Making the economy in Europe and Asia green

The Polish Presidency is preparing the Union to the "Environment for Europe", that is a meeting of European states and Central Asia - this year it is devoted to the future of green economy in our region of the world. In a multi-national group, the ministers of environment will decide about the future involvement in the sustainable water management. Environment for Europe - but what about Europe and Asia for the environment?

The Polish delegation, led by Andrzej Kraszewski, the Minister of Environment, will take part in the 7. Conference of Ministers "Environment for Europe" in Astan (Kazakhstan) on 21-23 September 2011. It will be a unique dialogue forum between the partners from Europe, Central Asia and Caucasus, as well as the representatives of non-governmental organizations, regional environmental or business centres. The meeting in Kazakhstan will also be the contribution of our region to the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development RIO+20 in 2012. Moreover, as the Presidency, we will coordinate the EU position and represent the Member States during the proceedings.

During the Conference of the UNECE (United Nations Economic Commission for Europe) "Environment for Europe" a few hundred participants will conduct discussions on two major topics: sustainable management of water resources and the role of green economy in the development of countries - including the environmental issues in the economic growth. In the four days of the conference, there will be plenary sessions, round table meetings and a few dozen accompanying events.

"The Conference in Astan is a perfect place for exchanging experiences, discussing the challenges and working out helpful solutions not only for Europe. We will be working together - from the representatives of governments and international organizations to the businessmen and people from non-governmental organizations - under the motto - "Save water, grow green!". This event is a major challenge for the Polish presidency. We will be responsible for running the proceedings and coordinating the EU position, but most of all - we will be looking for a compromise for our common interest. The uniform voice of the EU will be a result of our hard work." said Andrzej Kraszewski, Minister of Environment, before the conference.

This year's meeting falls on the 20th anniversary of the ECE process "Environment for Europe". The Conference will also be a chance to summarize its activities as well as to discuss the most current issues concerning the sustainable development - green economy and water management. The process is still an important tool of cooperation of Europe and North America with the countries of Central Asia and Caucasus as well as social partners.

Moreover, the forum of the process "Environment for Europe" will be an opportunity to present the project of the Ministry of Environment entitled "GreenEvo - Accelerator of Green Technologies", which promotes our innovative technological solutions and facilitates its transfer abroad. This initiative first of all aims at sharing the experiences and assisting the developing countries in shaping innovation, supporting the development of green economy.

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UN ECE
United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (abbreviated as UNECE or ECE) is one of the regional commissions of the United Nations. Until 1989 ECE used to be the forum for dialogue and the field for economic cooperation between the Western Europe and the countries under the influence of the former Soviet Union. The members include the European countries (EU Member States and the countries from the Eastern Europe region), countries of Caucasus and the Central Asia, including the Russian Federation, and USA and Canada - 56 countries in total. Moreover, the organisations of the UN system present in the ECE region, other inter-governmental organisations, regional environmental centres, NGO's, private sector and other stakeholder groups are involved in the process. 

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