Skip to main content

Sustainable Development

UNECE study explores role of institutional linkages and collaboration in the circular economy transition

Decades of unsustainable consumption and production patterns have resulted in the exhaustion of finite resources and environmental degradation. As governments reassess scenarios, the circular economy model - where resources are reused, recycled, and repurposed to reduce waste - has become a pillar for government strategies that seek to reverse these trends.

Water-energy “nexus” approach is key to renewable energy transition and managing climate vulnerability: the case of the Drina River Basin

In the Drina River Basin, shared mainly by Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia, working together across borders and jointly addressing water and energy challenges is a key part of effective climate action and the green transition.   

3rd Forum of Mayors to gather 50 city leaders at UNECE in push for networked and inclusive multilateralism

The 3rd Forum of Mayors will bring together some 50 city leaders from around the world at the United Nations in Geneva on 2-3 October to share practical experiences of urban regeneration, and to help harness cities’ unique role in addressing some of the key challenges of our time.  

Regional training fosters safe packing of cargo along Trans-Caspian and Almaty-Teheran-Istanbul freight corridors

Many incidents in freight transport are attributed to poor practices in the packing of freight containers, including inadequate securing of cargo, overloading and incorrect declaration of contents. The victims of these incidents may be the general public or transport and supply chain workers, who generally have no control over the packing of containers. 

The United Nations and JCDecaux launch Global Road Safety campaign to address the first cause of mortality for young people aged 5-29

The United Nations Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Road Safety, Mr Jean Todt, and Jean-Charles Decaux, co-CEO of JCDecaux, launched today a new UN Global Road Safety campaign to address road traffic crashes, which are the leading cause of death for people aged 5 to 29 around the world. 

Road traffic crashes kill 1.35 million people every year and injure over 50 million, often for life. Developing countries account for 93% of the victims. The most vulnerable road users (pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists) and the poor are disproportionately affected worldwide. 

Integrated policies on air pollution, climate and biodiversity pay off, say UNECE Air Convention experts

Taking up some of the main results of the recent review report, which assessed the effectiveness of the amended Protocol to Abate Acidification, Eutrophication and Ground-Level Ozone (Gothenburg Protocol) under the UNECE Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution, experts discussed mitigation potentials for

UNECE and partners work to deploy in-depth analysis of road crashes for better road safety in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia

Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia are in the process of adopting road safety strategies and actions plans that rely on modern tools. In both countries, road safety audit and road safety inspection are recognized by legislation, but in-depth analysis of road crashes is still not part of the legislation.  

The future of sustainable building is wood

The building industry currently accounts for 39% of global energy-related CO2 emissions, 11% of which result from manufacturing building materials and products such as steel, cement, and glass. And yet, to date, emission reduction efforts have not really focused on decarbonizing the construction sector but the two other sectors responsible for the most emissions, electric power and transportation.  

Together for Clean Air: UNECE and UNEP promote partnerships and cooperation, leveraging the Air Convention

Breathing clean air is a necessity for everyone and decent air quality is a shared responsibility that can only be achieved if we work together. This is what Member States in the UNECE region realized 45 years ago, when they started negotiating the first multilateral, legally binding treaty to cut air pollution on a broad regional basis – the Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution.