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The beginning of November marked the thirtieth anniversary of the Sandoz accident, one of the worst transboundary environmental disasters in the UNECE region. The end of the month will see the Conference of the Parties to the UNECE Convention on the Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents…
The United Nations digital ambassador, Elyx, participated from 1 to 3 September in a field exercise simulating an oil spill in the Danube Delta, organised by UNECE to improve the response to industrial accidents.Elyx began on 15 August a 70-days trip to highlight UN’s work around the world on…
Last December, for the first time ever, containers with grapes left the port of Lüderitz, Namibia, bound for Europe - and they all complied with the quality requirements set out in UNECE’s agricultural standards. Checked by the recently established Agro-Marketing and Trade Agency (AMTA) under…
UNECE’s policy guidelines, standards and regulations will support countries in achieving most of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to be approved in a few weeks by the United Nations General Assembly. The Goals supported by UNECE cover a wide range of areas including, among others:…
According to a recently published UNECE Policy Paper, the agrifood, the garment and footwear and the mineral sectors contribute significantly to the economic growth and employment in the UNECE region, while being major sources of global greenhouse gases (GHG) and environmental pollution. Evidence…
With the review of the amended Protocol to Abate Acidification, Eutrophication and Ground-Level Ozone (Gothenburg Protocol) about to enter its final round, expert groups under the UNECE Air Convention are now discussing latest findings to assess the effectiveness of measures.
The amended Protocol…
After months of the COVID-19 crisis challenging healthcare systems and undermining economies, governments worldwide are looking for ways to jump-start the economic recovery. Without factoring in environmental concerns, recovery packages risk undermining the foundations for sustainable development, …
The UN entities in Europe and Central Asia keep forging ahead in better connecting their expertise and capacities to support the 2030 Agenda in the region. The Regional UN System Meeting (Istanbul, 20-21 May) – the joint policy and operational platform bringing together all UN entities in the…
Amina J. Mohammed, UN Deputy Secretary-General, Olga Algayerova, Executive Secretary of UNECE and Malgorzata Golińska, Secretary of State of the Polish Ministry of Environment celebrated the International Day of Forests on 21 March 2019 at the Palais des Nations, Geneva, under the theme Learn to…
Empowering people to participate in decisions that can affect their environment and health is of key importance to UNECE. To this end, the present publication consists of two separate, but closely linked sets of recommendations: (i) Maastricht Recommendations on Promoting Effective Public…
Taking up some of the main results of the recent review report, which assessed the effectiveness of the amended Protocol to Abate Acidification, Eutrophication and Ground-Level Ozone (Gothenburg Protocol) under the UNECE Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution, experts discussed…
Inland transport plays a crucial role in the global economy, connecting people, goods and services to markets and opportunities. However, the rapid growth in this sector has had a significant impact on the environment. The increasing demand for faster and more efficient modes of transport has led…
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the UNECE Convention on the Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents. This unique international legal instrument, signed on 17 March 1992 and in force since 2000, helps to protect people and the environment from the devastating effects of industrial…
Our health and well-being is contingent on the quality of air we breathe, the water we drink and the ground we live on. Environmental causes are responsible for 22% of all deaths worldwide each year: for 17% of all cancers, 25% of strokes and 44% of asthma cases. According to a report published…
As recently highlighted in the news from the United States on the Oroville dam and its damaged spillway, the safety of dams is a major issue worldwide. For quite some time UNECE has been engaged in Central Asia to develop capacity and policy with regard to dam safety. A project funded by the…
The use of nitrogen fertilizers and the combustion of fossil fuels have led to a doubling of the flow of nitrogen compounds around the world in the past 100 years. Nitrogen (N) is important for plant growth and sufficient amounts are needed for plants to achieve optimum crop yields. However,…
Twenty-one government officials, project developers and experts from 13 countries of South-Eastern and Eastern Europe, Caucasus, and Central Asia participated in The Inter-regional Workshop and Study Tour Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Projects and Policies in Israel. The event, held…
The new regional interagency Issue-based Coalition on Environment and Climate Change has just issued summary recommendations for pandemic socioeconomic assessments and post-pandemic recovery strategies. The recommendations are intended to provide guidance to UN Country Teams in assessing the…
Forest ecosystems are affected by many different stressors, such as climate change and air pollution. Drought periods, like the one in 2018, strongly reduce tree growth and increase tree mortality in the UNECE region. At the same time, air pollution affects forests from the leaf to the ecosystem…
The Government of Azerbaijan intends to increase the importance of conserving and improving the country’s forest resources and strengthening the functions of forests around the country.In this regard, restructuring forestry institutions and setting-up a new management system are now on top of…
Thanks to UNECE and its Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Programme, the global “data revolution” needed to ensure sustainable development and monitor progress in achieving the future sustainable development goals (SDGs) is well under way in the countries of Eastern and South-Eastern Europe…
UNECE will undertake a study of the regulatory and procedural barriers to trade in Albania. The announcement was made during the visit of UNECE Executive Secretary Christian Friis Bach to Albania, on 26-27 January, where he participated in the National Conference in Elbasan and held a series of…
The Protocol on Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers (Protocol on PRTRs) sets international standards for reporting on pollutant releases from a range of economic activities, such as mineral industry operations, plastic production, waste and wastewater management or the rearing of poultry or…
The need to digitalize information flows in international supply chains became clearer than ever during the pandemic, thanks to the reduced person-to-person contact this allows, on top of important efficiency gains. However, efforts to date have been fragmented. UNECE and its subsidiary body UN/…
Uzbekistan is making significant efforts on key environmental issues, including tackling the consequences of the Aral Sea disaster and reforming policies on municipal waste management, biodiversity conservation and green economy. However, the country must step up measures to improve water…