Increasing demand, changing climates and technologies, urbanisation, growing populations, societal demand and inequalities, globalisation and other megatrends are putting enormous pressure on natural resources, in the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) region and elsewhere. There are many complex policy issues and difficult choices to be made regarding their conservation and use. These choices necessitate a comprehensive nexus approach that can address the many interactions and trade-offs involved.
These challenges are recognised at the international level where, amongst other things, the integrative character of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development calls for an assessment of the linkages and complementarities but also of the possible conflicts that exist between different Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and targets. Many other policy instruments and commitments recognise the interlinkages between individual sectors.
The ECE has a specific contribution to make on these questions, as its subprogrammes work on many aspects of natural resources that can be brought together through a nexus approach.