ENVSEC meetings
| ENVSEC links environment and security | |
Brussels, Belgium - 05 October 2011 | |
The Environment and Security Partners' meeting at the UN House in Brussels on October 5, 2011 brought together 54 representatives of EU institutions, EU member states, and United Nations agencies as well as other international organizations. During the meeting the challenges and opportunities for addressing environmental and security risks in the four regions where the ENVSEC Initiative operates, namely Eastern Europe, South Eastern Europe, South Caucasus and Central Asia were discussed. The meeting, co-chaired by the Government of Finland (ENVSEC major donor) and OSCE (the Chair of ENVSEC Initiative in 2011), explored synergies between the policies and programmes of various actors in the field and highlighted the need for cooperation and partnerships for tackling complex issues such as competition over scarce natural resources and long-term impacts of climate change. The participants also highlighted the demand driven character of the work, the co-ownership of the countries concerned, and the strong complementarities between ENVSEC Partners, OSCE, REC, UNDP, UNEP, UNECE and NATO as associated partner.
Moreover, the roundtable discussion facilitated by the Government of Finland and the International Water Management Institute encouraged an interactive exchange of views on the current state of play of international cooperation in environment and security and experiences on how the environment and security approach works in responding to crises and security threats. The meeting also allowed to present the hot spot approach on the Amu Darya River Basin model in Central Asia, valued support for the shared basin management and preventing natural and man made disasters in Eastern Europe, as well as the benefits of strengthening civil society engagement in environment and security: the Aahrus Centres and CASE in Southern Caucasus and knowledge share on Mining for Closure in South Eastern Europe. | |
| Meeting documents and presentations | |
| ENVSEC Management Board meeting at NATO Headquarters in Brussels | |
Brussels, Belgium - 04 October 2011 | |
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The second ENVSEC Management Board meeting of the year was hosted by NATO at its headquarters in Brussels on October 4, 2011. At the same occasion a briefing was provided to the NATO Political and Partnerships Committee in Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council format. Following the briefing, NATO’s Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges, Jamie Shea, concluded that ENVSEC would provide the organizations with a unique platform for coordination. He recommended to NATO’s nations to continue with their support for the Initiative.
A key outcome of the Management Board meeting was the endorsement of the ENVSEC component to the Swedish strategy for cooperation with Belarus for the period 2011-2014, which promotes the efficient use of international legal instruments and practices for enhancing security and raising environmental awareness and increasing dialogue about environment-security risks in Belarus. The ENVSEC Board also approved an extension to the ongoing projects on Cooperation for the Protection and Sustainable Development of Mountain Regions in the Southern Caucasus and Strengthening Coordination of Project Formulation and Mobilization of Resources for Sustainable Radioactive Waste Management in Central Asia. With the aim of expanding and diversifying the Initiative’s donor base, the Board approved the ENVSEC Resource Mobilization Strategy for the period of 2012-2015. | |
| ENVSEC Management Board established the Environment and Security Network | |
Vienna, Austria - 18 May 2011 | |
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With objective of ensuring coordination and exchange of ideas among various entities working in the field of environment and security, the ENVSEC partners have decided to establish a platform connecting all actors. The Environment and Security Network is a voluntary alliance of various parties, inter- and non-governmental, public and private, working together towards the common goal of addressing (transboundary) interlinked environment and security issues worldwide, with a specific focus on Europe and CIS countries. The Network was officially launched at the ENVSEC Management Board meeting held on 18 May at the Hofburg Congress Centre in Vienna. The registration form to be completed by interested actors, is to appear shortly on the new ENVSEC website.
Among other key outcomes of the Management Board meeting were the approvals of 10 new project proposals to be implemented in Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the South Caucasus. In the context of the meeting, a special session for OSCE delegations was organized to inform the OSCE participating States about the activities of the ENVSEC Initiative in general and more specifically about the assessment and soon-to-be launched report on environment and security risks in the Amu Darya River basin in Central Asia. | |
| Dniester meetings in Chisinau, 18-20 April 2011 | |
Chisinau, Moldova - 18 April 2011 - 20 April 2011 | |
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A series of ENVSEC meetings to promote cooperation between Ukraine and Moldova in the Dniester River basin will take place in Chisinau on 18-20 April 2011. The countries will discuss the progress in various components of the ENVSEC Dniester-III project, the status of the Dniester basin agreement, and new legal instruments for jointly protecting Dniester fish and biodiversity. A Working group on flood management and climate change adaptation will review the suggested approaches to assessing the basin's vulnerability to climate change and floods, explore synergies with the World Bank, EU, WMO, UNDP and bilateral donors, and agree on the next steps in the project. Environmental and health authorities will participate in a joint sampling of Dniester water quality and discuss how to further strengthen coordinated monitoring in the basin.
