DUSHANBE, October 10, Asia-Plus — A Tajik delegation led by Agriculture and Environmental Protection Minister Abdurahmon Qodiri is taking part at the Sixth Ministerial Conference “Environment for Europe”, which opened in Belgrade, Serbia today.
Qodir Botourov, the head of the department for international ties of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection (MoAEP), said that the conference has brought together some 1,200 specialists from 56 countries, which are participating states of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE).
The Tajik delegation consists of Muzaffar Salimov, Deputy Energy and Industries Minister, Abdujabbor Rahmonov, Education Minister, and Mahmadsharif Haqdodov, a chief specialist in environmental protection matters with a MoAEP, as well as representatives from NGOs.
The ministerial conference in Belgrade, which will last till October 12, is discussing three main subjects: assessment of coordinated actions; creation of appropriate capacities for implementation of the coordinated actions, and future of the Environment for Europe program.
The First Ministerial Conference, within the “Environment for Europe” process was held in 1991 at Dobris Castle in the then Czechoslovakia. Environment Ministers from 34 European countries, the United States, Brazil, Japan, various UN bodies, governmental and non-governmental organizations and institutions were present. The conference discussed ways of strengthening cooperation to protect and improve the environment, and of long term strategies toward an environmental program for Europe.
A set of basic guidelines for a Pan-European cooperation strategy was laid down. They include: need for intensified cooperation, introduction of ecological aspects in the process of transition of economies in central and eastern Europe; promotion of environmental considerations by financial and economic assistance; assistance to improve environment-related health conditions; and finally that each country shall bear responsibility for global environmental problems. The discussions resulted in a set of Conclusions of the Conference, in which the Ministers and the Commissioner addressed several issues of great importance to the further development of the “Environment for Europe” process. Furthermore, they called on the Commission of European Communities to prepare in cooperation with UN/ECE, a report describing the state of the environment in Europe (the later “Europe”s Environment: the Dobris Assessment” of 1995). The need to develop an environmental program for Europe in the light of this report was underlined. The program would serve as the framework to improve coordination of national and international efforts in Europe, though focusing on central and Eastern Europe.
The Fifth Ministerial Conference “Environment for Europe” took place in Kiev, Ukraine on May 21-23, 2003. It concluded with the adoption of the Ministerial Declaration, which underlined the importance of the Environment for Europe 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. During the Conference, three Protocols to Conventions of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe were adopted and opened for signature. The ministers and heads of delegation also endorsed the Guidelines for Strengthening Compliance with and Implementation of MEAs in the UNECE region.
At its extraordinary meeting, the Working Group of Senior Officials decided that the sixth Ministerial Conference “Environment for Europe” would take place in Belgrade in September or October 2007.
