UNUnited Nations Economic Commission for Europe

Press Release

[Index]  [Russian]     
Kyiv, 21 May 2003

CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY

Statement by the Executive Secretary of the United Nations
Economic Commission for Europe, Mrs. Brigita Schmognerová,
to the Ministerial Conference "Environment for Europe"

Kyiv, Ukraine, 21-23 May 2003


Mr. President, Ministers, Excellencies, Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I should now like to say a few words in my capacity as Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, which has been closely associated with the "Environment for Europe" process since the early days.

The reason why so many of you are gathered here today is that the "Environment for Europe" process is unique and that all its participants benefit from the cooperation and the goodwill that it mobilizes. It is unique in the way it brings together not only the region's Environment Ministers, but also international UN and non-UN organizations and many non-governmental organizations.

The involvement of NGOs in this process is far-reaching and over the years has helped to make the "Environment for Europe" process what it is today. I am, therefore, particularly pleased to see so many NGOs from the entire region, including Ukraine, taking a keen interest in this Conference. They are proof that civil society is playing an ever-increasing role in setting the environmental agenda in countries in transition, one of the subregions we shall be focusing on during our three-day Conference.

Apart from the unique involvement of NGOs, the "Environment for Europe" process has also been a trailblazer in international environmental legislation. For instance, at the previous Conference in Denmark, you adopted the ambitious UNECE Aarhus Convention on public participation, which has since come into force, and two innovative protocols to reduce air pollution from persistent organic pollutants and heavy metals.

This time again you will have an opportunity to strengthen the international environmental legal framework. The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe is putting forward three new protocols for adoption and signature:

  • The Protocol on Strategic Environmental Assessment, which will require environmental and public health considerations to be systematically taken into account when plans and programmes, for instance in agriculture, industry or transport, are drawn up;
  • The Protocol on Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers, which will require polluting companies to provide information on their releases of polluting substances, such as greenhouse gases, dioxins and heavy metals, to a national register that is accessible and searchable through the Internet; and
  • The Protocol on Civil Liability and Compensation for Damage Caused by the Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents on Transboundary Waters, which will ensure that if an industrial accident pollutes international rivers or lakes, its victims, such as fishermen or drinking-water plants downstream, will receive compensation.

The UNECE is also submitting Guidelines to help the countries that have signed up to international environmental treaties to comply with them. The Guidelines will ensure that existing commitments are fully implemented and words are put into action.

The "Environment for Europe" process is also unique in the way it provides a platform for different subregions to cooperate on environmental protection and to develop partnerships to this end. We shall discuss several of these partnerships, such as the EU Partnership on Water for Sustainable Development and the Environmental Strategy for Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia, over the next few days.

At the same time, the "Environment for Europe" Conference provides an opportunity for UNECE member States to support worldwide initiatives and put them into practice in our region. In his message, the Secretary-General already referred to the fact that this Conference will be a concrete follow-up to last year's World Summit on Sustainable Development. I should like to add the Strategy for Education for Sustainable Development, which is also on our agenda, and which will be a practical regional contribution to the decade of education for sustainable development proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly.

Over the years, the contributions to the process have grown and many international organizations, such as the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, the European Environment Agency, the Council of Europe, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the World Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the United Nations Environment Programme, the United Nations Development Programme, the European Commission, and others now take a very active part in the Conferences, their preparations and their follow-up.

The "Environment for Europe" process has really proved to be a successful formula to promote environmental protection. The mere fact that this Conference is the fifth in a series of ministerial conferences is testimony to its value and we should be proud of our achievements. It is my sincere hope that you all share my enthusiasm for this process and that by the time you leave Kyiv to return home your commitment to it will be stronger than ever.

The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe is proud to contribute to the process and, to conclude, I should like to give you my assurances that it is able and willing to continue to do so in an effort to ensure that ultimately, through the cooperation of all of us, we shall reach the original goal of the process, namely to raise environmental standards everywhere.

Finally, I wish to express my deepest gratitude to the Government and the people of Ukraine for hosting this Conference, for making it a memorable event, and for the warm welcome and hospitality extended to all of us.

Thank you.

________

Ref: ECE/ENV/03/P12