TOWARDS BELGRADE-2007
EUROPEAN ECO-FORUM NEWSLETTER
No 14
DECEMBER 2006

1. SUBREGIONAL WORKSHOP ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE UNECE STRATEGY FOR EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

The workshop on the implementation of the UNECE Strategy for Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) for the sub-region of Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia (EECCA) took place in Moscow on 8-9 November 2006. It was organized by the UN Economic Commission for Europe, the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation and the Faculty of Geography of Lomonosov Moscow State University.

The workshop participants were national ESD coordinators, i.e. representatives of education ministries and environment ministries (or similar governmental agencies) from Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, the Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine; representatives of universities and NGOs. They discussed successes, challenges, specifics and trends in implementation of UNECE Strategy for ESD in EECCA countries. They adopted a Resolution (see in Russian at http://www.ecoaccord.org/edu/resolutionESD.doc) addressing major successes and challenges, as well as immediate priorities for development of ESD in EECCA countries.

In particular, the participants decided to prepare a sub- regional report to review the implementation of the UNECE Strategy for ESD in EECCA countries to cover opportunities, tasks, needs and perspectives for ESD in this sub-region. The report will be presented at the high level segment on ESD during the 6th Conference of Ministers "Environment for Europe" (Belgrade, 10-12 October 2007). This report will be supplementary to the general review of implementation of the UNECE Strategy on ESD in UN ECE region. The participants entrusted the Lomonosov Moscow State University and the Eco- Accord Center (Russia) to coordinate the preparation of the report.

It was also proposed to have annual sub-regional meetings for national ESD coordinators and partner organizations (representatives of educational institutions, science, NGOs, private sector) in order to support exchange of experience and to enhance coordination and mutual support in the process of implementation of ESD in EECCA region. The participants made several proposals addressed to the UNECE Steering Committee on ESD in relation to support of ESD development in EECCA region (see the Resolution).

The documents of the workshop are available at:
http://www.unece.org/env/esd/WorkshEECCA.htm

For more information contact:
Victoria Elias
Coordinator of Education Issue Group
Chairperson of Coordination Board of the European ECO-Forum
Eco-Accord Center, Russia
E-mail: velias@mail.ru

2. EEA CONSULTATION MEETING WITH NON-GOVERNMENTAL AND OTHER BODIES FROM EECCA COUNTRIES ON THE DRAFT BELGRADE REPORT

On 16-17 November 2006, a consultation meeting with non-governmental and other bodies from EECCA countries took place in Copenhagen. The participants included representatives of 11 NGOs from EECCA countries, heads of the Russian REC, REC-Moldova and REC for Central Asia, a representative of the UN Economic Commission for Europe, and other experts.

Until now, the European Environment Agency has produced three Pan-European State of the Environment reports. The reports had an aim to provide reliable information for professionals and the public involved in the "Environment for Europe" process. In the framework of the review process on the Belgrade assessment report, the EEA convened for the first time a specific consultation with non-governmental and other bodies. The purpose of the meeting was to help improve the draft report and to review in detail different chapters of the Belgrade report in order to complete them with relevant and recent information.

The experience and knowledge of national and international NGOs were used to the maximum extent during the meeting in the framework of group discussions on various chapters of the report: climate change, biodiversity, sectoral integration (agriculture, transport, and energy), natural resources and waste management, health and the quality of life, education (it was strongly proposed by the participants to prepare and include a special chapter on education for sustainable development in the Belgrade Report).

Group discussions went very lively and provoked active debates. They also touched upon the range of priority and effectiveness of environmental policy during last three years after Kiev Conference. Specific comments and amendments to the chapters of Belgrade report were proposed during group discussions. The chapters of Belgrade report were also enriched by including good practices about NGO activities in EECCA countries in "Environment for Europe" process. The EEA will work on the incorporation of comments proposed during the consultation meeting.

