In the course of UNEP’s work relating to the Kosovo* conflict, four contaminated industrial sites were identified as requiring urgent action to prevent harm to inhabitants and further degradation of the environment. Recognizing the need to strengthen the institutional structures for environmental management in addition to minimizing the risk to human health, UNEP advocated the provision of immediate environmental mitigation and capacity building measures. As a result clean-up work was conducted at four sites between August 2000 and December 2003.
UNEP’s work was conducted in the following manner:
Clean-up activities
The primary objective of the clean-up project, reducing human health and environmental risks, was accomplished through a combination of field-based remediation and rehabilitation projects. The report From Conflict to Sustainable Development: Assessment and Clean-up in Serbia and Montenegro was published in 2004.
Environmental institutions and coordination
In addition to the clean-up activities, complimentary capacity building activities were conducted in the fields of hazardous waste management, cleaner production, direct foreign investment, sustainable consumption and multilateral environmental agreements.
*References to Kosovo shall be understood to be in the context of UN Resolution 1244 (1999)
