News
Displaying Results 651 - 675 of 1264
How can we turn intentions into action? At the 2019 Regional Forum, 850 key stakeholders demonstrated their readiness to act for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – not with lip service but concrete solutions. Gathering in Geneva on 21-22 March 2019, change makers from governments of 50…
Access to justice is an essential safeguard for the environment, sustainable development and human health and well-being. Members of the public in a number of countries in the UNECE region are increasingly seeking to access justice, in particular in cases relating to air quality, due to concerns…
Water resources in Latin America and the Caribbean are threatened by rising pressures related to unprecedented population growth and related exponential demand and increasing pollution, as well as the impact of extreme weather events. In the region, around 60% of freshwater resources reside in…
Capitalizing on countries’ renewable energy potential requires bringing together different actors and interests in order to overcome barriers and identify priority actions.Responding to this need, “New Possibilities for Developing Renewable Energy Sustainably in Serbia” was the focus of the 6th…
Nigeria is taking action to improve its road safety situation. Following its accession in October 2018 to the 5 key UN road safety Conventions, the country is stepping up efforts to ensure their swift implementation, with help from UNECE. The recent capacity building workshop organised by…
Amina J. Mohammed, UN Deputy Secretary-General, Olga Algayerova, Executive Secretary of UNECE and Malgorzata Golińska, Secretary of State of the Polish Ministry of Environment celebrated the International Day of Forests on 21 March 2019 at the Palais des Nations, Geneva, under the theme Learn to…
The United Nations proclaimed 21 March the International Day of Forests in 2012 to celebrate and raise awareness of the importance of forests of all types. Each year, events scattered around the world celebrate the contribution of trees to our life. Under the motto “Learn to love forests!” the…
Improving energy efficiency in buildings is one of the most cost-effective ways to ensure energy security, improve the quality of life and economic well-being, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The building sector presents a unique opportunity to improve energy efficiency substantially – both…
Over the last few years, Tajikistan has strengthened its efforts to make international trade easier, boost exports and achieve more inclusive growth. UNECE, through its UN Centre for Trade Facilitation and e-Business (UN/CEFACT), has been a steadfast partner in this effort. However, further…
The fashion industry has a lot of potential for change, but currently faces a lot of problems. Almost 65 per cent of global fabric consumption consists of synthetic fibres derived from fossil fuels, which are not biodegradable and add to the already mounting problem of microplastics in our…
Colombia is an important coal producer. Its overall extraction represents over 81.2% of Latin American output. Its reserves constitute almost a half of the continent’s total reserves of these resources. Colombia is also the world's fourth largest exporter of coal with low ash and sulfur dioxide…
“We pledge that no one will be left behind” — this is what countries declared when adopting the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. They vowed to reach the furthest behind first.Members of minority groups are often disadvantaged and discriminated against; in short, they are often the…
There are about 162.8 million micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the world. More than 500 million people are employed in these enterprises. However, these companies face many barriers to participating in international trade, also missing out on opportunities in the booming global…
The Government of Azerbaijan intends to increase the importance of conserving and improving the country’s forest resources and strengthening the functions of forests around the country.In this regard, restructuring forestry institutions and setting-up a new management system are now on top of…
What can we learn from each other to deliver better results on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)? When governments and key stakeholders gather in less than two weeks for the Regional Forum on Sustainable Development (21-22 March), they will have their hands full as they exchange…
Trade and transport physical flows of goods are moving more and more towards the use of electronic data exchange to replace the paper flow of information. Electronic messages are being proposed from all sides often, independently from each other, developed within a bubble of their individual…
Air pollution impacts our health, our environment and our economy. Clean air is unfortunately not a given in all parts of the world. Almost every day, we hear news about high air pollution episodes in different cities around the globe. They remind us time and again that air pollution is a…
In September, last year, on the day of the opening of the Milano Fashion Week, The New York Times published an investigation shedding a disturbing light on the practices of several renowned clothing brands in South Italy. Finishing a luxury coat, sold for 800-2000 €, requires some 4-5 hours of…
Upon request by the Government of Uzbekistan, UNECE will review the country’s environmental performance for a third time, 10 years after the previous (second) review took place. To ensure comprehensive information and objective analysis for the review, a team of 19 experts from different…
Over the past years, Armenia went through severe structural changes which also affected the forest sector. Forests, which were formerly under the auspices of the Ministry of Agriculture are now the responsibility of the Ministry of Nature Protection together with areas dedicated to nature…
Food loss and waste occurs throughout the entire supply chain, from production to consumer, at almost every node of the chain. The gigantic amount of 1.6 billion tonnes of food worth USD 1.2 trillion is lost every year, according to FAO. The Boston Consulting Group, in its 2018 report, presented…
Interoperability of Single Window and other IT systems that simplify international trade procedures can only be achieved by using harmonized standards for data sharing.Azerbaijan has already developed a quite advanced Single Window system, which is particularly important since the country does…
Strengthening environmental governance and the development of environmental policies both play an important role in the achievement of many of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). On 11–12 February 2019, a UNECE expert mission visited ministries and stakeholders in Podgorica to kick off a…
Water, climate and finance know no borders. This brings both challenges and opportunities. The majority of freshwater worldwide flows in transboundary basins and most climate change impacts are felt through the water cycle. Transboundary cooperation in climate change adaptation is crucial for…
Landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) face many complex challenges. Due to their geographic remoteness, their lack of direct access to the open sea and the high transport and transit costs they face, they are at a significant economic disadvantage compared to the rest of the world. The Euro-…