The projects "Transboundary cooperation and sustainable management in the Dniester River basin - Phase III" (2008-2011) and "Reducing vulnerability to extreme flood and climate change in the Dniester River basin (Dniester III Flood and Climate)" (2010-2013) are funded by the Governments of Sweden and Finland and implemented by UNEP, UNECE and OSCE. | |
| ENVSEC Regional Coordination Meeting for Eastern Europe | |
Lviv, Ukraine - 16 February 2011 - 17 February 2011 | |
On 16-17 February 2011, the ENVSEC Regional Coordination Meeting for Eastern Europe took place in Lviv, Ukraine, with broad representation by project teams, state agencies, local authorities, academia and NGOs from Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine, as well as the ENVSEC Partner Organizations.
During the meeting, participants informed on recent ENVSEC activities and developments in environmental and security hotspots in the three countries. Among the topics discussed were continuing work on the elimination of pesticides in Moldova and break-away Transnistria and mélange stocks in Ukraine, green border demarcation and management between Ukraine and Belarus, pollution control in the coal producing region of Donetsk, and cooperation in shared water basins. Recommendations for future ENVSEC interventions included the creation of two Aarhus Centres in Chisinau (Moldova) and Tiraspol (Transnistria) to ensure participation of civil society in environmental governance. In addition, a brochure advocating the adoption of the UNEP "Mines for Closure" approach in the coal mining region of Donetsk in Eastern Ukraine was launched at the meeting. Produced by OSCE under ENVSEC, a manual for border guards and customs officers on the prevention of illegal waste cross-border transportation was also presented. In conjunction with this meeting, senior representatives of ENVSEC, UNEP and NATO visited a flow monitoring station set up in the Lutsk region of Western Ukraine by NATO as a result of the combined efforts towards the sustainable management of water resources under ENVSEC. | |
| Meeting summary | |
| Presentations | |
| Kick-off meeting of the ENVSEC Danube delta project | |
Odessa, Ukraine - 20 December 2010 - 21 December 2010 | |
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Report from a kick-off meeting of ENVSEC project “Joint environmental monitoring, assessment and exchange of information for integrated management of the Danube delta Region, Phase II”, held in Odessa on 20–21 December 2010, is now available online. The meeting brought together representatives and experts from Ukraine, Romania and Moldova to discuss how a Danube Delta Analysis Report and the Joint Danube Delta Survey can be organized in the most efficient way to contribute to a strengthened knowledge base as well as inter-state cooperation in the politically complex and environmentally vulnerable region of the lower Danube.
The project is seen as an important activity during the year of Ukrainian presidency at the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River, which started in January 2011. “We are the neighbours, – emphasised Mykola Melenevskiy, Ambassador at Large of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and the Head of Ukrainian Delegation to ICPDR – and the principle of good neighbourhood is important to us and has to be indivisible from relations between the three countries”. He expressed gratitude to ICPDR and ENVSEC for this initiative. The project is implemented by UNEP, UNECE and ICPDR with funding from the Governments of Sweden and Finland. | |
| Minutes of the meeting | |
| List of participants | |
| Environmental Security Assessments: Methodologies and Practices, 21-22 November 2010 | |
Brussels, Belgium - 21 November 2010 - 22 November 2010 | |
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On 21-22 November 2010 the Institute for Environmental Security, in collaboration with UNEP and ENVSEC, is organising a workshop on 'Environmental Security Assessments: Methodologies and Practices'. The meeting will bring together experts with experience in designing and carrying out ESAs and policy makers and practitioners with a demonstrated interest in using such assessments. The overall aim is to exchange information and experiences on the various approaches to conducting ESAs and explore ways to improve the use of them in the future. The specific objectives are:
- To share approaches and experiences among those doing ESAs - which could help strengthen the quality and effectiveness of such assessments. - To explore challenges and exchange ideas for improving end-user satisfaction with and utilisation of ESAs. - To consider ideas for joint follow-up action by the participating organisations. | |
| Meeting documents | |
| Donors' Forum, November 2010 | |
Berlin, Germany - 19 November 2010 | |
| On 19 November in Berlin the forum, bringing together the ENVSEC partner organisations and representatives from donor governments, will review ENVSEC achievements and developments in 2010, as well as current levels of donor contributions and financial commitments, and agree upon regional priorities for 2011. The agenda also includes a presentation of the results from the ENVSEC evaluation conducted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland. | |
| 19 November 2010 - ENVSEC Donors' Forum | |
Berlin, Germany - 19 November 2010 | |
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19 November ENVSEC Donors’ Forum: Finland remains ENVSEC major donor and is interested to support the Initiative under the Wider European Initiative Phase II (2011-2013). An evaluation recently conducted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland says ENVSEC projects remain relevant and instrumental in addressing environmental security risks in Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia.