All presentations and proposals made during the meeting are available at:
http://ewindows.eu.org/belgrade07/eecca/tacis/tacis_06/fol179451/fol351404

For more information please contact:
Adriana Gheorghe
Belgrade/EECCA coordination
Strategic Knowledge and Innovation, EEA
Adriana.Gheorghe@eea.europa.eu

3. FOURTH MEETING OF THE PARTIES TO WATER CONVENTION: CODIFYING PAYMENTS FOR ECOSYSTEM SERVICES

The Fourth Meeting of the Parties to the Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes took place in Bonn on 20-22 November 2006. The participants celebrated the tenth anniversary of the entry into force of the Water Convention, which now has 35 Parties.
The Meeting of the Parties adopted Recommendations on the Payments for Ecosystem Services in Integrated Water Resources Management
(see http://www.unece.org/env/documents/2006/wat/ece.mp.wat.2006.5.e.pdf  ).

The main objective of this non-binding document is to provide guidance on the establishment and use of payments for ecosystem services (PES) to implement international water resource management through the promotion of the protection, restoration and sustainable use of water-related ecosystems at all levels, from local to transboundary. The document consists of a set of strategic, rather than technical, recommendations for the various steps involved in the establishment and operation of various schemes for PES and a set of annexes, which are of a technical nature.

The Meeting of the Parties also adopted Model Provisions on Transboundary Flood Management
(see http://www.unece.org/env/documents/2006/wat/ece.mp.wat.2006.4.e.pdf).
These Model Provisions are meant to be used as part of either a general bilateral or multilateral normative instrument on transboundary water issues or a flood-specific one among riparian States, in order to address transboundary flood prevention, protection and mitigation and enhance preparedness thereto.

At the Fourth Meeting, the Parties discussed the activities of the Convention's project "Capacity for Water Cooperation" aimed to address capacity-building needs of authorities in EECCA countries.

The document entitled "The Preliminary Assessment of Transboundary Rivers and Lakes in the EECCA Region" was prepared for the Meeting. A complete assessment of the status of transboundary rivers, lakes and groundwaters in the UNECE region will be presented at the sixth Ministerial Conference "Environment for Europe" in Belgrade in October 2007.

Documents of the Fourth Meeting of Parties to Water Convention are available at
http://www.unece.org/env/water/meetings/documents.htm#311

4. EU-EECCA WATER INITIATIVE: FOCUS ON NATIONAL POLICY DIALOGUES

The meeting on EU-EECCA Water Initiative took place in Bonn on 23 November 2006, right after the Fourth Meeting of Parties to the Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes. The meeting addressed the prospects for development of EECCA component of the EU Water Initiative - a partnership arrangement that seeks to improve the management of water resources in the EECCA region.

Denmark led the work on the EECCA component of the EU Water Initiative from its launch until October 2004. The European Commission has chaired the Initiative since November 2004 and will continue to do so through 2007. Under the European Commission's chairmanship, a work programme for the EUWI-EECCA Component and principles for establishing National Policy Dialogues have been prepared and agreed upon.

National Policy Dialogues (NPDs) are the main mechanism for implementing the work programme of the EUWI-EECCA Component. The overall objectives of NPDs are to initiate country-specific activities regarding water supply and sanitation (WSS) and integrated water resource management (IWRM) to improve regulatory and administrative frameworks; to help set country priorities; and to identify projects and develop capacity in the EECCA region through a dialogue that, among others, involves public authorities and representatives of civil society. During the National Policy Dialogues, "policy packages" will be developed in the relevant EECCA countries on the basis of country-specific designed joint activities. As final outputs of the National Policy Dialogues, "policy packages" will be implemented.

By the sixth Ministerial Conference "Environment for Europe" (Belgrade, 10-12 October 2007) an NPD will be established and specific identified activities will be implemented in one EECCA country, while another NPD will be initiated in a second country. Initial analyses by the European Commission, UNECE and OECD of countries' needs and informal countries' interest in NPDs have shown Armenia, Moldova, Tajikistan and Ukraine as potential candidate countries for NDPs in 2006 and 2007.

In autumn 2006, representatives of the European Commission, UNECE, OECD and the EUWI-EECCA Component's Technical Secretariat visited Moldova and agreed with Government authorities and other potential partners on how to best respond to Moldova's request to initiate the National Policy Dialogue process. In December 2006, the first mission by the European Commission, UNECE, OECD and the EUWI-EECCA Component's Technical Secretariat will visit Armenia with a purpose to prepare for the NPD.

