Eighth Environment for Europe Ministerial Conference

On June 8-10 2016 the Eighth Ministerial Conference Environment for Europe (EfE) will be held in Batumi (Georgia). 

Greening the economy and improving air quality will top the agenda of the EfE Conference: Greening the economy, an approach to foster a healthy economy while ensuring environmental sustainability and social equity, is considered as one of the most promising ways to achieve sustainable development. Air pollution, which causes 7 million deaths per year worldwide and 600,000 premature deaths in Europe, has become the world’s single largest environmental health risk. Improving air quality is thus an urgent imperative. These will be the main themes of the Eighth Environment for Europe Ministerial Conference that will gather high-level representatives of UNECE’s 56 member countries in Batumi, Georgia, on June 8-10 2016.

EfE process as a political framework presents a unique partnership format of member States within the ECE region, organizations of the United Nations system represented in the region, other intergovernmental organizations, Regional Environment Centers, non-governmental organizations, the business sector and other representatives of civil society.

UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) serves as the secretariat to the Conference.

CCAC at Batumi

The CCAC will be participating in a side-event at the conference called: 

Clean air – quality life: Policy solutions for the world’s largest environmental health risk

When: 13:10–14:50, Thursday, June 9

Where: Hilton Batumi Hotel "Armazi" room

The aim of the side-event is to highlight the advantages of integrating air, climate, and health policies at the regional level and how reducing air pollution can achieve both climate and health co-benefits while avoiding trade-offs.

Working towards improving air quality in the region, the event will bridge the themes of the Environment for Europe and the Environment and Health Ministerial Conference. It will thus be a platform for different actors to also discuss the longer-term perspective, including the implementation of the SDGs with linkages to air quality.

Panelists from governments and civil society will  discuss linkages between climate change, health and air pollution and integrated policy approaches at national, regional and international levels that facilitate cross-sectoral benefits.  They will also address what challenges they have encountered and plans for future activities to improve air quality. The side event will also address how synergies can be strengthened on different levels and identify priority action areas, including the role of cities and communities.

International approaches integrating air pollution, climate and health policies, such as CCAC, the Air Convention, and the European Environment and Health Process will be discussed as examples of how, through cooperation, such complex issues can be better addressed and further strengthened.

(A confirmed speaker's list will follow)

Side-event Organizers: UNECE, German Federal Environment Agency (UBA), Climate and Clean Air Coalition, WHO Office for Europe, European Environment Agency, European ECO Forum