The German Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety hosted the ENVSEC Donors' Forum on 19 November 2010 in Berlin. The forum gathered the ENVSEC Partner Organisations and representatives of donor governments to review ENVSEC achievements in 2010 and agree on regional priorities for 2011. The programme included also a presentation of results of the recent ENVSEC evaluation conducted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland. The evaluation concluded that the assessed ENVSEC projects are relevant and reasonably effective, and generally score well on the key OECD DAC evaluation criteria. The recommendations of the evaluation will be used as guidance for the second phase of the partnership between the Government of Finland and ENVSEC, which is currently being planned. With its support through the Wider Europe Initiative Finland remains the major donor of ENVSEC. | |
| Meeting documents and presentations | |
| ENVSEC Day in Germany | |
Berlin, Germany - 18 November 2010 | |
| On 18 November in Berlin the Environment and Security Initiative’s (ENVSEC) partners and the German Federal Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety are organizing an event to present ENVSEC activities to representatives of various German ministries and experts working in the field of environment, security and development. The objective of the meeting is to identify synergies and opportunities for collaboration. | |
| 18 November 2010 - ENVSEC Day in Germany | |
Berlin, Germany - 18 November 2010 | |
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18 November ENVSEC Day in Germany: ENVSEC to work closer with Germany to identify areas for cooperation in environment and security. Germany’s support to ENVSEC includes radioactive waste management and early warning systems as well as transboundary cooperation on natural resources management.
The German Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety hosted “The ENVSEC Day in Germany” on the 18th of November in Berlin. The meeting brought together the ENVSEC partners and representatives of various German ministries and institutions to discuss synergies, complementarities and possibilities for strengthened collaboration. The meeting concluded that there is a lot of potential for improved coordination and cooperation on strategies as well as project activities in the ENVSEC regions. The ENVSEC partners and Germany will increase their efforts of exchanging information and developing policies for environment and security. | |
| Meeting documents and presentations | |
| Conference on illegal logging and environmental crime | |
Budapest, Hungary - 08 November 2010 | |
| On 24-25 November in Budapest a conference will gather national authorities, NGOs and international organizations as well as international financial institutions to discuss environmental crime, and illegal logging with a focus on South Eastern Europe (SEE) and Ukraine. The event will provide a forum for presenting and discussing the findings of the SEE regional report on illegal logging prepared by the Regional Environmental Center as well as the individual country studies and diagnostic audits prepared under ENVSEC. Key expected outcomes of this conference hosted by the Regional Environmental Center include the creation of a platform for cooperation between SEE countries. | |
| ENVSEC Regional Coordination Meeting for South Caucasus | |
Tbilisi, Georgia - 05 October 2010 - 06 October 2010 | |
ENVSEC held a Regional Coordination Meeting for South Caucasus in Almaty, Kazakhstan on 23 June 2010. The meeting documents can be found in the attached meeting documents. | |
| Minutes of the meeting | |
| Agenda of the meeting | |
| List of participants | |
| ENVSEC Regional Coordination Meeting for Central Asia | |
Almaty, Kazakhstan - 23 June 2010 | |
ENVSEC held a Regional Coordination Meeting for Central Asia in Almaty, Kazakhstan on 23 June 2010. Conclusions of the meeting and presentations made can be found in the attached meeting documents. | |
| Meeting documents and presentations | |
| ENVSEC Strategic workshop | |
Geneva, Switzerland - 01 July 2009 | |
On July the 1st, the ENVSEC partners organized a workshop to present and discuss the findings of the Strategic review of the ENVSEC Initiative. The workshop, made possible thanks to a generous contribution from the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, brought together 29 participants representing ENVSEC partner organisations, as well as partner and potential partner countries and institutions. The workshop was useful in doing the first selection and prioritization of the wealth of recommendations produced by the review. While carrying the "Blueprint for strengthening the management of the Initiative" into effect will be the first step to implement the recommendations of the review, the rest of the recommendations endorsed by the Management Board will be executed in the order of their priority as defined by the ENVSEC partners and their stakeholders. In the context of the workshop, the Initiative received sufficient pledging and commitments of support to implement the near future plans of the partnership. | |
| Workshop report | |
| ENVSEC Central Asia Regional Review Meeting | |
Dushanbe, Tajikistan - 22 July 2008 | |
| ENVSEC held a Regional Review meeting in Dushanbe, Tajikistan on 21 June 2008. Objectives, proceedings and conclusions of the meeting can be found in the attached meeting report. | |
| Meeting report | |
| Drisviaty lake in Belarus, industrial safety in Moldova | |
Minsk, Belarus and Vadul-lui-Voda, Moldova - 07 December 2007 - 14 December 2007 | |
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A feasibility study seminar 'Cross-border Assessment and Transboundary Cooperation for Management of the Drisviaty/Druksiai Lake Basin' was held on 7 December 2007 in Minsk, Belarus. It included participants from Belarus, Lithuania and Latvia, representing stakeholders from the government Ministries and agencies, universities, private sector and NGO, as well as specialists from Norway and Sweden. The purpose of the seminar was to outline stakeholders and their interests, make an assessment of available data on the state of the environment of the Drisviaty/Druksiai lake basin, and draft a working plan for project implementation. The main issues discussed included the Environmental Impact Assessment of the new nuclear power plant to be built in the vicinity of the Lake Druksiai, effects of the Ignalina NPS on the biodiversity of the lake, and social concerns associated with the construction of the NPS and storage of the nuclear waste. Importance of public participation was highlighted.
