UNECE helps Armenia
to publish its long-awaited State-of-the-Environment
Report
Geneva, 2 December 2003 - Air
pollution in Armenia is 70% lower on
the whole than in the early 1990s. Unfortunately,
this has more to do with recession and
emigration than with environmental protection.
Moreover, in the capital, Erevan, environmentally
sound trams and trolleybuses have increasingly
lost ground to small shuttle buses and
private cars, most of which are at least
15 years old. As a result, exhaust fumes
are a constant health hazard. Air pollution
from dirty fuels used for home heating
is also a problem.
Yet air pollution is only one of the many concerns raised
in Armenia's new State-of-the-Environment Report, published in Armenian and
Russian in Erevan this week. According to the Report, river quality is declining
too, mainly downstream from big cities. It is feared that, when the economy
picks up again, water quality will be further compromised as Armenia's 20
waste-water treatment plants have either ceased to operate or are obsolete.
The quality of drinking water is poor and has on occasion led to outbreaks
of disease. Supply is in any case erratic and often limited to 2 to 6 hours
a day. Only 55% of homes in urban areas and 20% of homes in rural areas are
connected to sewage systems. Armenia suffers from soil erosion too. Up to
82% of the country is affected by desertification to some degree, mainly as
a result of uncontrolled mining, logging and overgrazing. Illegal landfilling
is widespread and soil pollution is a real problem.
Armenia's State-of-the-Environment Report follows the Guidelines
for the Preparation of Governmental Reports on the State and Protection of
the Environment issued by the United Nations Economic Commission for
Europe (UNECE) and adopted at the Ministerial Conference "Environment for
Europe" in Kiev in May 2003. It evaluates environmental quality, identifies
"hot spots", analyses pressures on the environment and natural resources,
and assesses the effectiveness of environmental protection measures. It also
helps Armenia comply with its obligations under the UNECE Convention on Access
to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice
in Environmental Matters (Aarhus Convention). The publication of the Report
was made possible thanks to close cooperation with UNECE and financial assistance
from the European Commission.
It is the second comprehensive report on the environment
since Armenia became independent 12 years ago. Many local experts and experts
from UNECE and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) contributed
to it. The Report is also the result of a series of activities on environmental
indicators, the use of modern information technologies for environmental networking
and reporting, and monitoring of emissions and waste, launched by UNECE in
close cooperation with the European Environment Agency in Copenhagen, to strengthen
the capacity of UNECE member States in Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central
Asia in environmental assessment and reporting.
"Up-to-date information on the state of the environment and
natural resources is vital to ensure that the limited funds that are available
for environmental protection are spent on the top priorities," says Kaj Bärlund,
UNECE Environment Director. "Since the publication by UNECE of its Environmental
Performance Review of Armenia in 2000, Armenia has made much progress. It
has adopted eight laws to improve the protection of Lake Sevan, to strengthen
compliance with environmental legislation and to promote environmental education.
It has ratified the UNECE Aarhus Convention, the Kyoto Protocol and the Stockholm
Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants. Last May it also signed three
new UNECE protocols on pollution release and transfer registers, liability
for environmental damage, and strategic environmental assessment. Armenia
has come a long way in strengthening its environmental institutions and management.
The publication of this Report is another step in the direction of sustainable
development. Yet more still needs to be done to boost funding for environmental
protection, establish up-to-date environmental norms and standards that are
compatible with international practices, and promote the use of economic instruments
in environmental policy."
For more information, please contact:
Kaj
Bärlund
UNECE Environment and Human Settlements
Division
Palais des Nations
CH - 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland
Phone: + 41 (0) 22 917 23 70
Fax: + 41 (0) 22 917 01 07
E-mail: [email protected] |
Mikhail
Kokine
UNECE Environment and Human Settlements
Division
Palais des Nations
CH - 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland
Phone: + 41 (0) 22 917 23 47
Fax: + 41 (0) 22 917 06 30
E-mail: [email protected]
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| Web
site: http://www.unece.org/env/europe/monitoring/ |