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United Nations Organizations/Agencies
UN Economic Commission for ECE
Objectives
Membership
Activities
Environment Canada's Involvement
The UN ECE is one of five regional commissions of the United Nations. Established
in 1947, its main objective is to encourage greater economic cooperation among
its member States. It focuses on economic analysis, environment and human settlements,
statistics, sustainable energy, trade, industry and enterprise development,
timber and transport. The ECE activities include policy analysis, development
of conventions, regulations and standards, and technical assistance. The ECE
region is defined politically, not geographically. Member states share a number
of important socio-economic characteristics and common environmental assets.
Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia,
Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kyrgystan, Latvia,
Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Moldova, Monaco, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland,
Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan,
the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, UK, U.S., Uzbekistan.
The ECE has seven principal subsidiary bodies: Committee on Environmental Policy, Inland Transport
Committee, Committee for Trade, Industry and Enterprise Development, Timber Committee, Committee on
Human Settlements, Committee on Sustainable Energy, and Conference of European Statisticians. Environment
Canada is involved in the UN ECE mainly through the Committee on Environmental Policy (CEP).
The CEP provides policy direction in the field of environment and sustainable development, develops
international environmental legislation, oversees preparations for ministerial conferences, and supports
international initiatives in the region. It places particular emphasis on activities designed to assist
Central and Eastern Europe Countries (CEECs) in transition from centrally planned to market economies. The
Committee meets once a year, in Geneva.
The Committee's work is based on three pillars:
- The development of international environmental conventions;
- Participation in the "Environment for Europe" process and the regional promotion of Agenda 21; and
- The Environmental Performance Review Program, which is modelled after the OECD's, carried out in the central
and eastern European countries.
Conventions
Over the last twenty years, the ECE has produced several international conventions and protocols in the field
of environment, most of which Canada has ratified:
- Convention on Long Range Transboundary Air Pollution (LRTAP) (1979)
- Protocol on Long-Term Financing of the Cooperative Program for Monitoring and Evaluation of LRTAP in Europe (1984)
- Protocol on the reduction of S02 Emissions or Their Transboundary Fluxes (1985)
- Protocol on the Control of Emissions of NOx or Their Transboundary Fluxes (1988)
- Protocol concerning the Control of Emissions of VOCs or their Transboundary Fluxes (1991) (Canada has not ratified
the Protocol)
- Protocol on Further Reduction of SO2 Emissions (1994)
- Protocol on Persistent Organic Pollutants (1998)
- Protocol on Heavy Metals (1998)
- Protocol to Abate Acidification, Eutrophication and Ground-level Ozone (1999) (Canada has not ratified the Protocol)
- Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context (1991)
- A Protocol on Strategic Environmental Assessment is currently under development.
- Convention on the Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents (1992) (Canada has not ratified the Convention)
- A Protocol on Civil Liability for transboundary damage caused by hazardous actitities (also under the Water Convention).
- Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (1992) (Canada has
not ratified/signed the Convention)
- Protocol on Water and Health (1999)
- Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision Making and Access to Justice in
Environmental Matters (1998) (Canada has not signed the Convention)
Environment for Europe
The "Environment for Europe" (EFE) process was initiated in 1991 by the government of the former
Czechoslovakia to establish a new "European Environmental Space" after the end of the East-West division
of Europe. The objectives of the EFE process are to harmonize environmental quality in Europe, contribute to
peace and stability in Europe, assist CEECs to attain the standards of environmental protection established in
western Europe, and work to raise those standards throughout the Region. The EFE process takes place under the
umbrella of the ECE. To date, four ministerial conferences have been held:
June 1991, at Dobris Castle (former Czechoslovakia): Discussed ways of strengthening cooperation to protect
and improve the environment in CEECs; decided to develop an Environment Program for Europe, as a framework to
improve coordination and international efforts across the continent, focusing on Central and Eastern Europe. Canada
was represented by the Minister of Environment.
April 1993, in Lucerne, Switzerland: Set out the political dimensions of the "Environment for Europe"
process; endorsed the Environmental Action Program (EAP) for CEECs, developed by the World Bank and the OECD, as a
basis for local, national and international action; created a task force to implement the EAP, headed by the OECD. Canada
was represented by the Ambassador for Environment.
October 1995, in Sofia, Bulgaria: Produced the Environment Program for Europe, which seeks to implement Agenda 21
at the European level, as well as in the ECE Region; adopted Guidelines on Public Participation and Access to
Environmental Information. Canada was represented by the Ambassador for Environment.
June 1998, in Århus, Denmark: Adopted the Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in
Decision Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (Canada did not sign); and adopted the Protocol on
Persistent Organic Pollutants and the Protocol on Heavy Metals (Canada signed both). Canada was represented by the
Honourable Ethel Blondin-Andrew, Secretary of State for Children and Youth, who attended on behalf of the Minister
of Environment.
May 2003, in Kiev, Ukraine: Adopted the Ministerial Declaration, which underlined
the importance of the EfE process as a tool to promote environmental protection
and sustainable development in the region, thus contributing to wider peace
and security. Environment Ministers and Heads of delegation from 51 countries
in the UNECE region and the Representative of the European Commission emphasized
their common goals with respect to the environment and highlighted their common
dedication to cooperating in achieving high standards of environmental protection.
Canada was represented by the Ambassador for Environment
The sixth ministerial conference “Environment for Europe” will
take place in Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro in September or October 2007.
World Summit on Sustainable Development
The World Summit on Sustainable Development took place in Johannesburg, South
Africa, from September 2 to 11, 2002. While the Commission on Sustainable Development
served as the Preparatory Committee for the Summit, the regional economic
commissions of the UN were asked to lead the regional preparations and
assist in formulating the agenda and identifying issues for the World Summit.
The UN ECE played this role for the region of Europe and North America.
The International Policy and Cooperation Branch leads Canada's participation
in the Committee on Environmental Policy, which meets once a year. Canada
sat on the Bureau of the Committee from September 1999 to 2001. The Environment
Protection Services (EPS) leads the Department's participation in the work related
to the Convention on LRTAP and its various protocols. EPS is also the focal
point in Environment Canada for the Convention on the Transboundary Effects
of
Industrial Accidents. The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency leads Canadian
involvement in the Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary
Context.
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