 | Central Asian countries approve joint cooperation plan on water quality (07 May 2012)
Representatives of the five Central Asian states endorsed the first comprehensive Cooperation Plan on water quality for the region at a meeting in Almaty on 3 May. This Plan, «Development of the regional cooperation to ensure water quality in Central Asia», was developed within the project ... |
 | Parties to UNECE Air Pollution Convention approve new emission reduction commitments for main air pollutants by 2020 (04 May 2012)
Today the Executive Body for the Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (LRTAP) concluded its thirtieth session, held from 30 April to 4 May 2012 in Geneva, adopting historic amendments to the Convention’s 1999 Gothenburg Protocol to Abate Acidification, Eutrophication and ... |
 | Advancing environmental governance in the UNECE region: Committee on Environmental Policy concludes eighteenth session (30 April 2012)
At its eighteenth session, held last week in Geneva from 17 to 20 April 2012, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Committee on Environmental Policy provisionally extended the mandates of bodies on environmental performance reviews and environmental monitoring and assessment, ... |
 | Third UNECE workshop on water and adaptation to climate change in transboundary basins (24 April 2012)
The Third workshop on water and climate change in transboundary basins: Making adaptation work will bring together more than 140 participants from all over the world on 25 and 26 April 2012 in Geneva to discuss how to prevent conflict in transboundary basins over dwindling water resources by ... |
 | UN/CEFACT Developments on track (23 April 2012)
The UN/CEFACT Forum - a meeting of experts from around the world working within the global remit of the United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business (UN/CEFACT), an intergovernmental body of the UNECE - held its 19th session at the Palais des Nations in Geneva from 16 to 20 ... |
 | EXCOM welcomes Executive Secretary (20 April 2012)
On 17 April EXCOM met and welcomed the new UNECE Executive Secretary Sven Alkalaj.
In his welcome remarks, Ambassador Ugljesa Ugi Zvekic, Chair of the Commission and of the Executive Committee of UNECE, presented the main passages of Mr Alkalaj’s long diplomatic career, emphasizing his personal ... |
 | Kyrgyzstan makes strides in improving its water resources management within framework of UNECE-supported National Policy Dialogue (20 April 2012)
On Wednesday, 18 April, in Bishkek, the seventh meeting of the Steering Committee of the National Policy Dialogue on Integrated Water Resources Management approved work towards a River Basin Management Plan for the Chu River Basin and endorsed the outcome of a baseline study, which will serve as a ... |
 | Building Strategies for Regions of Innovation (17 April 2012)
The globalisation of research and development activities and the increased relevance of cross-border issues for innovation worldwide have been accompanied by the emergence of regions that act as innovation drivers within countries, including sometimes with a cross-border significance. ... |
 | Exploring approaches for greening homes (16 April 2012)
As a region, the member States of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) are more energy-efficient than the world as a whole. However, this is not true for residential energy consumption per person, which is much higher in the UNECE than the rest of the world. Residences in the ... |
 | Sven Alkalaj takes office as UNECE Executive Secretary (10 April 2012)
Sven Alkalaj, appointed in March by the United Nations Secretary-General as the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, (UNECE) is taking up his duties in Geneva today.
As he has dealt with political and economic issues at the national, regional, European, and ... |
 | UNECE supports Afghan-Tajik cooperation to address severe floods, vulnerable ecosystems and climate change impacts in Amu Darya Basin (03 April 2012)
Afghan and Tajik water and environment experts meeting in Dushanbe from 27 to 29 March 2012 agreed to establish cooperation to address pressing issues on their shared upper part of the Amu Darya River Basin.
As a result of the meeting, a bilateral working group will be set up to pursue further ... |
 | UNECE welcomes the adoption of the GHS by the United States of America (29 March 2012)
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) of the Department of Labor of the United States of America has taken the first step towards the implementation of the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) with the publication of the revised Hazard ... |
 | UNECE-supported studies find water quality problems and alarming decline in fish species in Dniester River (28 March 2012)
Two new reports reviewing the environmental condition of the Dniester River indicate water quality problems in the lower course of the Dniester and its estuary as well as alarming declines in fish populations. The reports were presented in Moldova and Ukraine on 22 March during several events ... |
 | UNECE to initiate work on the Country Profile on the Housing Sector in Ukraine (27 March 2012)
UNECE will initiate work on the Country Profile on the Housing Sector in Ukraine This is the main outcome of a research mission conducted on 17 – 25 March 2012 in Ukraine by a delegation consisting of the UNECE Secretariat and international experts. The study, which should be ready in May ... |
 | North American forests in 20 years: Growing markets for conflicting interests (27 March 2012)
The United States and Canada have experienced large changes in their forest sectors over the past 50 years. The UNECE/FAO North American Forest Sector Outlook Study (NAFSOS) looks at these changes and projects possible futures for the forest sector in 2030. This study is a companion to the European ... |
 | UN agencies call for the adoption of a sustainable development paradigm in the pan-European region (23 March 2012)
A new growth model in the pan-European region — one which increases human development, advances equality and reduces the ecological footprint — is both necessary and possible. This is the main conclusion of the report "From Transition to Transformation: Sustainable and Inclusive ... |
 | UNECE to launch Environmental Performance Review of Morocco (20 March 2012)
Upon request from the Moroccan authorities, UNECE will carry out an Environmental Performance Review (EPR) of Morocco. A review mission is planned for September 2012, with the aim of finalizing the report in the first half of 2013.