On 13-14 December 2007 a workshop on strengthening safety measures at hazardous facilities was held at Vadul-lui-Voda, Moldova under the aucpices of the UNECE convention on the Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents. The purpose of the workshop was to promote cooperation and application of common standards on safety between Moldova and its neighbouring countries, Romania and Ukraine. The workshop was supported by experts from the Czech Republic and Italy. Representatives of Apa-Canal Service, the operator of a hazardous activity in Moldova, also took part. The key objective of the workshop was to discuss the legislation, standards and methods necessary for national authorities to ensure adequate safety at hazardous activities, including the legal basis for issuing licences and permits, as well as verification of safety documentation and conducting inspection. The workshop enabled participants to share good practice and experience in conducting safety inspections, providing guidance to operators and developing tools and practices through adoption of which safety could be further strengthened. | |
| Materials of the Minsk meeting | |
| Meeting on the Environment and Security in the upper Amu Darya River Basin between Afghanistan and Tajikistan | |
Kabul, Afghanistan - 20 November 2007 - 21 November 2007 | |
| On 20-21 November 2007, Kabul and Afghanistan will be theater of an important meeting which will gather representatives of Afghanistan, Tajikistan and international organizations to discuss regional cooperation on environment and security risks in upper Amu Darya River basin. The meeting has been organized by the National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA) of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan with support from the Environment and Security (ENVSEC) partners. It will be an opportunity both to discuss preliminary results of Amu Darya basin assessment carried out by a team of Afghan and Tajik experts and to chart the way towards addressing identified environmental risks. Please see the press release below. | |
| Meeting documents | |
| Advisory Board Meeting | |
Geneva, Switzerland - 06 November 2007 | |
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The annual Advisory Board meeting of the Environment and Security Initiative (ENVSEC) was organized on the 6th of November 2007 in Geneva. The meeting was hosted by UNEP Regional Office for Europe and opened by the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. Representatives from donor and recipient countries, academia and international organizations to reviewed the initiative's strategic objectives as well as the progress of implementation of the regional work programmes. The Initiative as a whole and its regional work programmes received support from the participating governments.
The meeting concluded that as the links between environment and security have become ever more recognized and the integrated approach of environmental management and conflict prevention is being given increased focus on the global political agenda, the need for the ENVSEC partner organisations' assessment, policy development and capacity-building work is greater than ever. In order to better coordinate and support the increased number of ENVSEC projects the partner organisations will strengthen the strategic management and coordination of the Initiative. The meeting participants identified solid funding base as one of the biggest challenges and noted that continuous support of the donor countries will be vital to the further development of the ENVSEC Initiative. As a result of the meeting concrete possibilities for collaboration with the World Bank were identified and the ENVSEC partner organisations committed themselves also to continuing collaboration efforts with the European Commission. In 2008-2009 the ENVSEC partners will aim at further strengthening the national ownership of the Initiative and at improved communication on the purpose and results of the ENVSEC activities. | |
| Meeting documents and presentations | |
| ENVSEC at the 6th "Environment for Europe" Ministerial Conference | |
Belgrade, Serbia - 10 October 2007 - 12 October 2007 | |
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Belgrade hosted the 6th "Environment for Europe" Ministerial Conference from the 10th to the 12th of October 2007. The conference gathered Governement Delegations, Intergovernmental Organisations, Non-Governmental Organisations, Major Groups and Media. Within the plenary session efforts and work of ENVSEC were rewarded by the positive statements of His Excellency Constantin Mihailescu, Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Moldova and Ambassador Marc Perrin de Brichambaut, Secretary-General of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. The Ministerial Declaration itself explicitly recognized, at paragraph 30, the work of ENVSEC in participating countries and trying to reduce environment-related security risks. ENVSEC received also a very good visibility by presenting projects and activies during several successful side events organised within an exhibition area shared by UNEP, UNDP and the European Environment Agency (EEA). For selected media coverage and ENVSEC-related plenary statements please refer to the links below.