The document "EU Water Initiative in Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia: National Policy Dialogues" is available in English at
http://www.unece.org/env/documents/2006/wat/ece.mp.wat.2006.6.e.pdf

5. HIGH NATURE VALUE FARMLAND IN EECCA COUNTRIES

On  16-17  November 2006 in Kishinev, Moldova, the  Biodiversity Issue  Group  of  European  ECO-Forum  and  the  UN  Environment Programme  held  a  meeting  in the  framework  of  the  project "Identification of High Nature Value (HNV) farmland: support  to non-EU  accession  countries".  The  meeting  was  organized  by Ecological Society BIOTICA which serves as a focal point for the Biodiversity Issue Group of European ECO-Forum.

In   Kiev  Resolution  on  Biodiversity,  adopted  in  2003   by Ministerial  Conference "Environment for Europe",  participating countries took a commitment to identify high nature value  areas in  agricultural  ecosystems of Pan-European region.  The  donor countries committed to provide support for this activity.  EECCA countries themselves made no steps to implement this commitment. Funding for this project was provided by Norway.

The  participants  of the meeting included  ECO-Forum  and  UNEP experts, representatives of EECCA countries, as well as Moldovan Parliament,  Ministry of Environment, Ministry  of  Agriculture, the Academy of Science and NGOs.

In  the  framework of the project, the experts worked under  the definition  of high nature value farmland (HNVF).  In  order  to assess  the presence of HNVF in the agricultural use  in  EECCA, the  team  of  experts developed an ecosystem classification  of HNVFs  covering  4 types and 23 subtypes of HNVFs.  The  project team  has  also proposed a system of principles and features  of HNVFs and demonstrated capacity of some criteria systems.

Based  on  these background materials, the participants  of  the project  made  an  assessment of the presence  of  HNVF  in  the countries  of  sub-region as well as analyzed the tendencies  in this  area. In general, HNVFs face degradation even though these territories play the key role in food safety of the majority  of countries. One of the dangers for HNVF is that their degradation takes  place slowly; therefore it is unnoticeable for  decision- makers.

The  participants of the meeting stated that the concept of HNVF is almost unknown in EECCA. No targets or tasks to identify HNVF are proclaimed; and no mechanisms to manage HNVFs are developed. There  is  very  little  knowledge in  EECCA  region  about  the experience  of EU and other Western European states in  applying economic instruments and programs to support HNVFs and protected areas.

The participants of the meeting discussed and identified the threats for HNVF in the subregion, in particular such as:

• Continuing degradation of pasture ecosystems in almost all countries of the subregion and reduction of areas with high biological value;

• Reduction in the number of territories and reduction of the area of such territories as a result of transmitting HNVFs to arable farming  areas (Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan), or to industries including transport ways (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Uzbekistan, Ukraine and
  others), or to mining enterprises;

• Significant reduction of old forest massifs (Belarus, Moldova) and water-meadow forests (Uzbekistan and other countries of Central Asia);

• High risks of destroying HNVFs as a result of transforming water-meadows and drainage of wetlands (Belarus, Russia), increase of irrigated lands (Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan) and intensification of production at irrigated lands (Azerbaijan), or due to attempts to restore hydro reclamation systems (Moldova); and other factors.

The participants acknowledged that actions needed to react to threats to HNVFs are largely the same as activities needed to develop the agricultural sector, in particular:

• Filling the gaps in the legislation on use of natural resources (first of all, pastures) and nature protection;

• Developing agricultural policies based on long-term priorities;

• Developing differentiated taxation to stimulate sustainable use of natural resources;

• Fighting black markets and developing transparent markets for agricultural goods and services, in particular at local level;

• Developing evaluation of ecosystem services and inclusion of ecosystem services in budget calculation; and other activities.

Experts believe that the following steps are to be taken in the region for preservation and sustainable usage of HNVFs:

• Political recognition and introduction in the legislation of the concept of multipurpose value of agricultural lands;

• Developing system for registering agricultural lands which would take into account their multipurpose value, developing and introducing registration requirements and forms to allow differentiation of HNVFs;

• Making land users liable for the way they use land and for preservation of HNVFs, restricting use of lands at HNVFs with tax incentives for preservation of their natural value;

Raising awareness among decision-makers and among the general public concerning national and international importance of HNVFs and econets for the preservation of biodiversity.

