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Many regard standards as being gender neutral. However, looking at them more closely reveals that they are often gender blind. For example, when a technical specification does not differentiate between the sexes, is this based on research on both sexes or is, in fact, a male reference model being…
What is free time, and how can we measure it? Following increased demand for time-use data from both policymakers and researchers, in 2013, UNECE published the Guidelines for Harmonizing Time-Use Surveys. Free time was defined as time spent on activities such as volunteer work and meetings,…
Land resources strengthen and support global efforts towards sustainable development and ensuring property rights is critical for sustainable land management. Sustainable land management is a key element in the work to end poverty, food insecurity, climate change, and to reduce disaster risks.…
Adequate, affordable housing is the foundation upon which humans can build healthy lives, strong and resilient cities, and thriving national economies. Despite this, however, studies suggest that housing remains one of the least affordable human rights. Housing provision and land management are…
Every day 3,400 people lose their lives on the world’s roads and tens of thousands are injured, often severely. On 20 November, the road safety community paid tribute to victims and their families on the occasion of the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims – an initiative launched by…
Today, genetically modified crops are grown on some 450 million acres in over two dozen countries, but there are also numerous countries that ban or prohibit genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Even among countries that prohibit GMO cultivation, most still allow GMO products — in particular…
The beginning of November marked the thirtieth anniversary of the Sandoz accident, one of the worst transboundary environmental disasters in the UNECE region. The end of the month will see the Conference of the Parties to the UNECE Convention on the Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents…
After independence, Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan struggled with the big task to build their own systems leading forestry into sustainability. The problems and challenges are diverse and often country specific. In Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan afforestation is used to fight…
Good data and strong partnerships are key to implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and the 1994 ICPD Programme of Action can serve as a catalyst in achieving these goals, participants agreed at a recent regional meeting in Geneva organized by…
While others debate the merits of green economy, the Transport, Health and Environment Pan-European Programme (THE PEP) demonstrated once again its hands-on approach by hosting a green economy discussion that focused not on whether to implement green economy, but how to do it.
The Symposium “…
The Paris Agreement entered into force just three days before the United Nations Climate Change Conference — also known as COP22 — kicked-off on 7 November in Marrakech, Morocco. “Our work here in Marrakech must reflect our new reality. No politician or citizen, no business manager or investor…
Source: UNECE Statistical database www.unece.org/stats/dataFrom September 2015 to September 2016 most West and Central European countries experienced modest increases in consumer prices, as measured by the 12-month rate of increase of the consumer price index (CPI).For instance, Germany and…
Taking feelings away, the famous quote by Leo Tolstoy: “All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way”, could be easily applied to poverty. It is a widespread belief that life is easier for the relatively rich than for the poor. More importantly, however, every poor…
The preliminary results of a new UNECE study on the Drina River Basin in the Western Balkans suggest that broadening and intensifying transboundary water cooperation between Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia would have potential benefits, including security benefits. Of particular…
How can public participation procedures in environmental decision-making be best designed to ensure that the public’s views are taken into consideration and improve the quality of the decisions taken? What public notification methods are the most effective nowadays? How can the human and…
The role of international organisations (IOs) is critical in the development of rules and standards that can help advance the well-being of citizens in an increasingly globalised world. This was one of the main conclusions of an event organised by OECD on 2 November on “International Regulatory…
The United Nations digital ambassador, Elyx, participated from 1 to 3 September in a field exercise simulating an oil spill in the Danube Delta, organised by UNECE to improve the response to industrial accidents.Elyx began on 15 August a 70-days trip to highlight UN’s work around the world on the…
Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will require the support of entrepreneurs, with start-ups having a key role to play. “Start-up Nations” and entrepreneurs came together this week at UNECE with the support of the Government of Israel to share their experiences in harnessing…
Have you ever tried the curved cucumbers? or an orange differently shaped than others? Do you know they are actually perfect for human consumption? Even if you know they are, would you give it a try? How many of us know what a ‘Best Before Date’ (BBD) on food labels really means? A survey carried…
Fossil fuels comprise currently 81% of global primary energy supply. There is no plausible scenario in which their share of the energy mix drops below 40% by 2050 even in a scenario that meets a 2°C target. Some analysts would argue the future share of fossil energy will be much higher than 40…
The need to develop water quality cooperation with neighbouring countries was at the centre of the debates in Astana this week. A seminar discussed a draft Review of Policy and Recommendations for Kazakhstan in the Field of Transboundary Water Resources Management, prepared by UNECE experts in…
Given the close links between the energy, water management and environmental protection sectors, improved cooperation between the countries in Central Asia is crucial to achieve the relevant Sustainable Development goals. This was the main conclusion of the 20th session of the SPECA Working…
The Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (Water Convention), adopted in Helsinki on 17 March 1992, entered into force 20 years ago, on 6 October 1996. Over the past two decades, the Water Convention, which is serviced by UNECE, has become a…
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development requires countries to pursue concerted and accelerated action on energy in their national programmes. In order to understand the full implications of the development imperatives, countries need to apprehend what has been agreed both in their own…
Forests are the most efficient way to sequester carbon, and forest products provide materials that are often much more carbon friendly than other alternatives. Properly managed forests and forest products have great promise in helping countries achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).…