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Central Asia lacks a coherent regional approach to address water, energy and environment challenges, which are largely transnational and can only be tackled in a collaborative manner. To remedy this situation, water, energy and environment specialists from seven countries (Afghanistan…
Four decades of experience under the UNECE Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (Air Convention) have demonstrated that ratification and implementation of the Convention and its protocols reduces health and environmental impacts in a more cost-effective way than unilateral action…
Gender imbalance in the development and implementation of standards hampers progress towards the achievement of the Agenda 2030 and undermines their potential as powerful instruments for sustainable development. To address the fundamental lack of representation of women in standardization, UNECE…
Air quality has become a key political issue in the Republic of Korea, prompting the Government to pass emergency measures and to invest heavily in the development of technologies to reduce fine dust pollution. With 40 years of experience, the UNECE Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air…
In a rapidly changing world economy, countries with economies in transition such as Moldova can harness innovation – or experimentation with ideas that are new to the country – to strengthen the foundations needed to attain the ambitious Sustainable Development Goals. With its strategic location…
Education is essential to achieving gender equality. From the earliest schooling to the highest levels of post-graduate study, education influences the opportunities that can shape people’s lives. This is why education and training of women is one of the 12 critical areas of concern in the…
UNECE, the World Bank and the European Commission have joined forces with the Customs service of North Macedonia and the other Western Balkan countries to improve the region’s trade connectivity with the European Union. Six Western Balkan countries have requested a World Bank project in support…
In recent years, UNECE’s Working Party on Agricultural Quality Standards (WP.7) has worked on gender equality and diversity, with advances and tangible results achieved in many areas including the dried fruit industry in Central Asia, inclusion of more women in standardization and implementation…
Everybody is likely to become a carer at some point in life, providing care for a spouse, family member, friend or neighbour with long-term care needs. The majority of such non-professional care, referred to as informal care, is provided by women.Societies in the UNECE region heavily depend on…
The European inland waterway network of international importance spans more than 29,000 km and includes over 400 important ports and terminals. Inland water transport is a multifunctional, reliable, economical and environmentally friendly mode of transport with considerable untapped capacities…
Tackling inequality between women and men in the sharing of power and decision-making at all levels is essential to strengthen democracy and achieve peace and sustainable development. Back in 1995, this was identified as one of twelve critical areas of concern in the landmark Beijing Platform…
Innovation is great, but it is even more powerful when it is shared. That is the premise of a new venture by UNECE: an “Innovation Lab”, taking place on the margins of the World Statistics Congress in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, later this month.As in all fields and industries, innovation in…
The global problem of plastic waste and the need to cut CO2 emissions call for alternative materials and products that are renewable, biodegradable, easily recyclable and that store rather than release carbon.Forests can help to respond to these challenges. The key role of the forest sector in a…
With rapidly growing competition for resources and increasing waste and pollution, the need to move towards an inclusive circular economic system is growing. A circular economy has the incentives and means to use existing resources in an efficient and sustainable fashion – relying on…
The task of achieving effective and inclusive public participation in national, transboundary and international contexts was in the spotlight at the twenty-third meeting of the Working Group of the Parties to the Aarhus Convention (Geneva, 26–28 June 2019). Two thematic sessions, one on public…
Every year, World Population Day celebrated on 11 July invites us to consider the importance of population dynamics for sustainable development. This year, World Population Day draws global attention to the unfinished business of the ambitious goals of the Programme of Action of the…
UN member States are moving towards more seamless and efficient trading environments, within and beyond their national borders. In general, countries across the globe have made the formalities in international trading simpler and increasingly digital or electronic. The key preliminary findings…
High-level decision makers from Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan have come together for strengthened action to harness trade as a driver of sustainable development.Under the auspices of the Trade Working Group of the United Nations Special…
Energy and water resources are integrally related and strongly interdependent. Facilitating their integrated management and monitoring can therefore offer an important foundation for sustainable development. The United Nations Framework Classification of Resources (UNFC), developed at UNECE, can…
Forest tree nuts and dried fruits can contribute to the sustainable use of natural resources as well as livelihoods of producers, supporting cross-cutting progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). More than 1.6 billion people, mostly in developing countries, depend on forests…
Azerbaijan is strengthening its forest sector with a new ten-year national forestry programme, developed with UNECE support. Strong emphasis is put on increasing forest cover while conserving and improving the country’s forest resources. The sustainable development of forests is among the main…
The ILO Centenary Declaration on the Future of Work, adopted on Friday by the 108th International Labour Conference, acknowledges that alongside other driving factors such as technological innovations, climate change and globalization, demographic change will shape the future of work. Because of…
With 90% of water resources in Africa located in 63 transboundary basins, water management requires strong transboundary cooperation. This cooperation can bring multiple benefits in terms of human health, sustainable agriculture, climate change adaptation, ecosystem protection, peace and…
Turkey and Ukraine are important coal producers. With in-country reserves, coal is central to both countries’ near-term and long-term energy strategies. Each of them has vast experience in coal mining; however, they still face multiple challenges associated with methane gas released from…
We all commute daily for work or leisure purposes. Public or private transport is an integral part of our lives and plays a fundamental role for social and economic development, connecting people and economies. At the same time, the transport sector puts significant pressures on the environment…