Improving inter-agency regional cooperation to halt environmental degradation

This strategy features in the framework of Agenda 21 as formulated at UNCED (Rio de Janeiro, 1992), now coordinated by the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development and implemented through national and local authorities. Agenda 21 indicates a need for closer cooperation between UNEP and UNDP, together with other relevant institutions, in the implementation of projects to halt environmental degradation or its impact.

The Environmental Action Programme for Central and Eastern Europe was agreed by the UN/ECE governments and the European Commission at the Lucerne "Environment for Europe" conference on 28-30 April 1993. It builds on the efforts of the countries in Central and Eastern Europe to address regional environmental problems. The objectives of the Programme are: (1) to establish a consensus within and between countries of East and West on the priority environmental problems; and (2) to devise an appropriate mix of policies, secure the necessary investments and involve the relevant institutional actors to deal with the problems. Unlike geographically focused programmes, the Environmental Action Programme focuses on building effective processes to deal with the region's environmental problems rather than devising specific control measures. The Programme is to be reviewed and updated periodically and adapted to country-specific circumstances. CEE countries, in collaboration with the Council of Europe and the IUCN, have proposed a range of projects concerning the conservation of areas harbouring exceptional levels of biodiversity. Complementary work includes the extension of the CORINE biotopes database to CEE countries, the work in CEE for the State of the Environment Report, and the completion of the IUCN ecosystem surveys. With regard to protected areas, the basic premise of the Programme is that investments should focus on improving the management of existing protected areas.