Central Asian experts undertake training in Moscow under UNECE project on dam safety
An international training course for high-level officials and experts from Central Asia opened today in Moscow. In a week-long training, delegations from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan will have the opportunity to find out about the experience of the Russian Federation with regard to the maintenance and management of hydro-technical installations in that country, as well as to hear about recent scientific developments in this area. [Monday, 16 August 2010]
Economic crisis drives UNECE region wood harvest to an all-time low
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).
[Thursday, 5 August 2010]
The Protocol on Water and Health is a key tool to deliver access to clean water and sanitation to all
28 July 2010 will mark an important milestone in international efforts aimed at improving the global situation in water supply and sanitation with the adoption by the United Nations General Assembly of a resolution recognizing access to clean water and sanitation as a human right. The resolution is calling on States and international organizations to provide financial resources, build capacity and transfer technology, particularly to developing countries, in scaling up efforts to provide safe, clean, accessible and affordable drinking water and sanitation for all. [Wednesday, 4 August 2010]
Raising awareness on the protection of intellectual property rights is key for development
Every year, the countries of the UNECE region spend billions of dollars financing public research, but struggle to translate these investments into innovation-driven economic growth, in part because universities and businesses don’t always understand how to protect and exploit the intellectual property generated through public research. [Monday, 19 July 2010]
Executive Secretary discusses strengthening cooperation
in the Aral Sea Basin
Ján Kubiš, UNECE Executive Secretary, visited the Executive Committee of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS) on 16 July in Almaty. The visit is part of broader efforts by UNECE to actively support the sustainable development of Central Asia, in particular by strengthening transboundary water cooperation. UNECE efforts build on the solid basis of international legal instruments, in particular the UNECE environmental conventions, as well as on internationally accepted tools and approaches like integrated water resources management and the river basin approach. [Friday, 16 July 2010]