Press Releases
Displaying Results 451 - 470 of 470
Geneva During annual Market Discussions at the UNECE Timber Committee on 11-12 October in Geneva, experts forecast an upturn in wood and paper products markets (consumption, production and trade) in 2010 and 2011 for the UNECE region. Forest products markets are rebounding from a
Geneva Urban areas in the UNECE region are increasingly facing challenges of ensuring access to affordable housing and improving energy efficiency and environmental soundness of dwellings. Housing shortages are experienced in many countries in the region; carbon footprints from dwellings
Geneva The consumption of wood and paper products fell by 11.6% in the UNECE region in 2009, the largest year-on-year drop since the oil crisis of the 1970s, according to the UNECE/FAO’s Forest Products Annual Market Review 2009-2010 released today (graph 1).The main cause was of this
Geneva The recent sub-prime mortgage crisis and the collapse of the global housing bubble damaged financial institutions globally and sparked the worst financial and economic crisis since the Great Depression. As part of UNECE efforts to avert future crises and to promote sustainable development
Geneva, Switzerland The Timber Committee of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) meets again this year at the Palais des Nations, Geneva, to review the latest international developments affecting the forest sector. The event brings together delegates from Governments,
Geneva This year, for the first time, national experts from both the forestry and energy sectors in the Commonwealth of Independent States and Turkey came together to examine policy options for accelerating the production and use of cost-effective wood energy in the region. They concluded
Geneva Overall, the implementation of e-government reforms can improve the delivery of government services and result in lower operating costs, increased revenue for fiscal authorities, improved transparency in property transactions and reduced opportunities for fraud. These and other benefits
Geneva There are a number of public misperceptions about forests in the pan-European region. According to national and regional surveys, it is common belief that forests are disappearing and using wood is a threat to forest health. But the opposite is in fact the case. Forests now cover
Geneva According to a new publication, if Europe is to achieve its renewable energy objective of 20% by 2020, it must step up the supply of wood from its sustainably managed forests. In Europe, only 60% of the annual natural growth of the forests is currently being harvested. For a
European forests are central to climate change mitigation and adaptation as well as for the delivery of environmental services. This role of forests and its potential for further development needs to be fully recognized. This was one of the key messages of the FAO Assistant Director
Geneva Senior Forestry officials from the European region are meeting in Lisbon, Portugal, for the 35th Session of the European Forestry Commission (EFC). Panelists and presenters will be providing expert insight into the key role of forests in a broad spectrum of areas. Participants
Geneva “Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is being implemented in the forest sector in South-East Europe with distinct advantages for companies, trade associations, Governments and their stakeholders” according to Dr. Branko Glavonjic, Chairman of the UNECE Timber Committee. He hosted
UNECE participated in the 5th session of the World Urban Forum, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 22 to 26 March 2010, under the motto “The Right to the City - Bridging the Urban Divide.” Ján Kubiš, UNECE Executive Secretary, was one of the speakers in a Dialogue on “Sustainable
Geneva Transparent and efficient land management is a pre-requisite for the correct functioning of land and real estate markets, both of which play a fundamental role in guaranteeing a country’s prosperity and sustainable development. Transparent institutions can reduce the costs of access to
Geneva “Regulations affecting the trade of timber products are evolving quickly, and this evolution should be closely monitored because of the impacts on the entire forest sector.” So concluded the workshop on “Emerging Trade Measures in Timber Markets”, organized by the United Nations
Geneva Over the last decades, timber has emerged as a globally traded commodity, with trade flows, especially of processed timber goods, growing rapidly. In this context, some stakeholders believe that despite attempts to minimize obstacles to the free flow of timber products, emerging
Geneva The UNECE/FAO Timber Section has just launched its periodical enquiry on the state of forests and forest management in Europe. National correspondents from 46 countries in the pan-European region were invited to provide information on the status and changes of forests, their
GenevaTransparent and efficient land management is a pre-requisite for the correct functioning of land and real estate markets, both of which play a fundamental role in guaranteeing a country’s prosperity and sustainable development. Transparent institutions can reduce the costs of
Geneva In countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), affordable housing has yet to become a reality. The region lacks a social rental housing market and its multifamily housing stock needs urgent restructuring. There is the additional problem of buildings that have become
Geneva Over the last ten years, China has moved from being a modest player in the world’s forest products markets, to becoming one of the leading exporters of manufactured forest products and a major trading partner of both Europe and North America. This is one of the main findings of