United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)

1. In the past year, has the governing body of your organization taken any decisions to advance sustainable, inclusive, science- and evidence-based solutions for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and ensure that no one is left behind? If yes, please briefly mention these decisions taken by your governing body in 2024 and provide the respective symbols. 

There was no session of the Economic Commission of Europe in 2024.

2. During 2024, what actions have your entities taken to improve coordination among UN system entities across policy and normative activities as well as with ECOSOC subsidiary bodies with a view to increase impact and accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda? Please provide any relevant links.  

During 2024, efforts have continued to further strengthen the capacity of the UN system at the regional level to provide joint, targeted and demand-driven policy support to Resident Coordinators and UN Country Teams to accelerate SDG progress. The Regional Collaborative Platform (RCP) for Europe and Central Asia and its Issue-based Coalitions and groups have been the main vehicles to devise and deliver support on a number of key transition areas, including environment and climate change, sustainable food systems, and digital transformation. A particular focus in 2024 has been to improve the match between the supply of and the demand for policy support in terms of content, format and intensity of delivery. A structured survey was sent to RCs/UNCTs that generated over 60 support requests to the regional level. 

3. In the past year, has your organization organized any intergovernmentally mandated conferences, forums or events that contributed to the achievement of the SDGs, or has been in the process of planning and organizing any such mandated events to be held next year? 

4. In the past year, has your organization published or planned to publish any analytical work, guidance or reference materials, or toolkits to guide and support the implementation of SDGs at national, regional and global levels? Please select up to three to highlight, especially those that address interlinkages among the SDGs. 

5. The United Nations has defined six key transitions, or transformative entry points, that can have catalytic and multiplier effects across the SDGs and which have been guiding the UN development system work since the 2023 SDG Summit. In the past year, how has your organization contributed to  these transformative actions and how various actors are being rallied behind them to mobilize further leadership and investment to bring progress to scale? Please provide any relevant links. 

1. Food systems

   UNECE has been advancing circular solutions to reduce food waste and promote sustainable production and consumption practices. At the 2024 Regional Forum on Sustainable Development for the UNECE region (13-14 March), a peer-learning round table was organized where participants exchanged knowledge and experiences on the climate change impacts of and on food systems and looked at key enabling conditions to make food systems more sustainable, efficient, and resilient. At the World Circular Economy Forum 2024 (15-16 April), together with the World Resources Institute, it organized an accelerator session on Circular Food Systems: Enabling Policies and Successful Business Cases in the Agri-Food Sector. It organized a discussion, together with IPU and ESCAP, on the role of parliament in transforming agrifood systems for the health of people and the planets. In addition, through its work under the Air Convention, has been drawing attention to how inefficient use of nitrogen in agricultural systems leaks into the environment and proposed solutions to reduce these losses.

2. Energy access and affordability

   UNECE has been advancing the concept of resilient energy systems, which includes as one of its three pillars, affordability, in addition to energy security and environmental sustainability. In its work, it brings together a diverse community of experts, policymakers and other stakeholder to engage in discussions and develop solutions for a fair transition energy transition. It carries our regular capacity-building and advisory activities to advance the transition, supported by various studies. For example, over the last year, it has developed a Guide for the implementation of energy efficiency measures and valorization of renewable energy sources for public sector buildings in Moldova and supported the establishment of a State Agency on Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy in Georgia. In its work, it addresses connectivity issues as a way to enhance resilience and increase affordability in energy systems. In June 2024, it organized a regional stakeholder consultation on energy connectivity and sustainable energy in Astana (Kazakhstan), as part of the programme, implemented together with ESCAP on energy connectivity in Central Asia and the Caucasus launched in January 2024.

3. Education

   UNECE has developed a Strategy for Education for Sustainable Development to equip people with knowledge of and skills in sustainable development, making them more competent and confident while at the same time increasing their opportunities for leading healthy and productive lifestyles in harmony with nature and with concern for social values, gender equity and cultural diversity. A 2030 Framework for Implementation prioritizes entrepreneurship, employment, and innovation as key policy direction. UNECE has initiated a three-year project aimed at promoting the implementation of this priority area. A Forum on Education for Sustainable Development - Empowering Youth for Sustainable Futures: Entrepreneurship Education and Youth Engagement took place in Cyprus in June 2024.

4. Climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution

   UNECE carries extensive work on climate change mitigation and adaptation. Its Carbon Neutrality Toolkit helps countries build resilient, carbon neutral energy systems by 2050, harnessing all low-carbon technologies and policy options.The UNECE Inland Transport Committee (ITC) Strategy, adopted in February 2024, can help countries decarbonize road, rail and inland waterway transport. UNECE also provides tools to evaluate the resilience of transport systems and guide policy making on emission reductions and adaptation.  It has developed a Stress Test Framework for evaluating the resilience of transport systems to climate change. The UN Water Convention provides a legal and intergovernmental framework for cooperation between countries on climate change adaptation in shared basins. The UNECE’s Forum of Mayors supports climate action in cities. Support to urban climate action includes the Trees in Cities Challenge with over 80 cities worldwide and over 18 million trees planted; the Trees in Dry Cities Coalition; and the promotion of wood as a construction material with 40% lower carbon emissions than concrete. UNECE has played a leading role over the last decade in working with national statistical offices to address information needs related to climate change. The UNECE Expert Fora for Producers and Users of Climate Change-Related Statistics have been organized annually since 2014 to serve as a platform for collaboration, sharing ideas and experience. 

6. Please provide strategies (policies, guidance, plan) and/or collective actions taken to implement the 2024 Ministerial Declaration of the Economic and Social Council and the high-level political forum on sustainable development convened under the auspices of the Council. Please note any challenges foreseen and provide any relevant links.  

The 10^th session of the Meeting of the Parties to the Water Convention (23-25 October 2024) focused on supporting peace through water, including the signing of transboundary agreements, and on addressing ongoing global environmental crises. Crucial topics such as climate change adaptation, the source-to-sea approach, the water-food-energy-ecosystems nexus, and financing transboundary water cooperation were addressed. Three publications were launched (progress reports on SDG indicator 6.5.2 and on the Water Convention and a compilation of Good Practices and Lessons Learned in Data-Sharing in Transboundary Basins). Financial sustainability of the Convention is one of the challenges to be addressed.

Indicators are vital tools in environmental and economic policymaking. They simplify complex issues into manageable metrics, guiding decision-making, assessing performance and ensuring accountability. 

UNECE, together with the Joint Task Force on Environmental Statistics and Indicators and with the support of the Working Group on Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, released in September 2024 updated Guidelines for the Application of Environmental Indicators, a tool designed to enhance environmental monitoring and support sound policymaking across the pan-European region. The widespread use of these indicators requires the necessary resources and enhanced capacities among relevant stakeholders.

Critical raw materials (CRMs) such as copper, lithium, cobalt, and rare earth elements are essential for the energy transition, but their extraction often causes deforestation, water pollution, and social disruption, especially in vulnerable communities.   To help shift current CRM governance from short-term extraction-focused strategies to policies that prioritize sustainability and intergenerational justice, UNECE’s Resource Management Young Members Group (RMYMG) developed recommendations for intergenerational justice in CRM Management. Balancing various interests and retaining a long-term perspective is a challenging endeavour that requires inclusive institutions and supportive data.

7. What collective efforts is your entity undertaking to support countries in accelerating the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, especially in the areas of Goal 3 (Good health and well-being), Goal 5 (Gender equality), Goal 8 (Decent work and economic growth), Goal 14 (Life below water) and Goal 17 (Partnerships), which will go under in-depth review at the HLPF in 2025? Please note any achievements, challenges and gaps and provide any relevant links. 

UNECE is working to avoid damage to health and reduce air pollution through a range of activities under the Air Convention. The UNECE/WHO Protocol on Water and Health has brought together stakeholders to increase resilience to climate change in the water and sanitation sector by identifying key needs and exchange good practices in preparing for and responding to extreme weather events and slow-onset, long-term changes. It has supported countries to address existing limitations in access to water, sanitation and hygiene. THE PEP – the Transport, Health and Environment Pan-European Programme – addresses the links between these three-policy domains, including the avoidance of the harmful effects of transport on health and the promotion of active human mobility (SDG 3).  UNECE has developed a Policy for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women that provides guidance to mainstream gender in the work of its substantive divisions. In October 2024, it convened a Beijing+30 regional review meeting to deliberate on priorities needed to accelerate gender equality (SDG 5). Through its program of Innovation for Sustainable Development Reviews and other policy advisory activities on innovation, it promotes the adoption of effective policies promoting entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation (SDG 8).  UNECE has an extensive programme on public-private partnerships that aims to increase the expertise of governments to identify, negotiate, manage, and implement successful PPPs projects. It has developed multiple guidelines, including a PPP and Infrastructure Evaluation and Rating System (PIERS), which provides a methodology for evaluating and scoring PPPs and infrastructure projects for their alignment with the SDGs (SDG 17).