Hanna Hopko, "Are the Ministers on the right course?" The Day, Kyiv, Ukraine, No 31 - 23 October 2007 (in Ukrainian, Russian, English; the article was awarded in a national competition by Ukraine's Ministry of Environment Protection). Natalia Shulepina, "Before and after the Belgrade assessment" Zerkalo XXI, Tashkent, Uzbekistan, 11 December 2007 (in Russian). | |
| ENVSEC in Belgrade. Ministerial Declaration | |
| Two ENVSEC workshops in Central Asia | |
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan - 17 September 2007 - 18 September 2007 | |
| On 17-18 September, 2007, representatives of Central Asian countries, Afghanistan, the Russian Federation and international organizations gathered in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan to discuss regional cooperation on environment and security risks in the East Caspian region and the Amu Darya River basin. Facilitated by the Environment and Security (ENVSEC) partners, the meeting aimed at a preliminary agreement on priorities for regional management of shared natural resources and environmental problems related to water, deforestation and biodiversity loss. | |
| Meeting documents | |
| Technical workshop on 'Innovations for contaminated mine waters assessment, management and remediation' | |
Bor, Serbia - 26 March 2007 | |
The technical workshop on 'Innovative techniques and technologies for contaminated mine waters assessment, management and remediation' will be organised in Bor, Serbia, 26th-29th of March 2007. The objectives of the workshop are to to support risk mitigation and promote innovative techniques and technologies for cost effective, robust, and socially responsible remediation of contaminated mine water. The workshop will bring together representatives of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia and the United Nations Interim Administration in Kosovo (UNMIK) as well as experts from international organisations and NGOs. The workshop is organised by UNEP and the Regional Environmental Center Country Office in Serbia with the support of the Canadian International Development Agency and the Austrian Development Cooperation. | |
| Agenda of the workshop | |
| Intergovernmental Meeting on the Preparation of the South Eastern Europe Mountain Convention | |
Bolzano, Italy - 03 November 2006 - 04 November 2006 | |
| The first intergovernmental meeting for the preparation of a legal framework for the Protection and Sustainable Development of Mountain Regions in South Eastern Europe will be held in Bolzano, Italy, on 3-4 November 2006. The meeting is organised by UNEP, in cooperation with the European Academy (EURAC) and the Balkan Foundation for Sustainable Development (BFSD). The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the draft elements for the Framework Convention that have been prepared by BFSD. The meeting will be hosted by EURAC with the support of the Italian Ministry of the Environment and Territory and of the Central European Initiative (CEI), in the framework of the Mountain Partnership. | |
| Agenda of the meeting | |
| Advisory Board Meeting | |
Vienna, Austria - 31 October 2006 | |
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In 2006 the ENVSEC Initiative has been strengthened with the addition of
two new partners, REC and UNECE, and the geographic scope of the Initiative
has broadened to cover Eastern Europe: Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine. In
Central Asia, the Initiative has started two new assessment projects to
identify environmental risks for human security and ways for strengthening
regional cooperation in the Eastern Caspian and Amu Darya water basins.
Recently the ENVSEC Partners also started the assessment and verification of mining hotspots in South Eastern Europe and work towards in-depth environment and security assessments in the areas of frozen conflicts in the Southern Caucasus.These and other interesting developments of the Initiative will be discussed at this year's ENVSEC Advisory Board meeting, which will will be organised in Vienna on the 31st of October. This year the Advisory Board meeting will bring together ENVSEC donor countries and partner organisations as well as other organisations working in the field of environment and security. The meeting will be hosted by the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities. | |
| Agenda of the meeting | |
| Meeting records | |
| Regional Workshop "Network Development of Local Actors in the Sava River Basin" | |
Terme “Jezercica” Donja Stubica, Croatia - 11 September 2006 - 12 September 2006 | |
An ENVSEC workshop which will be held in Croatia on 11-12 September 2006 and is being organized with the support of the OSCE Mission to Croatia.
The workshop is being organized in co-operation with UNITAR (United Nations Institute for Training and Research) and will gather different local actors (local and regional self-government officials, water suppliers, NGOs, and government representatives) from Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Serbia, and will be the starting point to create a Network of Local Actors from the Sava River Basin on Water Resource Management. During the workshop, the Sava Commission will be presented, and the participants will share experiences on natural resources co-operation, flood control and navigation, and access to finance. | |
| Agenda of the workshop | |
| 4th Regional Meeting of the Oblast Environmental Committees in Ferghana Valley | |
Dushanbe, Tajikistan - 11 July 2006 - 12 July 2006 | |
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On 11-12 July, the 4th Regional Meeting of the Oblast Environmental Committees in Ferghana Valley is held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.
