Project partners

UNECE

EEA and UNECE have set up a project "Support to the activities of the UNECE Working Group on Environmental Monitoring (WGEM)" concluding a Grant agreement.

The project overall objective is to provide technical assistance and additional resources necessary to EECCA for the implementation of the WGEM work programme and for laying a basis for a sustainable network for environmental information exchange.

Specific objectives include:

• EECCA input to the preparation of specific reports within the framework of the WGEM activities;
• A needs assessment for rationalisation and strengthening of environmental monitoring/information and reporting in the EECCA region including needs in further donor support;
• Enabling the attendance of EECCA experts in meetings organized under the WGEM work programme;
• Co-ordination with EEA and its Topic Centres, governing bodies of multilateral environmental agreements, and relevant international organizations to build synergy.

ETC/Water

An additional subvention was provided for the European Topic Centre on Water for the “In-depth study of the monitoring of the New Independent States (presently EECCA)” to implement the task on in-depth study of the monitoring situation in specific areas/inland surface waters which is part of current Tacis project task to support and extend the activities carried out by the UN ECE WGEM.

Under the co-ordination of the WGEM the focus will be on the establishment of task forces and networks in the EECCA. The Network of National Contact Points will be used to answer to the requests for the WGEM tasks:

• Support to the development of the Kiev assessment report and develop recommendations to fill in identified gaps in EECCA,
• In-depth studies of the monitoring situation in specific areas/inland surface waters,
• Tools and guidelines to develop in support of monitoring and reporting
• Remote sensing - contribution to improved monitoring and reporting systems.

Specific objectives (these are to be carried out in collaboration with EECCA national experts):

• provide an overview of the inland surface water monitoring activities in the EECCA,
• make an inventory of existing water databases,
• make a comparison of existing monitoring networks with EUROWATERNET criteria, and
• make a selection of basic stations for a EUROWATERNET in each of the EECCA.

Project subcontractors

The Tacis project task "Support to the preparation of the pan-European indicator based state of the environment report for the Kiev 2003 Conference" stipulates that: "EEA will assist the NCPs in collecting, processing and compiling the most recent national data needed for the Kiev report, and in filling eventual gaps. In the same way, the EEA will also provide assistance in the review of the report and related activities. In order to obtain the requested information and review, the EEA will closely follow up the progress of the provision and review of information from NCPs and specialised institutions. In view of scarce human resources in NIS, this will imply assistance in the practical work of data gathering, directly and by hiring local experts and providing logistical support to NCPs. EEA will also provide assistance to these specialised institutions in the countries if they request clarifications, or any type of information implied by the scope and objective of this project. It may also be necessary to help NCPs coordinating specialised institutions. In this task, they will be provided with the necessary material by the EEA, which will be in English and partly in the Russian language."

In order to implement the above task, the EEA contracted the following organisations:

UNEP/GRID – Arendal

Contract on Assistance to the NIS (presently EECCA) in participating in the Kiev reporting process (Caucasus and Central Asia countries)

COWI

Contract on Assistance to the NIS (presently EECCA) in participating in the Kiev reporting process (Western NIS countries)

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