Press Releases
Displaying Results 901 - 925 of 1406
Experts met in Geneva on June 16 for the Second Workshop on Forests and Sustainable Development Goals to discuss whether and how the essential role played by forests in sustainable development is currently reflected in the SDGs. In the day-long workshop participants agreed upon the essential
The Administrative Committee of the TIR Convention held an extraordinary high-level session on 12 June 2014. The high level delegations of ministries of Finance, ministries of Transport, national Customs authorities, and diplomatic representatives of some Contracting Parties came together to
The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (Water Convention) can be a source of inspiration for progress in the management of shared surface waters and groundwaters in the Arab region and
On 10 June 2014 – Parties to the Espoo Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context and its Protocol on Strategic Environmental Assessment adopted a declaration on the application of these instruments to nuclear energy issues last week at back to back sessions of the
Parties to the Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context (Espoo Convention) and its Protocol on Strategic Environmental Assessment decided last week to turn the Protocol into a fully global instrument and to simplify the future accession of non-United Nations
Central Asia is facing growing challenges in the field of environment and water resources. Part of the problems – like the drying out of the Aral Sea or unsafe uranium tailings – is inherited from the past. Increasing environmental pollution and strain on water resources is the result of economic
Generic specifications (rules of application) for the application of the United Nations Framework Classification for Fossil Energy and Mineral Reserves and Resources 2009 (UNFC) to renewable energy were released today for public comment. Comments are invited from all relevant constituencies
On 22 May, to celebrate the International Day of Biodiversity, the Acting Director General of UNOG and Acting Executive Secretary of UNECE, Mr. Michael Møller, buried a bottle containing a message to future generations under a tree, in the garden of the Palais. When the tree dies in 300 years,
Despite progress in recent years in the country’s policy framework related to the environment and sustainable development, the Republic of Moldova faces significant challenges with regard to wastewater management, municipal solid waste management and biodiversity conservation. These are the main
Millions of near misses and over 6,000 deaths occur each year in the world at level crossings – where a road and railway tracks intersect. To raise awareness of this issue, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and partners have produced a film highlighting the dangers and
Over 150 Government officials, representatives of international organizations, international financial institutions (IFIs), civil society, academia and other stakeholders from some 50 countries will meet in Geneva from 2 to 5 June to take stock of progress made in implementing environmental
On Friday, 23 May 2014, the Steering Committee of the National Policy Dialogue on Integrated Water Resources Management of Tajikistan discussed the state of water management reforms that the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) helped to design. Over 60 representatives of
Sound land administration and land management support many goals of the United Nations, including secure tenure for peoples’ homes, environmental protection, disaster risk mitigation, conflict prevention and economic development. In the region of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
The 1997 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses (United Nations Watercourses Convention) will enter into force on 17 August 2014. The accession by Viet Nam to the United Nations Watercourses Convention on 19 May 2014 triggered its entry
An old forester tradition is to bury a message for future generations underneath the roots when a tree is planted. The message will lie there for decades—maybe centuries—until a future generation finds it. The message becomes a time capsule for posterity that bears reflections, hopes, and wishes
On 21 May 2014, the first Environmental Performance Review (EPR) of Morocco, undertaken by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) in cooperation with the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), was launched in Rabat. The review reveals both progress in Morocco’s policy
There are many challenges facing housing in the 21st Century in the UNECE region. The continuing economic crisis and high unemployment levels have limited access to affordable and healthy housing. The housing sector is responsible for some 40% of energy consumption and CO2 emissions also has an
On 6 May 2014 in Yerevan, the Steering Committee of the National Policy Dialogue (NPD) on water resources management approved the draft national water and health targets, prepared by the national expert group with support from the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). The
The major challenge for the governments today is how to provide people with a decent quality of life, while at the same time managing the pressures coming from overpopulation, rapid demographic growth, urbanization and climate change. Nowadays, half of the world’s inhabitants live in cities and
Representatives of the Parties to the Convention on the Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents, gathered in Geneva on 28 and 29 April 2014 at the fourth meeting of the Working Group on Development of the Convention, unanimously agreed on a revised annex I to the Convention that will align
In 1958 Charles David Keeling began collecting carbon dioxide samples that became the basis for the first graph describing the build-up of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, the Keeling Curve. This is the most known story. The less known story is that the Keeling Curve also shows the universal
At a meeting on 24 April 2014 in Burabay, Kazakhstan, key stakeholders of the National Policy Dialogue on water resources Steering Committee of Kazakhstan recommended the initiation of the process of joining the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)-World Health Organization
At the invitation of the Government of the Russian Federation and with the support of the Russian Federal Forest Agency and the Ministry of Forestry of the Republic of Tatarstan, Kazan will host the 72nd Session of the UNECE Committee on Forests and the Forest Industry (COFFI), from 18 to 21
The joint UNECE/FAO Forestry and Timber Section, has been requested by the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources of Kazakhstan to assist its Committee of Forestry and Hunting to support the elaboration of its forestry development programme and action plan, with a view to enhance its
Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) has the potential to turn the natural gas market into a truly global one, thus allowing natural gas to play a full role in transforming the energy system to underpin a sustainable future. In addition, in view of the uncertainties caused by recent geopolitical