The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the progress and implementation process of the Environment and Security Initiative (ENVSEC) in Ferghana Valley. It will: - To review the progress in the development and implementation of the ENVSEC Ferghana work programme with the focus on the final results of the REHRA project; - To further identify and discuss concrete measures for regular information exchange and communication between ENVSEC Focal Points and Programme Desk Officers. The meeting gathers representatives of local environmental authorities and Ministries of Environment and Emergencies from Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, OSCE, UNEP, UNDP, NATO, and a number of other stakeholders. The meeting will look into the regional environmental challenges from the point of view of human security risks, and the proposed ways to meet them. This edition of the Oblast Committee meeting will in detail examine the results of the project Rapid Environmental Health Risk Assessment (UNEP), and discuss its follow-up actions together with the proposal for managing and lowering the risks assessed. Since the time of the Third regional meeting of Local Environmental Authorities from the Ferghana valley in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan on 12-14 February (see News Archive), significant progress has been made in the two projects on the Legacy of Uranium Extraction and Environmental Security in Central Asia (NATO), and the project on Natural Disasters Preparedness of the boarder communities in Ferghana Valley (UNDP), that were initialized there. Also Aarhus Centers (supported by OSCE) have seen major development, and are a key component of the information coordination of the ENVSEC Initiative in the region. | |
| Meeting documents and presentations | |
| Workshop on Enhancing Transboundary Biodiversity Management in South Eastern Europe | |
Podgorica, Montenegro - 13 June 2006 - 14 June 2006 | |
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The ENVSEC Workshop "Enhancing Transboundary Biodiversity Management in
South Eastern Europe (SEE)" will be organised in Podgorica, Montenegro on
13-14 June. The main objectives of the workshop are to review the draft
assessment of transboundary mountain ecosystems in SEE, to visualize and
recommend priority areas and to identify follow up action required. The
workshop will bring together representatives of countries from the region:
Albania, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Serbia and
Montenegro, representatives of the United Nations Interim Administration in
Kosovo (UNMIK), representatives of non-governmental organizations and
further international experts and participants.
The workshop is financed by the Austrian Development Agency as a part of a regional ENVSEC SEE project and is organised by UNEP and the Regional Environmental Center Field Office in Montenegro. | |
| Agenda of the workshop | |
| Draft Biodiversity Assessment Report | |
| Cooperation for the Protection and Sustainable Development of Mountainous Regions in South Eastern Europe | |
National Park Pelister, Macedonia - 12 May 2006 - 13 May 2006 | |
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The Ministry of the Environment and Physical Planning of Macedonia in
cooperation with the Balkan Foundation for Sustainable Development (BFSD)
and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) will organise
Intergovernmental consultation on the "Cooperation for the Protection and
Sustainable Development of Mountainous Regions in South Eastern Europe
(Balkan region)", to be held in the National Park Pelister, Republic of
Macedonia, from 12-13 May 2006. The meeting is organized in cooperation
with the European Academy (EURAC) with the support of the Italian Ministry
of the Environment and Territory, in the framework of the Mountain
Partnership.
Following the Workshop on "Sharing the Experience - Capacity Building on Legal Instruments for the Protection and Sustainable Development of Mountainous Regions in South Eastern Europe", held in Bolzano, Italy, from 12-13 December 2005, the main objective of this meeting is to continue to identify the fields of and tools for enhanced cooperation for the protection and sustainable development of mountainous regions in South-Eastern Europe (Balkan region). | |
| Regional workshop on Natural disasters preparedness in Ferghana Valley | |
Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan - 14 February 2006 | |
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On 14 February, representatives from central and local Ministries of Emergencies of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, Aarhus Centers, OSCE, UNDP, and UNEP met in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan to discuss the mitigation of risks posed by natural disasters in the Ferghana Valley. Specifically, the issues were discussed in the context of the UNDP project inception on natural disaster preparedness for communities in high-risk districts in the Ferghana Valley.
