role in the global economy, connecting people, goods and services to markets and opportunities. However, the rapid growth in this sector has had a significant impact on the environment. The increasing demand for faster and more efficient modes of transport has led…
With climate and biodiversity loss heading the news these days, another problem related to the planet we all share is often forgotten: air pollution. Air pollution has an enormous burden on public health, ecosystems, climate, and ultimately, the economy.  Globally, the World Health Organization (…
A UNECE delegation headed by Deputy Executive Secretary Dmitry Mariyasin has visited the headquarters of the European Investment Bank (EIB) in Luxembourg to hold annual consultations and strengthen partnership between two institutions. The meeting came in the aftermath of the discussion held by…
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres noted that two seismic shifts will shape the 21st century: the climate crisis and digital transformation. Just as international cooperation is crucial to preserving the health of the planet, it is also needed to reap the benefits of digital…
Today, according to United Nations estimates, the population of the world will for the first time reach the 8 billion mark.  Just 48 years ago, in 1974, our planet was home to four billion people. In less than half a century this has doubled, having passed through the milestones of five billion in…
The tenth meeting of the Task Force on Public Participation in Decision-making under the Aarhus Convention (Geneva (hybrid), 10–11 October 2022) focused on effective public participation in decision-making in the context of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and on health-related issues…
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…
Cities and urban areas have been at the epicentre of the COVID-19 pandemic which has drastically impacted the urban economy, including public services, employment and infrastructure, affecting all, but foremost the most vulnerable groups of the population. To support cities in their recovery from…
SPECA countries are facing unique challenges, stemming from at least three crises: the need to deal with the regional and global repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic, the political upheaval in Afghanistan, and the conflict in Ukraine. With the correct policies and mechanisms for subregional…
All too often we take the air we breathe and share for granted. Only when we breathe very polluted air, when we can smell and see the pollution, do we realize that the air around us is a precious good that needs to be protected, much like the water we drink. On the International Day of Clean Air…
World trade continues to be severely affected by global supply chain disruptions, exacerbated by shocks including the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine. These challenges attest to the value of supporting and reinforcing trade facilitation measures to enhance resilience in all regions…
In the past few years, multiple shocks ranging from pandemics to conflicts have restricted the movement of goods and services, resulting in the number of countries facing significant disruptions in supply chains is increasing every year, affecting timely delivery of essential goods, such as food…
The Covid-19 pandemic continues to hit hard the countries of the United Nations Special Programme for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA) and highlights the need to diversify from current, resource-dependent models of economic development. This will mean putting ‘innovation and technology that…
The heads of national statistical offices participating in the Conference of European Statisticians have (CES) welcomed UNECE’s new Guidance for measuring the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on women and men. The COVID-19 pandemic continues to disrupt many aspects of daily life. The…
At what point do we cease to be alarmed by a shocking reality? Many of you may already be familiar with the following figures, from the last WHO Global Status Report on Road Safety (2018). Every year 1.3 million people are killed and around 50 million injured on the world’s roads, often with…
Making drinking water and sanitation services affordable for all is key to guaranteeing the human rights to drinking water and sanitation. In the human rights framework, water and sanitation services are unaffordable when paying for them would compromise the ability to pay for other essential needs…
Evidence, in the form of data and statistics, is essential for formulating and monitoring policies. The term ‘evidence-based decision-making’, so commonly used that sometimes we don’t even think about it, makes this abundantly clear.  But we don’t just need any old evidence. If we are to be sure…
UNECE was engaged at the main global forum to assess and discuss progress in implementing the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) – the seventh session of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (GP2022) held in Bali and online, 25-27 May 2022, fully embracing its theme: “…
New multilateralism, focused on creating synergies between local, national, regional and global efforts, combined with practical, forward-looking solutions are needed to address the pressing challenges facing cities across the globe, including the coronavirus pandemic, rapid urbanization, and…
Over 60 participants worldwide joined the online roundtable organized by the UN Digital transformation group for Europe and Central Asia (DTG4ECA) in the framework of the Regional Forum on Sustainable Development for the UNECE region. Established in May 2020, DTG4ECA group, co-chaired by UNECE and…