The active involvement of the countries of Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia (EECCA) is imperative to the regional cohesiveness and effectiveness of the Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution. Ensuring the implementation and ratification of the Convention and its protocols within this region has been highlighted by the Executive Body as a priority.

At its thirty-seventh session, the Working Group on Strategies and Review agreed on an action plan to involve EECCA countries in the work of the Convention. Later this Action Plan was revised in line with the recommendations of the “Saltsjöbaden III” workshop held in Gothenburg, Sweden, in March 2007. The Action Plan is aiming at:

- raising political profile of the Convention in the region;

- encouraging ratification of the Convention’s most recent protocols;

- increasing cooperation and exchange of information through expanding the modeling and monitoring activities;

- supporting the EECCA countries involvement in the activities of the Convention.

In line with the above-mentioned priorities, following projects are now being implemented or have been already completed.

On-going project:

Joint project of Belarus, Kazakhstan, and the Russian Federation: “Facilitating the implementation and ratification of the protocols of the Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution in Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia – Elaboration of national air pollutant emission inventory framework”.

The trilateral project funded by the Government of the Russian Federation has been developed and launched by the partner countries in order to develop policy and technical framework for effective implementation and ratification of the Convention and three latest protocols to it. The project is focused on national air pollutant emission inventory preparatory work to be carried out by national experts in accordance with EMEP/EEA Air Pollutant Emission Inventory Guidebook and the EMEP Emission Reporting Guidelines.

Past projects:

Support to the Implementation of the Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution in Moldova (2009-2011)

The project objective was to promote implementation of the Convention in the Republic of Moldova (mainly, the provisions of the Gothenburg Protocol), to build a high quality national emission inventory in accordance with the requirements of the EMEP/CORINAIR Guidebook and the EMEP Emission Reporting Guidelines and to build capacity for integrated assessment modeling. The project was funded by the Czech Republic.

Implementation and Ratification of the Protocol on Heavy Metals, the Protocol on Persistent Organic Pollutants and Gothenburg Protocol (2008-2011).

The project for Western Balkan countries  funded by the Netherlands and coordinated by UNECE to support the implementation of the Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution has been completed with following major outputs: Albania, Montenegro, Serbia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (fYROM) developed their national action plans for the implementation and ratification of three most recent protocols of the Convention; in addition to that, the fYROM has already deposited its instrument of ratification in December 2010.

Capacity Building for Air Quality Management and the Application of Clean Coal Combustion Technologies in Central Asia (CAPACT project), 2004-2008