The objectives of the workshop were to: -Present the regional UNDP project and its national sub-projects for Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan on preparedness to natural disasters on local level in boarder regions of Ferghana valley countries; - Endorse regional and national work plans for 2006 and ensure coordination with the on-going and planned related projects implemented by other international and donor organizations. Decisions were taken on the scope of work for the year in the national projects in working groups of each country. The details of the decisions can be found in the meeting records. | |
| Meeting documents and presentations | |
| 3rd Regional Meeting of the Ferghana Valley Oblast Environmental Commitees | |
Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan - 13 February 2006 | |
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On 13 February, the 3rd Regional Meeting of the Oblast Environmental Committees in Ferghana Valley is held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the progress and implementation process of the Environment and Security Initiative (ENVSEC) in Ferghana Valley. It will: - Review the progress in the development and implementation of the ENVSEC Ferghana work programme with the focus on natural disasters, REHRA and NATO projects; - Discuss the future programme development and prepare the work plans for 2006; - Discuss the strategy for regular information exchange and communication between ENVSEC Focal Points and Programme Desk Officers. The meeting gathers representatives of local environmental authorities and Ministries of Environment and Emergencies from Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, OSCE, UNEP, UNDP, NATO, and a number of other stakeholders. The meeting will look into the regional environmental challenges from the point of view of human security risks, and the proposed ways to meet them. The challenges comprise of industrial pollution hot-spots and radioactive waste sites, coupled with the negative pressure on quality and access to water and land resources in areas with high potential for conflict generation, and natural disasters hazards, such as low intensity high frequency flooding and land-slides in areas of high population density and agricultural lands. Since the time of the Second regional meeting of Local Environmental Authorities from the Ferghana valley, two more regional projects are about to start - the NATO project on the Legacy of Uranium Extraction and Environmental Security in Central Asia, and the UNDP project on Natural Disasters Preparedness of the boarder communities in Ferghana Valley. The first kick-off meetings for these projects are held back-to-back to this meeting, on 12 and 14 February respectively. | |
| Meeting documents and presentations | |
| Workshops on Legal Instruments for the Protection and Sustainable Development of Mountain Regions | |
Bolzano, Italy - 12 December 2005 - 15 December 2005 | |
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The Environment and Security Initiative partners, in cooperation with the
Ministry of Environment and Territory of Italy and European Academy (EURAC)
are organising two workshops aiming at strenghtening cooperation on
sustainable development of mountain regions in South Eastern Europe and the
Caucasus:
Workshop "Sharing the Experience - Capacity Building on Legal Instruments for the Protection and Sustainable Development of Mountain Regions in South Eastern Europe", 12-13.12.2005 The workshop will bring together representatives governmental organizations and civil society from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro, including Kosovo (territory under United Nations interim administration). The objectives of the workshop are: to analyse existing mountain policies and cooperative agreements, to analyse the potential and role of legislation in different sectors, to specify needs and benefits of enhanced institutional cooperation, and to identify, which tools of cooperation could be used to address these needs. The event will be held back to back with a similar workshop for the mountain regions of the Caucasus and a preparatory meeting for the first Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Carpathian Convention (16.12.2005). Workshop "Sharing the Experience - Capacity Building on Legal Instruments for the Protection and Sustainable Development of Mountain Regions in the Caucasus", 14-15.12.2005 The workshop will bring together representatives governmental organizations and civil society from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, Russia and Turkey as well as observers from international, governmental and non-governmental organizations. The objectives of the workshop are: to analyse existing mountain policies and cooperative agreements, to analyse the potential and role of legislation in different sectors, to specify needs and benefits of enhanced institutional cooperation, and to identify, which tools of cooperation could be used to address these needs. The event will be held back to back with a similar workshop for the mountain regions of South Eastern Europe and a preparatory meeting for the first Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Carpathian Convention (16.12.2005). | |
| Agenda of the South Eastern European meeting | |
| Agenda of the Caucasus meeting | |
| Environment and Security Initiative Information Meeting | |
Tirana, Albania - 14 November 2005 | |
| The Environment and Security Partners are organising the "Environment and Security Initiative Information Meeting", that will be held in Tirana on Monday, 14 November 2005 with participation of the representatives of the donor community operating in Albania in the field of economy and environment as well as the main local stakeholders in Albania. The main objectives of the meeting are: to present activities of the EnvSec Initiative in the South Eastern European region, to explore the possibility of cooperation with local institutions/organisations and stakeholders and to develop the network of potential partners, to increase the visibility of the Initiative, among others. The meeting will be hosted by the OSCE Presence in Albania. | |
