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In 2015, it was estimated that 1.6 billion people worldwide lacked adequate housing. While levels of homelessness vary considerably across UNECE countries, finding sustainable solutions to ensure access to housing for all members of society remains a significant challenge across the region.…
To avoid damage to the environment, public health and the economy, adopting targets to reduce emissions and introducing measures to enforce them is essential. Providing a framework to facilitate these measures, UNECE assists countries in Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia in…
The Regional Agreement on Access to Information, Public Participation and Justice in Environmental Matters in Latin America and the Caribbean (the Escazú Agreement), developed under the auspices of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), will open for signature by…
The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia has requested UNECE to review its environmental performance for a third time. To provide the groundwork for the review, a team of UNECE and international experts will participate in a mission to the country from 18 to 26 September 2018.UNECE’s …
As a result of integrated air pollution management strategies developed under the UNECE Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (Air Convention), air quality has improved in the region over the past few decades. However, progress has also been uneven as the increase in energy…
The participants in the twenty-second meeting of the Working Group of the Parties to the UNECE Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (Aarhus Convention), held in Geneva from 19 to 21 June 2018, considered a wide…
The need to ensure equitable access to water and sanitation is getting more and more visibility in global, regional and national agendas. The Human Rights to Safe Drinking Water and Sanitation were recognized in 2010. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, particularly under Sustainable…
Did you know that air pollutants come from numerous human activities, such as transport, agriculture, and industry? But even when we repaint our house, have our clothes dry-cleaned or when we make a charcoal barbecue, air pollutants are released. Knowing where exactly air pollutant emissions are…
Improving transboundary water cooperation across the world requires constant dialogue and discussions between countries to exchange good practices, lessons learned and progress achieved. In this regard, on 28-30 May, the second joint meeting of the Working Group on Monitoring and Assessment and…
Knowing where air pollutant emissions are coming from is important to make viable policy decisions. While air quality in the UNECE region has improved over the past few decades as a result of integrated air pollution management strategies developed under the Convention on Long-range…
Ever heard of nitrogen pollution as one of the major problems of our times? The answer is probably no. While everyone knows about climate change and carbon footprints, few people are aware of nitrogen pollution, the nitrogen cycle and the impacts of its imbalance.Indeed, nitrogen pollution…
Who would have thought that heating with wood, a renewable fuel, is not as sustainable as we all thought? Whether heating with wood is a necessity, an alternative to another heating system or just a nice extra to create a cosy atmosphere in our homes, the consequences are the same: smoke that is…
Severe accidents remind us time and time again of the need to invest in their prevention, and to mitigate their consequences, which can be far-reaching and transboundary. The cyanide spill in Baia Mare, Romania in 2000 demonstrated the devastating effects that an accident at a mining company can…
In the UNECE region, buildings are responsible for approximately one third of total energy consumption and account for almost 40 percent of CO2 emissions from combustion. Standards are an effective instrument for addressing energy efficiency in buildings and supporting the achievements of the…
West Africa is rich in transboundary waters with 25 transboundary river basins. The Comoé, Bia and Tanoé river basins are among the main basins that have so far not had a joint management mechanism. The combination of higher water demand from population growth as well as the projected new water…
Can low-cost sensors help us gather more data from many more locations, rendering air pollution monitoring more precise and inexpensive at the same time? Can they help us determine our own exposure to bad air quality? A lot of questions have arisen around the topic of low-cost air quality…
Understanding how pollutant emissions will evolve in the future is essential for designing effective policies today. Under the UNECE Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution, the Task Force on Emission Inventories and Projections (TFEIP) supports Parties in the reporting of official…
Globally, more people live in urban areas than in rural areas, with 54 per cent of the world’s population residing in urban areas in 2014. In 1950, 30 per cent of the world’s population was urban, and by 2050, 66 per cent of the world’s population is projected to be urban. 73 per cent of the…
Water is a topic of cross-cutting significance for sustainable development and increasingly high on political, environmental and development agendas of countries around the world. As the majority of freshwater flows worldwide cross borders, ensuring effective cooperation for their sustainable…
Air pollution is not only a regional issue, but it affects countries worldwide and emissions from one country can travel thousands of kilometers to impact local air quality in another country. To discuss remaining concerns, new challenges, including the global dimension of the air pollution…
Air pollution is by far the world’s largest single environmental health risk and cause of death by cancer, affecting populations in all regions of the globe.In Asia, air pollution is responsible for significant health impacts. As efforts increase to tackle this challenge, there is growing…
Climate change, the loss of biodiversity and air and water pollution are among global environmental challenges that affect everyone. Public rights to timely access to information, especially with regard to environmental impacts and hazards, and to inclusive public participation in environmental…
Senegal shares most of its water resources with other countries. The major part of its surface water reserves are located in the Senegal and Gambia River basins whose waters come from the Fouta Djallon Highlands in the Republic of Guinea. Cooperating on these shared waters is therefore essential…
More than 40% of the world population relies on transboundary water resources. Cooperation on these resources is necessary to manage shared waters in an integrated and sustainable way. Such cooperation has the potential to generate many significant benefits for countries involved, such as…
Ensuring the effective management of water resources so that different needs – including for agriculture, industry, drinking water supplies, hydropower and the protection of ecosystems – can be met is complex at the national level. When water resources are shared with other countries, this can…