The UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), which was established in 1947 by the Economic and Social Council, is one of the five regional commissions of the United Nations. Its main objective is to promote economic integration, cooperation and sustainable development in the 56 member countries located in the UNECE region (Western Europe, South-Eastern Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, the Caucasus, Central Asia, Turkey and Israel). Many international and non-governmental organisations also participate in the work of the UNECE.
The UNECE is a multilateral platform for political dialogue, negotiating legal undertakings, standards and regulations development but also for sharing and implementing best practices and economic and technical expertise through cooperation. It also contributes to enhancing the effectiveness of the UN through the regional implementation of outcomes of global UN Conferences and Summits.
The main objective of the UNECE's environmental activities is to strengthen environmental governance and conserve natural resources in the countries of the pan-European region. To this end, these countries:
- formulate environmental policies
- prepare and develop environmental treaties and standards through negotiation
- support international initiatives
Environmental treaties
The UNECE is the birthplace of five environmental conventions (and twelve protocols) and provides a framework for monitoring their implementation and development.
9th “Environment for Europe” Ministerial Conference / Initiative BIG-E
The Environment for Europe ministerial process is a high-level platform that helps stimulate and organise cooperation to meet environmental challenges in the pan-European region. It brings together 56 UNECE member states, international organisations, funding institutions and NGOs.
The 9th Environment for Europe Ministerial Conference took place from 5 to 7 October 2022 in Nicosia (Cyprus). The conference had two main themes: sustainable infrastructure and sustainable tourism. At the previous conference in Batumi (Georgia) in 2016, the member states adopted a strategic framework for the green economy up to 2030, made operational by the Batumi Initiative for a Green Economy (BIG-E). In Nicosia, the member states and interested organisations were encouraged to announce voluntary commitments on the conference main themes, following on from BIG-E. Switzerland highlighted four commitments under each theme; these are already being implemented here and undergo regular assessments that are then discussed in the UNECE Committee on Environment Policy.
Environmental performance reviews
The UNECE conducts environmental performance reviews on request for countries in South-Eastern Europe, Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia. It formulates recommendations on the measures governments need to take to improve the state of the environment and to enhance international cooperation in order to harmonise standards and build capacity, while taking account of their own specific economic and social factors.
Environmental information
In order to promote well-informed policy-making, the UNECE developed the pan-European Shared Environmental Information System (SEIS) to support the periodic reporting mechanism that each country in Europe and Central Asia has set up.
Pan-European initiatives
Finally, the UNECE, through its Committee on Environmental Policy, plays an active role in several regional initiatives such as the Ministerial Process on Health and Environment, the Transport, Health and Environment Programme (THE PEP) and the Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) strategy. In this way, it encourages the integration of environmental issues in sectoral policies.
Switzerland's commitment and interest
As a non-EU member, Switzerland benefits from the framework for cooperation within the European region provided by the UNECE, particularly under the various conventions and the Environment for Europe process. Around 30 Swiss delegates are actively involved in UNECE activities, participating e.g. in the development and revision of international agreements, the exchange of good practices, the development of improved implementation methods at the national level, and the pan-European harmonisation of environmental standards.
The UNECE also enables Switzerland to strengthen its cooperation with the countries of Central Asia and Azerbaijan which are members of the same Global Environment Facility (GEF) constituency group and are active in this organisation.
Further information
Last modification 08.07.2025
