The European Union project “Jashyl Klimat” took part in a meeting of the European ECO Forum in preparation for the next “Environment for Europe” ministerial conference.
The meeting was held online and was attended by more than 50 representatives of non-governmental organisations. The importance of involving the public, and young people in particular, in climate and environmental decision-making was also noted.
“Environment for Europe” is a unique process of cooperation in the UNECE region (which includes, among others, the countries of Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia), aimed at harmonising the quality of the environment and environmental policy across the continent and at ensuring peace, stability and sustainable development. Non-governmental organisations take an active part in these processes.
Mara Silina noted that for almost 30 years the European ECO Forum has continued to promote the involvement of civil society in the UNECE “Environment for Europe” processes and has made its contribution by ensuring public participation in environmental decision-making at a high level.
During the meeting, questions of sustainable infrastructure and sustainable tourism, education for sustainable development, the green economy, and environmental cooperation in the pan-European region — achievements and prospects up to 2030 — were discussed.
Olga Speranskaya noted the importance of the participation of non-governmental organisations in the discussion of these processes, thanks to which they can also influence regional decision-making in the fields of ecology and climate change.
Anna Kirilenko, manager of the “Jashyl Klimat” project, noted that assessing environmental achievements is a very complex and at the same time interesting process. She also emphasised the need to develop comprehensive recommendations from the non-governmental sector and to integrate them into the final ministerial declaration.
The project «Jashyl Klimat — Youth Resilience to Climate Change» is implemented under the overall coordination of the Norwegian Society for the Conservation of Nature, in partnership with the Ecological Movement «BIOM» and the Public Association «GLIP», with the financial support of the European Union.