| Second sub-regional meeting of Local Environmental Authorities from the Ferghana valley | |
Khudjand, Tajikistan - 10 November 2005 - 11 November 2005 | |
| The second sub-regional meeting of the Ferghana valley brought together local environmental authorities from Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan as well as ENVSEC project staff, Aarhus Centre Directors and representatives of the ENVSEC partner organizations. The participants discussed the trans-boundary environmental issues, progress of the ENVSEC projects in the region and regional coordination and communication between focal points, stakeholders and different projects. The meeting included a field trip to the Taboshar abandoned uranium extraction facilities. | |
| Meeting documents and presentations | |
| Advisory Board Meeting | |
Bratislava, Slovakia - 29 September 2005 - 30 September 2005 | |
| A 2005 meeting of the Advisory Board, to review the progress and future of ENVSEC, to provide scientific and policy advice as well as discuss proposals to further strengthen the initiative is scheduled on 29-30th of September 2005. This year the Advisory Board meeting will bring together the ENVSEC donor countries and partner organisations as well as the ENVSEC National Contacts and Focal Points from the countries of operation. The meeting will be hosted by UNDP Regional Center for Europe and the CIS in Bratislava. | |
| Meeting report | |
| Regional meeting on ENVSEC in Southern Caucasus | |
Tbilisi, Georgia - 30 June 2005 | |
| The meeting gathers together the National Focal Points of three South Caucasus Countries, representatives of the organizations of the Initiative, and project staff. The objective of the meeting is to present the progress of ENVSEC projects in the region, discuss future activities and the role of the National Focal Points. | |
| Agenda of the meeting | |
| Management Board meeting, June 2005 | |
Arendal, Norway - 16 June 2005 - 17 June 2005 | |
| The two-day meeting, hosted by Grid-Arendal, discussed the progress on implementation of the ENVSEC programmes and future plans such as the proposal to expand the ENVSEC Initiative to the Arctic. | |
| ENVSEC side events at the 2nd meeting of the Parties to the Aarhus Convention | |
Almaty, Kazakhstan - 25 May 2005 - 27 May 2005 | |
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Parties to the UNECE Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters the Aarhus Convention.
"Public Involvement for Environment and Security" - a side event to present and discuss the Public information and participation component of ENVSEC Initiative, 25 May. See programme... "Environmental Risks to security and opportunities for cooperation in the Ferghana valley of Central Asia" - a presentation of ENVSEC assessment and work programme, 27 May. ">The ENVSEC partners will organise two side events at the the second meeting of the "Public Involvement for Environment and Security" - a side event to present and discuss the Public information and participation component of ENVSEC Initiative, 25 May. See programme... "Environmental Risks to security and opportunities for cooperation in the Ferghana valley of Central Asia" - a presentation of ENVSEC assessment and work programme, 27 May. | |
| Agenda of the Public Involvement for Environment and Security | |
| Agenda of the Environmental Risks for Security and Opportunities for Cooperation in the Ferghana Valley of Central Asia | |
| Sub-regional Conference "Reducing Environment and Security Risks from Mining in South Eastern Europe (SEE) and the Tisza River Basin (TRB)" | |
Cluj, Romania - 11 May 2005 - 14 May 2005 | |
The sub-regional conference on mining will be held in Cluj-Napoca (Romania)
from 11 to 13 May 2005, with high-level participation of Mr. Klaus Toepfer,
UNEP Executive Director, Mrs. Sulfina Barbu, Minister of Environment and
Water Management of Romania, and Mr. Miklos Persanyi, Minister of
Environment and Water of Hungary. The objective of the Conference is to
draw up an action programme to reduce environment and security risks from
mining in the region, including further assessment and pilot projects at
high-risk sites, and endorse guidelines for sustainable mining and closure
of mines. | |
| Meeting documents | |
| Second Workshop for Local Actors of the Sava River Basin | |
Sisak, Croatia - 09 May 2005 - 11 May 2005 | |
| A workshop on improving water resource management of the Sava river will be held in Sisak (Croatia) from 9 to 11 May. The aim is to create a network of local actors who will share their knowledge in tackling common problems such as access to fresh water and pollution prevention. | |
| ENVSEC Side Event: "Environment and Security in the Arctic region" | |
Tromso, Norway - 11 May 2005 | |
| The ENVSEC partners have invited the participants of the High North Environment, Security and co-operation OSCE Parliamentray Assembly 4th Sub-regional conference to a side event on "Environment and Security in the Arctic region: participatory assessment of risks and potential for co-operation". The event will consist of an introduction to the ENVSEC Initiative and a presentation of a project plan for the Arctic regions as well as open discussion. The ENVSEC Initiative will also be presented in the main conference on Friday the 13th of May. | |
| Seminar on Rapid Environmental and Health Risk Assessment for experts from the Central Asian countries | |
Cortona, Italy - 04 April 2005 - 08 April 2005 | |
| The seminar focuses on environmental issues in mining and oil industries, emergency management plans and site rehabilitation. | |
| Management Board meeting, March 2005 | |
Brussels, NATO Headquarters - 23 March 2005 - 24 March 2005 | |
| Besides discussing the progress of the ENVSEC activities, an information session was organized to inform NATO's Public Diplomacy Division staff members, delegations and other interested parties about the ENVSEC Initiative. | |
| NATO's press release | |
- Central Asia
- Eastern Europe
- Southern Caucasus
- South Eastern Europe
