Press Releases
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Almost 2 years into the pandemic, we have all experienced long and repeated lockdowns. Recent news from New Delhi, however, tell us that the city has gone into another lockdown – this time because of heavy air pollution.
Winter is also the season when air pollution problems in the UNECE region
When we read or hear official figures, such as the rate of inflation, the level of unemployment or the size of our country’s population, we expect to be able to trust in the accuracy of these figures. We want to be able to use them with confidence to inform our decisions.
We also expect the
Today, the Inaugural Meeting of the Working Group on Tailings Safety and the Prevention of Accidental Water Pollution (IIWG) took place in Tajikistan, bringing together representatives of different national authorities, operators, international institutions and interested specialists to strengthen
Protecting and restoring forests, as well as unlocking their potential to ensure livelihoods, green development, and a more sustainable outlook for humanity, were key points discussed during European Forest Week and Foresta2021 by the Joint Session of the UNECE Committee on Forests and the Forest
The trade facilitation performance of 44 UNECE member States has improved from 72 per cent in 2019 to 76 per cent in 2021, according to the Regional Report on Digital and Sustainable Trade Facilitation 2021 released today. The report contains the results from the United Nations Global Survey on
The World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations (WP.29) has adopted an amendment to a United Nations Regulation on Automated Lane Keeping Systems (ALKS) that lays down the technical requirements for their use in heavy vehicles including trucks, buses and coaches. This step marks the first
The impacts of climate change on forests will be profound. Yet global emissions reduction models rely on the ability for forests to both sequester carbon and scale up production of innovative new products that can replace emissions-intensive materials used in construction, textiles and energy
The renewable energy sector in Serbia is preparing for the first round of renewable energy auctions for the provision of renewable electricity. In view of the country’s potential, a large number of bidders are expected to take part in these pilot auctions for a total capacity of 400 MW. This new
SPECA countries have experienced the effects of climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic on key aspects of economic development and cooperation, with negative consequences for sustainable development. COVID-19 related restrictions and border closures caused serious disruption to supply chains and
The Beirut port explosion in August 2020, caused by fire spreading across a storage area detonating a large amount of ammonium nitrate (AN), resulted in 300 deaths and 6,500 injuries, the displacement of about 300,000 people and severe damage to the port and city, including healthcare facilities
With food part of everyone’s most fundamental needs, the sustainability of food systems has been high on the international agenda in 2021. Earlier this fall saw the conclusion of the United Nations Food Systems Summit, setting the stage for global food systems transformation. The United Nations
Sales of electric and hybrid vehicles are surging in major markets including China, Europe and North America, and reached 3 million vehicles in 2020, 4.6% of total sales. In Europe, their market share reached 10%. According to the projections of the International Energy Agency, their global market
Close to 100 people are reported to have died from a blast following a crash between a tanker and a truck in a busy commercial district of Freetown, Sierra Leone.
UNECE stands in solidarity with the people of Sierra Leone and is ready to support all countries to implement proven United Nations
The world’s urban areas are responsible for the vast majority of CO2 emissions. But cities, led by Mayors, are pushing forward the climate action that will be vital to keep the 1.5°C target alive, adapting to climate change impacts, and making their voices heard alongside national governments at
The shift to a decarbonized Hydrogen-based economy that can achieve Carbon Neutrality by 2050 in line with the objectives of the Paris Agreement, requires swift and extensive expansion of renewable and low-carbon hydrogen production. This will require massive investments and appropriate policy
UNECE re-launched its High-Performance Buildings Initiative at COP-26 to deliver on the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. At a ceremony at the Construction Scotland Innovation Centre (CSIC) in Hamilton, today, 8 International Centres of Excellence on High Performance
Increasingly frequent and intense extreme weather events due to climate change that can lead to industrial accidents and unchecked urban and regional development could together be a recipe for disaster, warn the UN and the governments of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia
Today, a High-Level Regional Policy Dialogue kicked off the new capacity building project “Accelerating the Transition to Circular Economy in the UNECE Region” to help countries address challenges and harness opportunities in key areas, including traceability of supply chains, innovation-enhancing
The launch of the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030 sets the ambitious target of preventing at least 50% of road traffic deaths and injuries by 2030. To realize this vision, UNECE partnered with WHO and its sister UN Regional Commissions to develop a Global Plan for the Decade of Action,
Today, Serbia became the first country in the pan-European region to launch a National Policy Dialogue (NPD) on Industrial Safety, supported by UNECE in the framework of the Convention on the Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents (Industrial Accidents Convention). Since its accession to the
A decision establishing a rapid response mechanism for the protection of environmental defenders was adopted by the Meeting of the Parties to the Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (Aarhus Convention) at its
This week nearly 450 participants from close to 50 countries attended the seventh and fourth sessions of the Meetings of the Parties to the Aarhus Convention (Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters) and to its
The digitalization of the “carnet de passages en douane” – or “CPD” system –, which facilitates the temporary importation of private and commercial vehicles, is expected to greatly improve its efficiency, speed and transparency. Through enhanced data management, the digitalized “eCPD” system will
Global estimates for financing needs for water-related investments to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 6 on water range from $6 .7 trillion by 2030 to $22.6 trillion by 2050, according to the OECD. Investments are needed not only to build new infrastructure but also to maintain and operate
New Guidelines issued today by UNECE will support countries in maintaining high quality as they move towards using modern data sources in their censuses.
Knowing the number of people in a population, their distribution across the country, and their basic characteristics such as age, sex and