The review will cover 14 areas of particular importance to ... |
 | UNECE Water Convention celebrates 20 years of transboundary water cooperation as it prepares to go global (16 March 2012)
The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (UNECE Water Convention), adopted in Helsinki, Finland on 17 March 1992, celebrates its twentieth anniversary today. It is the only international framework ... |
 | Renewed efforts are needed to ensure that access to water and sanitation for all is equitable (13 March 2012)
No one left behind: Good practices to ensure equitable access to water and sanitation, launched today, 13 March 2012, at the sixth World Water Forum in Marseille, France, highlights significant inequities in access to water and sanitation in the pan-European region and provides guidance on how to ... |
 | Secretary-General appoints Sven Alkalaj of Bosnia and Herzegovina as UNECE head (09 March 2012)
The United Nations Secretary-General announced yesterday the appointment of Sven Alkalaj of Bosnia and Herzegovina as the new Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE).
Mr. Alkalaj served as Foreign Minister of his country and Ambassador in Washington and ... |
 | UNECE to contribute actively to 6th World Water Forum (06 March 2012)
UNECE will present its work and actively contribute to discussions at the 6th World Water Forum, to be held on 12- 17 March in Marseille, France. The largest water event in the world, the Forum brings together, every three years, more than 25,000 stakeholders from the worldwide water community, ... |
 | Public-Private Partnerships can deliver critical infrastructure if developing countries tackle financing and governance issues (24 February 2012)
Developing countries must do more to create transparent, accountable business conditions if they are to raise the capital needed to finance critical infrastructure. This was a key theme underscored at PPP Days 2012, the premier global meeting for senior policy makers on Public Private ... |
 | UNECE and OSCE launch a handbook of best practices at border crossings (23 February 2012)
The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) launched a jointly produced handbook on border crossing policies in Vienna, Austria on 22 February 2012.
The Handbook of Best Practices at Border Crossings – A Trade and ... |
 | Kyrgyzstan’s Country Profile on Housing leads to new commitments in the country (22 February 2012)
In Kyrgyzstan for every 1000 inhabitants there are only 210 housing units. This is less than half the EU average, which is 446. Average floor space per capita is also extremely low (around 5 m2, compared to Europe, the United States and China, where floor space per capita is around 48, 81 and 26 m2 ... |
 | Globalization of the UNECE Water Convention will be one of the key priorities until 2015 and beyond (22 February 2012)
The consequences of the opening of the UNECE Water Convention to non-UNECE countries - its “globalization” - and its implications for the future programme of work will be a key priority for the future of the Convention. This was one of the main conclusions of a strategic workshop held on ... |
 | UNFC: enhanced energy security and sustainability (15 February 2012)
Bangkok
Mr. Hongpeng Liu, Chief of the Energy Security and Water Resources Section at ESCAP, opened a workshop on the United Nations Framework Classification for Fossil Energy and Mineral Reserves and Resources 2009 (UNFC) in Bangkok on 9 February. Mr. Liu highlighted the critical role of fossil ... |
 | Leading the way in Public-Private Partnerships: PPP Days 2012 (09 February 2012)
From 21st to 24th February, the United Nations office in Geneva will host over 500 delegates representing more than 80 governments at the premier global event in the public-private partnerships calendar, ‘PPP Days 2012’. This event is being jointly organized by the United Nations Economic ... |
 | UNECE Water Convention to introduce Implementation Committee (03 February 2012)
On 1 February 2012, following two years of negotiations, the Legal Board of the UNECE Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (Water Convention) finalized the proposal for a mechanism to facilitate implementation of and compliance with the ... |
 | Wood confirmed as the primary source of renewable energy in Europe (03 February 2012)
Wood energy accounts for 3% of the total primary energy supply (TPES) and 47% of the renewable energy supply (RES) in the UNECE region[1] in 2009, confirming its role as the leading source of renewable energy. Wood covered almost 20% of the total energy demands of Sweden, Finland and Estonia and ... |
 | Green economy: UNECE walks the talk and prepares for Rio (02 February 2012)
The spotlight will be on the green economy at Rio+20, the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development to be held in Rio de Janeiro in June 2012. Much has been published and discussed about this new concept and how it might shape the future of humanity and its development ... |
 | UNECE and World Bank organize Sustainable Real Estate Markets Forum in Moscow (27 January 2012)
Moscow
The Forum on “Sustainable Real Estate Markets: Principles and Guidance for Development” was held today to draw attention to ways in which secure and well protected property rights, and accurate and accessible information, can attract greater investment and increase economic growth. The ... |
 | UNECE to adopt new ceilings of emissions for trucks and buses (20 January 2012)
On 19 January 2012, the Working Party on Pollution and Energy, approved a proposal for an amendment to Regulation No. 49, concerning more stringent emission requirements for heavy duty vehicle engines. The proposal will be submitted to the World Forum in June 2012 for its final adoption. It will ... |
 | Sovereign debt cancer threatens European and global economies - UN (17 January 2012)
/Brussels
Fiscal austerity programmes in force across Europe and the sovereign debt crisis that erupted in Greece last May — which subsequently spread, first to Ireland and Portugal, then to Spain and Italy — have shaken the European economy and raise the chances of another global recession, ... |
 | Executive Secretary meets with Serbian President (12 January 2012)
Mr. Ján Kubiš, UNECE Executive Secretary, met with His Excellency Mr. Boris Tadić, President of the Republic of Serbia, on Tuesday, 10 January 2012, to discuss issues of mutual interest.
The discussion touched upon the various activities where UNECE and Serbia already cooperate closely, ... |