The participants requested the governments to pay attention to implementation of the Kiev Biodiversity Resolution and to evaluate the implementation of the Resolution at the Conference of Ministers "Environment for Europe" in Belgrade. They proposed to introduce a new chapter concerning support to HNVFs and econets into the EECCA Environmental Strategy. They have also given their support to the development of general methodology for identification of HNVF through cooperation of UNEP, UNDP, FAO, European ECO-Forum and IUCN.

For more information contact:
Alexei Andreev, Project Leader on behalf of ECO-Forum
Liliana Jura, Project Assistant
Ecological Society BIOTICA, Moldova
Biodiversity Issue Group of European ECO-Forum
E-mails: Alexei.Andreev@biotica-moldova.org;
Liliana.Jura@biotica-moldova.org

6. FIRST MEETING OF THE PARTIES TO THE PROTOCOL ON WATER AND HEALTH

The First Meeting of the Parties to the Protocol on Water and Health will take place in Geneva on 17-19 January 2007. The Protocol on Water and Health to the Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes was adopted in London on 17 June 1999 and entered into force on 4 August 2005. By now, the Protocol has been ratified by 20 countries (see status of ratification at http://www.unece.org/env/water/status/lega_wh.htm)

Delegations and NGOs will be invited to make statements on the implementation of the Protocol.

The Meeting is expected to adopt a proposal by Hungary to amend the Protocol to the effect that UN member States, other than those belonging to UNECE and WHO-EURO, can also become Parties to the Protocol.

Parties will inform each other about their progress towards establishing targets and target dates according to Article 6(2) of the Protocol.

The Meeting will also review the outcome of activities of the Working Group on Water and Health related to the development of guidelines for reporting on progress in achieving the targets under Article 6(2) of the Protocol. The Meeting is expected to agree on the preparation of draft guidelines on reporting, forconsideration at the second meeting.

The Meeting will be invited to adopt a draft decision establishing a compliance procedure and to elect the members of the compliance committee.

The Meeting of the Parties will examine a proposal for the establishment of an Ad Hoc Project Facilitation Mechanism to support national action under article 14 related to the improved formulation of projects, in order to facilitate access to sources of finance.

For more information and documents go to
http://www.unece.org/env/water/

7. 14TH MEETING OF THE AARHUS COMPLIANCE COMMITTEE

The Compliance Committee established in 2002 under the auspices of Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public  Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters will have its 14th meeting on 13-15 December 2006 in Geneva. The Aarhus compliance mechanism
provides for an opportunity for states and citizens to address the Compliance Committee if they believe that their rights in accordance with the Convention are violated.

At its 14th meeting, the Committee will consider several communications from the public. It is expected to resume consideration of communication submitted by Civil Society Development Center of Vlora, Albania. The communication alleges that Albanian authorities violated requirements of the Convention to properly and timely notify and consult the public concerned in a decision-making on planning of an industrial park comprising of, inter alia, oil and gas pipelines, installations for the storage of petroleum, three thermal power plants, and a refinery, in the protected area near the lagoon of Narta in Albania.

The Committee is also expected to consider new information received with regard to communication submitted by Alburnus Maior, Romania. The communication alleges that the Romanian authorities failed to comply with provisions of Article 6 of the Convention in decision-making on the Rosia Montana open-cast gold mine proposal.

The Committee will address the communication submitted by Association Kazokiskes Community, represented by their attorneys, about alleged failure by the Lithuanian authorities to comply with provisions of Article 6 of the Convention in decision-making on establishment of a landfill in Kazokiskes, Lithuania. The Committee will also consider one more communication submitted by the same communicant. In this new communication in respect of the European Community, Association Kazokiskes Community, represented by their attorneys, alleges that several Council Directives are not in conformity with Article 6 and Article 9 (2) of the Aarhus Convention.

In addition, the Committee may discuss, on the basis of a draft prepared by the secretariat, the draft guidance document on the reporting requirements.

More information about the Compliance Committee and almost all information regarding communications that were declared admissible by the Committee can be accessed at: http://www.unece.org/env/pp/compliance.htm

Information about submission of communications from the public is available at
http://www.unece.org/env/pp/pubcom.htm