11 December 2018
South East, Southern European Environment Ministers Commit to Tackle Pollution
UN Photo/Kibae Park/Sipa Press
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In the ‘Joint Regional Vision on Innovative Solutions to Pollution,’ environment ministers and representatives state their determination to support the development and dissemination of innovative solutions in the field of pollution prevention, monitoring and reduction.

Conference participants discussed a report by UNEP that finds that countries in the region rank among the worst in Europe for air pollution and face serious challenges related to air and water pollution, soil contamination and unregulated waste dumping.

5 December 2018: Environment ministers and high-level government officials from Southern and South East Europe agreed on more than 20 tangible solutions to tackle pollution at a ministerial conference, including reducing all types of marine litter and supporting waste prevention, reuse, recycling and resource recovery to minimize environmental impacts and increase green jobs to support a green economy transition.

Conference participants agreed on a joint vision to incentivize and redirect investment towards promoting waste prevention, recycling and other non-polluting activities and increasing the monitoring of transboundary pollution.

Officials from Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Italy, Turkey, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Hungary, Greece, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Albania participated in the Ministerial Conference on ‘Innovative Solutions to Pollution in South East and Southern Europe,’ which took place from 4-5 December in Belgrade, Serbia. The Government of Serbia and the Italian Ministry of Environment, Land and Sea organized the conference with support from the UN Environment Programme (UNEP, or UN Environment).

The Joint Regional Vision on Innovative Solutions to Pollution seeks to strengthen the regional voice of the environment.

In the ‘Joint Regional Vision on Innovative Solutions to Pollution,’ environment ministers and representatives state their determination to support the development and dissemination of innovative solutions in the field of pollution prevention, monitoring and reduction and to strengthen “the regional voice of the environment” by taking specific actions. These actions include: encouraging environmental policy interventions at all levels by integrating existing policy instruments and creating new policies and tools addressing pollution and supporting inter-ministerial cooperation for improved policy coherence; fostering the development of innovative solutions addressing pollution, supporting green and environmentally sound technologies and promoting the sustainable use of natural capital, including ecosystem-based solutions to tackle pollution; promoting a circular economy by supporting sustainable consumption and production (SCP) patterns in the region, encouraging sustainable lifestyles and making it easier to reduce the use of, reuse and recycle materials, contributing to minimized waste generation and disposal; and accelerating implementation of multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) aimed at prevention, control and reduction of pollution, including through supporting the ratification processes of the Minamata Convention on Mercury.

Signatories further commit to, inter alia: encouraging sustainable and innovative financing schemes and private sector-led actions towards sustainable solutions on and investments in non-polluting activities; enhancing regional cooperation in addressing transboundary pollution; encouraging establishment of and strengthening regional partnerships to promote exchange of experiences, transfer of clean technology and accessible use of best available techniques; enhancing and promoting cooperation with and among local authorities to support development of innovative strategies and plans; and strengthening engagement with the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA). Signatories request UNEP to, inter alia: support the Western Balkan countries’ capacities in implementing the SDGs; and establish a UNEP sub-regional presence for facilitating exchange of information and creation of partnerships. Government officials also recognize the need to improve availability of and access to relevant environmental data on pollution.

Conference participants discussed a report by UNEP, titled ‘The State of Pollution in the Western Balkans and Current Challenges.’ The report finds that countries in the region rank among the worst in Europe for air pollution and face serious challenges related to air and water pollution, soil contamination and unregulated waste dumping. For instance, 20-40 percent of inhabitants do not have municipal waste collection, which contributes to widespread illegal waste dumping and plastic pollution that ends up in the Mediterranean Sea and Black Sea. The report also raises concern about the region’s energy plans, noting that all countries in the area plan to build new coal power plans. The report argues that the “economic and environmental reasoning behind this is questionable,” with solar and wind energy becoming cheaper than coal or hydropower. The report recommends that countries, inter alia: implement economic instruments, such as an excise tax on “dirty fuels” to address pollution and fund green incentives; introduce environmental objectives into energy and transport policies; and expand their networks of marine and terrestrial protected areas. [UNEP Press Release] [UN Country Team in Serbia Press Release] [Ministerial Joint Regional Vision of Innovative Solutions to Pollution] [Conference Website]


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