The Seventh UNECE “Environment for Europe” (EfE)s Ministerial Conference took place in Astana (Kazakhstan) from 21 to 23 September 2011.

The Conference was prepared in accordance with the provisions of Reform Plan of the Ministerial process. Two main themes for the Conference were: Sustainable management of water and water-related ecosystems; and Greening the economy: mainstreaming the environment into economic development. Whilst the Astana Ministerial Conference addressed identified environmental issues of common concern in the UNECE region, at the same time the Conference provided an opportunity to address priority environmental issues in the Central Asian sub-region.

The “Environment for Europe” process and its Ministerial Conferences provide a high-level platform for stakeholders to discuss, decide and join efforts in addressing environmental priorities across the 56 countries of the UNECE region.

20–21 September 2011 representatives of 70 international, European and national environmental citizens organizations (ECOs) from 30 countries met in Astana under the auspices of the European ECO Forum in order to formulate their demands for the 7-th Ministerial Conferences.

European ECO Forum is ad hoc Coalition of environmental citizens’ organisations and other NGOs acting in the UNECE region and primarily focusing on the EfE Ministerial process. Ukrainian National Environmental NGO «MAMA-86» is a board member of European Eco-Forum and it has been actively participating in its activities since 1995.

Regarding the first topic of the Conferences “Green Economy” ECO Forum called on governments: to create the UNECE “sustainable consumption and production (SCP) and Green Economy” task force; to develop measurable targets, indicators and legislative tools; to improve “Education for Sustainable Development” strategy; to phase-out harmful subsidies; to take into account environmental limits in development planning; to support the initiative of Millennium Consumption Goals; to implement a 10 year framework of programmes on SCP; to ensure continuity of previous EfE decisions; to develop monitoring and assessment system; to include absolute resource capping in governmental and other institutional discussions; to commit to Independent Technology Assessment and Monitoring of new technologies before their widespread use. And, finally, for UNECE countries to take a lead in developing a global strategy to address the risks that nuclear energy and the whole uranium cycle.

Regarding the second topic of the Ministerial Conferences “Water and Water-related Eco-Systems” ECO Forum stated: “We recognize that some progress has been made and some best practices in some parts of our region exist but – despite 20 years of some progress – we have not come to grips with the most urgent and threatening water management problems. ECO Forum called on governments to submit Astana Water Actions and to ratify the Transboundary Water Convention and the Protocol on Water and Health, to include actions which aim at 1) improving water management, 2) curbing industrial, agricultural, mining and waste based pollution of waters by 2015 3) assuring proper rural water supply and sanitation.

Water and Green economy was the third direction of discussions on ECO Forum. Mismanagement caused existing disbalance between water resources availability and demands. Many of EECCA countries are experiencing physical water scarcity now. The same time promotion of the private sector in the water sector in these countries is creating new barriers for provision of access to safe water. Sustainable management of water, based on proper ‘water accounting’ of the surface and underground water is key now. Transparency, reliability and the timeliness of information concerning water use, inflow, extraction and circulation, water withdrawal per economic sector is needed. However, official statistics and data in many EECCA countries are not suitable for measuring and assessing the effectiveness of policy mixes.

NGOs emphasized that: water saving objectives and targets, water accounting should be integrated into economic sectors strategies and policy planning; management of, and investment in, ecosystems is essential; in EECCA countries - renovating water supply, assuring transparency and social-corporate accountability of water companies both private and public; user pay full cost’ principle should be converted into legal framework; the “water footprint” of companies and countries is a tool which merits widespread use.

Later, on the 22-d of September during the Ministerial conference the president of Ukrainian National Environmental NGO «MAMA-86» Anna Golubovska-Onisimova presented the vision of the ECO Forum in a plenary session “Greening the economy: mainstreaming the environment into economic development”. In her key-note speech she stressed, that proper water accounting in economic planning, harmonizing ECCA water legislation with EU one, implementation of IWRM, effective water conservation policies, support to education and sustainable consumer choices are the main priorities for water actions to transit to green economy.

Participants of the meeting emphasized their valuing the EfE process as a useful and effective tool for international cooperation. During its 20 years of existence, it has played a leading role in the development of programs, plans and strategies to improve environmental quality in the region. It was remarked, that, unfortunately, from conference to conference decisions implemented are diminishing. ECO Forum called on governments to show their political will to become leaders at the global level again, to achieve truly sustainable and green development.

Additional information:

• The Seventh UNECE “Environment for Europe” Ministerial Conference web-site
• Openning of the EfE conference (video)
• European ECO Forum
• “Environment for Europe” process
• Astana Water Action
• Summary of the Seventh “Environment for Europe” ministerial conference
• Astana declaration of the European Eco-Forum