On 5-7 October, 71 ministers from 60 countries met in Cyprus for the 9th Environment for Europe (EfE) Ministerial Conference, supported by the UN Environment Programme.
The conference’s main themes were Sustainable Infrastructure, Sustainable Tourism and Education for Sustainable Development.
Ministerial declarations issued at the conference saw the 54 countries from the pan-European region commit to greening their economies and stepping up education for sustainable development. Countries pledged to support efforts to reduce water and energy use and greenhouse gas emissions from tourism, and called on states to commit actions under the Global Tourism Plastics Initiative. A call was also issued for more education to advance environmental governance, to strengthen environmental democracy and empower learners of all ages. Read more here.
The seventh pan-European environmental assessment was also presented to member states at the conference. Despite progress in certain areas, governments in the pan-European region must show far greater ambition in tackling climate change, protecting ecosystems and managing and tackling waste and pollution, it stresses. While all countries in the pan-European region have committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, net emissions are still rising, the assessment underlines. It points to a circular economy and sustainable infrastructure as solutions for a cleaner future. Read a press release on the assessment, which was covered by major media including Reuters and Euronews, here.
Meanwhile, in order to convey what sustainable tourism can look, taste and feel like in real life, UNEP also co-organized a creative side event with the Cyprus Sustainable Tourism Initiative. There, over 80 participants could take part in speed dating with local, sustainable food and drink producers, artists, chefs avoiding food waste and innovative businesses, such as entrepreneurs upcycling plastic waste.
UNEP also convened a side event on the role that natural infrastructure and nature-based infrastructure (NbI) solutions can play in delivering services sustainably and resiliently. A case study presented by the Cyprus Energy Agency provided the basis for a lively discussion on the challenges of planning, financing and implementing NbI, as well as potential solutions and opportunities for scaling up their use.
A further side event led by UNEP’s Mediterranean Action Plan Office focused on solutions to introduce a circular economy to the Mediterranean. Practical tools for tourism businesses were presented, while real-life examples of actions were showcased, including legislation to ensure the benefits of tourism are shared with wider society in the Balearic Islands.
The ministerial conference furthermore allowed UNEP’s Deputy Executive Director, Sonja Leighton-Kone, and Acting Europe Director Sylvie Motard to meet with several ministers for bilaterals. There, a range of environmental challenges and opportunities were discussed and relationships strengthened so as to ensure an effective multilateral response.
