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Scientists provide recipe to halve Nitrogen pollution from food production

Nitrogen, which is vital for plant growth, is present in animal excreta and synthetic fertilisers that are applied to land to boost crop production. But excessive and inefficient use of this nutrient means up to 80% of it leaks into the environment, mostly in various polluting forms of nitrogen…

Espoo MOP

Meetings of Parties to UNECE treaties stress role of environmental assessment to boost sustainable energy transition and SDGs

Gathering in Geneva for the Meetings of the Parties to the UNECE Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context (Espoo Convention) and the Protocol on Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), Ministers and high-level government officials emphasized the crucial…

UNECE ES at the Ministerial Meeting of Landlocked Developing Countries in Yerevan Armenia

At Ministerial Meeting of Landlocked Developing Countries UNECE stresses that UN transport conventions and trade facilitation tools can help achieve better connectivity

Due to their geographical location, the world’s 32 Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) are facing common problems that negatively affect their economic engagement with the rest of the world. Long distances from the nearest seaports, inadequate transport and transit systems multiple border…

Aerial photography distant view power plan

Governments in Europe and North America agree to revise Gothenburg Protocol to avoid long-term damage from air pollution to health, ecosystems, yields and climate

Parties to the UNECE Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (Air Convention) have agreed to work to revise the Protocol to Abate Acidification, Eutrophication and Ground-Level Ozone (Gothenburg Protocol), which is expected to further strengthen efforts to reduce air pollution in…

cop water

Water cooperation must remain at core of climate action to address security and health risks, urges UNECE at COP28

Climate change is a major stress factor for the world’s water resources, heightening risks of conflict in shared basins, threatening health and undermining sustainable development.  

During high-level discussions held at COP28 on the thematic days on Peace, Security, and Health and on…

Dry city

UNECE and World Green Economy Organization invite stakeholders to join the Trees in Dry Cities Coalition at COP28

Cities are a major driver of climate change, responsible for an estimated 75% of all carbon dioxide emissions globally. With two thirds of humanity projected to live in cities by 2050, cities are at the center of climate action. We need solutions to reduce urban greenhouse gas emissions and…

Road transport

At COP28, UNECE and partners highlight need to decarbonize inland transport and how UN tools and legal instruments can help

The global transport sector has the highest reliance on fossil fuels of any sector. In 2021 it accounted for almost one fourth of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The road transport sector, including passenger cars, buses, heavy and light duty commercial vehicles, is the major GHG…

mining

COP28: UN urges coordinated action to align soaring Critical Raw Materials extraction and use with sustainable development

Critical Raw Materials (CRM) like lithium, nickel, cobalt, copper, manganese, graphite and rare earth elements are crucial for renewable energy technologies like solar panels, wind turbines and for battery production, driving the global shift to electrification. Yet with surging demand,…

cop28

Beyond simply ‘more data’, climate action demands better use of existing data and coordination, urges statistical community at COP28

Amid the proliferation of data related to climate change, the international statistical community has called at COP28 for greater coordination to improve statistics, address persistent gaps, and to fully leverage existing data systems for urgent climate action. This, as stressed in discussions…

event speakers

UNECE and partners advocate for "transition finance" at COP28 to help hard-to-abate sectors and small businesses decarbonize

Climate investments of $1.6 to $3.8 trillion per year are needed from 2020 to 2050 to meet the objectives of the Paris Agreement, according to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). While green finance has more than tripled since the adoption of the Paris Agreement…

gbv

Amid worrying trends in attitudes towards gender-based violence, UNECE calls for commitment to end all violence against women

In half of countries in Europe, North America and Central Asia with data, the belief that it is justifiable for a man to beat his wife is becoming more widespread. 

This worrying trend stands out among the findings of the recent review of progress in the UNECE region towards priorities…

Publication PPP

UNECE publishes legal framework for Public-Private Partnerships in support of the SDGs

Countries that wish to harness the potential of Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) to advance the development, provision and operation of sustainable infrastructure and public services will find help in ensuring this is done in ways that support the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) thanks to…

SPECA Heads of State meeting 2023

SPECA States agree on a dedicated multi-partner trust fund and adopt a roadmap for digitalization of the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor

Meeting for the first time since the United Nations Special Programme for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA) was created in 1998, the Heads of State and Government of SPECA participating States adopted the Baku Declaration. The declaration endorses a roadmap for the digitalization of…

Railway cargo

UN Convention will unify legal system for carriage of cargo between Europe and Asia

Cargo carriage by rail between Europe and Asia will be made easier, quicker and thus cheaper thanks to the adoption of a new United Nations Convention unifying applicable legal rules.   

Until now, rail transport of goods from Asia to Europe was not covered by one uniform legislative…

china traffic

UN Special Envoy for Road Safety visits China to advocate for actions in addressing new road safety challenges

The UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety (Special Envoy) will travel to China to meet representatives from various sectors, advocating for effective implementation of the Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030 with an aim of halving the…

bus kids

New UN Regulation to enhance safety of transport of children in buses and coaches

The majority of the buses and coaches currently in use worldwide are not equipped with safety-belts. And if they are, they are equipped with safety-belts designed to protect adults by means of 2-point or 3-point harness seat belts. These types of safety-belts are not suitable for use on and by…

Pecans and sweet potatoes

New recommendations and standards for sweet potatoes and pecans to facilitate international trade

Sweet potato is a tropical plant which, despite its name, is not related to potatoes. It is a nutritious food rich in vitamin A and C, antioxidants and phytochemicals. Furthermore, sweet potatoes are also a drought-tolerant vegetable, valued for their resilience in diverse agricultural systems.…

Groundwater resources UNFC

UNECE seeks public input on UNFC supplemental specifications for groundwater resources

Groundwater, an invaluable source of freshwater, faces numerous challenges, including overexploitation, pollution, and insufficient data to assess groundwater quantity and quality. UNECE has opened a public consultation on the draft supplemental specifications for groundwater resources for the…

MK Green finance november 2023

New “green” loan options for SMEs and underserved individuals in North Macedonia

New loan options with Performance-Based Payments (PBPs) will be made available to Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) and seven target groups of creditworthy but underserved individuals/households from North Macedonia. The loans are to be used for investments in renewable energy (RE) and…

3rd Almaty Energy Forum November 2023

UN Tools can help Central Asia tap its Critical Raw Materials potential

Critical Raw Materials (CRMs) are essential for the production and deployment of low-carbon technologies, such as wind turbines, solar panels, electric vehicles, and batteries. However, they also pose significant challenges regarding supply, demand, environmental and social impacts, and…