Press Releases
Displaying Results 501 - 525 of 1430
Peacefully resolving the overriding political, economic and social concerns of our time requires a multifaceted approach. This includes mechanisms to address the links between the natural environment and human security. Building up on over a decade of successful cooperation, the partners of
Methane is a powerful short-lived climate pollutant. It is also the main precursor of tropospheric ozone (O3). Over a 20-year period, methane’s effect on global warming is 84 times greater than carbon dioxide. Fossil fuel production, including coal mining, accounts for 29% of human-made methane
Water management must play a central role in adapting to the worst effects of climate change and reducing greenhouse gases, according to a new UN-Water Policy Brief.Released in the context of the Climate Action Summit and the opening of the 74th UN General Assembly in New York, the brief argues
Caused by human activity and bio-physical factors, the degradation of land and ecosystems, exacerbated by climate change, is one of the greatest challenges facing Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia.Desertification affects 8% of the territory of the European Union, including around 14 million
The global climate emergency cannot be addressed without the rapid transformation of the energy system. Accelerating the shift to renewable energy sources and dramatically improving energy efficiency will play a crucial role. On the day of the UN Climate Action Summit 2019, UNECE has
Urban areas are responsible for an estimated 75% of C02 emissions worldwide, making city-level action critical for global efforts to address the climate emergency. Mayors and other key urban leaders can play a pivotal role in localizing climate action, with immediate impact on the ground
For any evidence-based transport and sustainable mobility policy, producing relevant transport statistics that are timely, accurate and impartial is necessary. For instance, with 1.35 million people dying in road traffic accidents each year, there is much interest in comparing data on safety
UNECE and Pittsburgh’s Green Building Alliance (GBA) signed an agreement launching Pittsburgh’s International Centre of Excellence on High Performance Buildings. Pittsburgh joins New York City’s Building Energy Exchange as the 2nd Centre of Excellence in a global network of sustainability
Autonomous vehicles are expected to bring enormous benefits to society in terms of enhanced mobility and increased safety. However, these benefits will only materialise if autonomous technologies are introduced in a transparent manner and based on the best global expertise and international
Following the third session of its Advisory Board, held in Geneva on 3 September 2019, the UN Road Safety Fund will be launching its first formal call for project proposals. The Fund will disburse USD 4 million to finance selected projects aimed at contributing to reduce global road traffic
Political authorities and water stakeholders from all over the world will gather in Dakar in March 2021 for the ninth World Water Forum under the theme "Water Security for Peace and Development". The Forum, co-organized by the Government of Senegal and the World Water Council, will for the first
Renewable energy-based electric generating capacity is rapidly growing and is expected to deliver up to 30 per cent of the world’s power demand by 2023. Solar energy will significantly contribute to this growth and play a major role in the energy mix of the future. To help accelerate this
UNECE will support Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine to further enhance strategic environmental assessment (SEA) and transboundary environmental impact assessment (EIA) to prevent and mitigate damage to the environment and health from economic growth.
Official statistics are an indispensable element of the information system of democratic societies, serving governments, economies and the public with data that can help them understand and make decisions about the economy, the population, society and the environment. An essential precondition for
Today, almost 98 million people in the EU-28 are aged 65 years and over - some 19.2 per cent of the total population. With this share set to continue rising over the coming decades, ensuring “active ageing” through healthy and independent living and maximising older populations’ contributions to
The Third Environmental Performance Review (EPR) of Kazakhstan, launched in Nur-Sultan on World Environment Day (5 June 2019), highlights the successes of Kazakhstan in improving its environmental policy over the past decade and provides recommendations to the country for future action. The
Azerbaijan brings degraded land restoration commitments in Caucasus and Central Asia to 3 million ha
Azerbaijan has announced it will restore 170,000 ha of degraded lands by 2030, and an additional 100,000 ha conditional upon receiving funding, under the Bonn Challenge. The Bonn Challenge is a global effort to bring 350 million ha of degraded and deforested land into restoration by 2030.
The Armenian economy is undergoing significant structural changes. Services are playing an increasingly important role, rising from around 46 per cent of the country’s GDP in 2012 to around 53 per cent in 2018, driven by information and communication technology (ICT), tourism and healthcare. The
Fuel quality is key to deliver on sustained low emissions from cars, as both cleaner fuels and advanced emission control systems are needed to deliver on cleaner tailpipe emissions.Since the 1980s, UN Vehicle Regulations have enforced the installation of advanced emission control systems (e.g.
The renewable energy industry has grown significantly in the last few decades, and today, supplies almost a fifth of total primary energy demand. The contribution of renewables at large, especially wind energy, will continue to rise over the coming years. In 2018, 171 gigawatts (GW) of renewable
Many communities around the world rely heavily on healthy forests for the social, economic and environmental benefits they bring. But without the required skills and capacities to monitor and measure the status of forests, they cannot guarantee the sustainable management of these precious
Public procurement alone represents 15-20% of global GDP, while procurement commitments under the World Trade Organization’s Agreement on Public Procurement (GPA) have been estimated at around EUR 1.3 trillion. This is enormous purchasing power that can drive investment and innovation towards
Improving the competitiveness of Kazakhstan as a transport logistics centre at the crossroads of Europe and Asia could enable the country to unlock significant untapped benefits of growing cargo flows between the two continents. For this, it is critically important for Kazakhstan to create a
Those hoping to see increased cooperation between the public and private sectors to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) were given a boost on Wednesday 7 May to 8 May when the Heads of the UN Regional Commissions decided to share a platform and give their support to new forms of
Streamlining border crossing and helping traders to access international markets can provide significant stimulus to national economies. A Single Window for international trade is the ideal solution to achieving this; however, fostering the cooperation between government agencies and replacing