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It is a great honor and
pleasure for me to address you in the beautiful city of Nicosia, in this
conference centre whose name – Filoxenia (hospitality) – reflects so well the
nature and character of the inhabitants of this ancient land.
I welcome the great interest
aroused by this Ninth Environment for Europe Ministerial Conference, for
which my organization – the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe –
has the privilege of providing the secretariat; and the preparation of which
brought together our trusted partners – UNEP, UNESCO, UNWTO and others.
Today’s Ministerial Conference
is the ninth since the Environment for Europe process began 31 years ago,
when the political map of our region was quite different. The Environment for
Europe process began in the region still sharply divided along social,
economic, and political lines, with the vision and hope of contributing to
healing these divisions. And it succeeded! By offering countries a forum for
closer regional cooperation on environmental issues it delivered important
products and outcomes – just to name a few:
- The
ECE programme on Environmental Monitoring and Assessment and the one on
Environmental Performance Reviews;
- The
Pan-European Biological and Landscape Diversity Strategy;
- The
Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in
Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (Aarhus
Convention;
- The
Pan-European Strategy to Phase-out Leaded Petrol;
- The
ECE Strategy for Education for Sustainable Development;
- Several
Protocols to the UNECE Conventions – Air Convention, Espoo Convention,
Aarhus Convention, Water Convention;
- The
Environment Strategy for Eastern European, Caucasian and Central Asian
countries;
- The
Framework Convention on the Protection and Sustainable Development of
the Carpathians; Astana Water Action;
- Batumi
Action for Cleaner Air (BACA);
- Batumi
Initiative on Greening the Economy (BIG-E);
It is so painful to recognize
that our region is once again facing another divisive and tragic crisis: the
war in Ukraine, which devastation to the lives of so many people. This war
also puts regional cooperation mechanisms like the Environment for Europe to
the test. Will we be able to pursue common goals, whether global or regional,
sectoral or cross-cutting, in such circumstances?
The Nicosia Conference must
answer these questions. I hope the answer will be clear and unequivocal: YES,
we have common goals, and YES, we are able to cooperate to achieve them
together. The Environment for Europe process has done this in the past and
can do so in the future if we act – together.
In our current context, the
word “together”
indeed has several meanings so cleverly evoked in the colorful logo of the
Nicosia Conference. Today in this room are – together – the distinguished
representatives of the environment and education sectors; There are – together –
delegates from Europe, Asia, Africa, and America (and I would particularly
like to greet the representatives of these countries and regions who have
come to cooperate with us today); there are – together – governmental and
non-governmental professionals; there are – together – those who saw and even
contributed to the Dobris Conference in 1991, and the young people who were
born decades later. If the Environment for Europe process can bring together
so many different people, surely, we should be able to continue it – yes, together.
Finally, I would like to warmly
thank the generous and hospitable hosts of our Conference, the people and the
Government of Cyprus, and all the great colleagues of the Host Country
Secretariat who have put so much effort into organizing Nicosia Conference. We
look forward to continued fruitful cooperation with Cyprus, the competent
chair of the UNECE Steering Committee on Education for Sustainable
Development. Distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen,
I wish you – us – the success
of the Conference. Our region needs this process, needs it to be successful,
and we are going to meet these expectations. Together.
Thank you for your kind
attention.
(MV)
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