Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe (REC)

 The  Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe (REC) is an international organisation based on its Charter signed todate by the governments of 31 countries and the European Commission. Established in 1990, the REC has evolved during the past 21 years into an organisation with a continuously growing international role and recognition by key stakeholders in global fora. 

Its head office is located in Hungary, and the REC is also represented in 17 countries of operation with country offices in the respective capital cities as well as field and project offices, in order to ensure the accessibility of our services at the local level and in a regional scope.  

The mission of the REC is to assist in addressing environmental issues by promoting cooperation among non-governmental organisations, private institutions, governments, businesses and other environmental stakeholders, and by promoting the free exchange of information and public participation in environmental decision-making. 

The REC has implemented since its establishment over 4500 projects covering a wide range of expertise with a main focus on sustainable development, sustainable management and use of natural resources, capacity building of stakeholders and the integration of environmental concerns into the relevant sectors.  

As international organization with a think-tank and facilitator approach, the REC is and has been continuing to provide a multi-stakeholder platform for policy development and capacity building at national, regional and local level in Central and Eastern Europe, and beyond. In pursuit of its mission and mandates, the REC is actively participating in and accredited as intergovernmental organization at UN level such as recently for the meetings of the 19th session of the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD), as well as the UNFCCC, CBD, the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions, the UNDP and UNEP Governing Council. 

Equipped with the necessary knowledge and expertise, the REC contributes to international environmental dialogue and action, while also supporting the environmental dimension of the EU policies. 

With respect to the Coalition, the REC endorses the Coalition Framework and meaningful action to address short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) consistent with the Framework. Moreover, the REC endorses the approach and action taken by the Coalition, and is well positioned to raise awareness on climate change impacts and to contribute with mitigation strategies. The REC also supports the other aspects of the Coalition’s approach, and in particular: reinforcing and tracking existing efforts and promoting best practices; and identifying barriers to action and overcoming them. In both of these clusters, the REC has added value to bring in and considers these to be fundament of any future work.